What would you get for a new 20g?

[mrsjoannh13]

Setting up my 2nd 20 gallon tank and might have the opportunity to set up a third shortly after (YAY!). Tank dimensions are 24" x 14" x 14". My water parameters are GH 25, KH 120, and pH between 7.8 and 8.

What would your dream tank be in terms of livestock with this tank size and water params?

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Amazon biotope: moderate light; landscape: black water with tannins with light current, dirt as a base and genuine river sand on the top, stones and large logs with many branches, with leaf litter, a conventional cave hidden between the wood and plants; plants: echinodorus bleheri, echinodorus cordifolius, Cabomba, Limnobium laevigatum, Salvinia minima; inhabitants: 2 Apistogramma cacatuoides, 15 otocinclus affinis, 20 cardinal tetras; parameters: 24-28 ° C, Ph: 5.5-7, Gh: 20-250 ppm.


Sumatran swamp biotope: normal light; landscape: black water with tannins with light current, black dirt as a base and sand on top, large stones and driftwood with many branches, with leaf litter; plants: Hygrophila corymbosa, cryptocoryne pontederiifolia, microsorum Pteropus, Salvinia natans, taxiphyllum Barbieri .; Inhabitants: 2 blue gouramis, 10 harlequin rasboras, 6 mystus bymaculatus, 6 pangio anguillaris; parameters 20-26 ° C, Ph: 6-7.5, Gh 20-200 ppm.

one of those 2

 

[mcordelia]

Possibly a small puffer, since everyone seems to rave about them.

Maybe a super heavily planted tank with neons and otos.

Possibly dwarf cichlids.

 

[mrsjoannh13]

Possibly a small puffer, since everyone seems to rave about them.

That is really an interesting idea! But don't they get really big? Are there dwarf varieties? I guess I should read up on this as my daughter is obsessed with Murphy, the puffer in the Aquarium Co-op guy's videos.

 

[hansgruber7]

This is what I did with my dream 20 gallon. Just Celestial Pearl Danios and Kuhli loaches. I love it.

 

[mcordelia]

I think @eatyourpeas can tell you all about pea puffers

 

[eatyourpeas]

I think @eatyourpeas can tell you all about pea puffers

I love my pea puffers. Full of personality, and smart little fish. They are carnivores and can be picky eaters (mine won't eat anything that is dead or frozen), and need a lot of maintenance since they are very messy.

Miss Ethel and Nicodemus each have their own tank. They are heavily planted and share with Amano, Neocaridina Daviidi, Nerite snail and a bunch of bladder and ramshorn snails that they can help themselves to when they are hungry. They do not bother any of them except for the Mystery snail, whose foot was turned into a doily by Miss Ethel so I had to move him to another tank.

I think you can a group in a 20 gal. tank as long as it is heavily planted. You do not want to risk them hurting each other or other fish since they are extremely territorial and get more aggressive as they become adults. My local LFS had a group in a huge tank, very heavily planted, and that seemed to work.

If you are up for keeping up with the tank maintenance (they are very sensitive being scaleless fish) and feeding challenges, you will enjoy a very entertaining critter with lots of attitude packed in less than one inch.

Here are their tanks for reference. Feel free to ask any questions

6 gal. Miss Ethel

6 gal. soon to house Nicodemus

3 gal. currently housing Nicodemus
H

 

[eatyourpeas]

That is really an interesting idea! But don't they get really big? Are there dwarf varieties? I guess I should read up on this as my daughter is obsessed with Murphy, the puffer in the Aquarium Co-op guy's videos.

Murphy is huge, and also a salt water puffer.

 

[eatyourpeas]

Here are some videos with info on pea puffers:

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Murphy is huge, and also a salt water puffer.

murphy is a mbu puffer, which lives in lakes in the congo and in the congo river itself so not saltwater but definitely huge

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

That is really an interesting idea! But don't they get really big? Are there dwarf varieties? I guess I should read up on this as my daughter is obsessed with Murphy, the puffer in the Aquarium Co-op guy's videos.

pea puffer, amazon puffer, red-eye puffer, congo puffer just to give you a few examples of not so large puffers

 

[eatyourpeas]

murphy is a mbu puffer, which lives in lakes in the congo and in the congo river itself so not saltwater but definitely huge

Ahh, thanks for correcting me. I always saw him eat clams so incorrectly assumed he was salt water.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Ahh, thanks for correcting me. I always saw him eat clams so incorrectly assumed he was salt water.

no problem, he eats clams to help to wear down his teeth

 

[mrsjoannh13]

Wow thanks for all the puffer knowledge! Little bit is kind of obsessed with Murphy's teeth, LOL. He sure is a cutie. Might not be something I can reasonably maintain at this stage of my fishkeeping life. I'll look into the smaller varieties listed above. Appreciate it!

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Wow thanks for all the puffer knowledge! Little bit is kind of obsessed with Murphy's teeth, LOL. He sure is a cutie. Might not be something I can reasonably maintain at this stage of my fishkeeping life. I'll look into the smaller varieties listed above. Appreciate it!

a list of all the freshwater puffers I know of that can live in 80 litters
1. pea puffer
2.amazon puffer
3. red-eye puffer
4.congo puffer
5.hairy puffer
6.green puffer
7.figure 8 puffer
8. Fang's Puffer
9.humpback puffer
10.arrowhead puffer
Just keep in mind that some of these puffers will need to be a species only tank and some even may need to be the only individuals in the tank, some of these are ambush predators, some are more active and lively colored, most of these will need hard foods (snails, shrimp, crayfish, crabs, clams, etc.) to wear down their teeth since they grow forever. And all of them will do better in an aquarium specifically tailored for their necessities (a biotope if possible).
Wish you luck and I hope you find the right puffer for your child.