20 Gallon Long Questions

[Xr4tiCrew]

 

Starting to purchase everything I need for a new 20 gallon long setup and am curious about a couple of things. 

1. Will a 100w heater be sufficient?

2. Recommendation on a light? I plan on having live plants. Currently looking at the Aqueon Optibright + LED Light Fixtures, Adjustable 30-36" L

3. I purchased an Aquaclear 30 and am wondering if I also need to add an air stone to the tank?

Thanks in advance.

[Theplatymaster]

1. Should be plenty

2. There is the new ACO light out. Best light on the market. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/lights/products/aquarium-co-op-easy-plant-led

3.As long as the filter isnt too weak it should be sufficent

[Xr4tiCrew]

Ended up purchasing the 30inch light after reading all the reviews and watching a couple of YouTube videos.  When using this light will there be any issue having this lid Aqueon Versa Top 30" X 12" Hinged Glass Aquarium Top | Petco  on my aquarium and the light above? I did read that there are no risers with the light so no sure if it will sit just above the lid, if that makes sense. 

[Niwa]

On 1/11/2023 at 8:35 PM, Xr4tiCrew said:

Ended up purchasing the 30inch light after reading all the reviews and watching a couple of YouTube videos.  When using this light will there be any issue having this lid Aqueon Versa Top 30" X 12" Hinged Glass Aquarium Top | Petco  on my aquarium and the light above? I did read that there are no risers with the light so no sure if it will sit just above the lid, if that makes sense. 

I haven't had any issue with the ACO light(30inch) with that lid yet on my 20 long, it doesn't sit on the glass just almost. If you plan on having riser it will leave a shaded line in the tank which cause by the plastic that connect the 2 piece of glass. 

[James V.]

On 1/11/2023 at 8:35 PM, Xr4tiCrew said:

Ended up purchasing the 30inch light after reading all the reviews and watching a couple of YouTube videos.  When using this light will there be any issue having this lid Aqueon Versa Top 30" X 12" Hinged Glass Aquarium Top | Petco  on my aquarium and the light above? I did read that there are no risers with the light so no sure if it will sit just above the lid, if that makes sense. 

The plastic hinge on the lid will block out some of the light, I usually just remove the plastic piece.

[Lennie]

I have been keeping my 29g with a 100w heater and with a HOB filter with a similar capacity to yours ( mine has 510 L/h capacity) with no problem. I think it would be pretty enough as @Theplatymaster mentioned. I just keep my heater close to HOB intake and it is good to go. I filled my HOB with a sponge, a mixture of Sera mini siporax and seachem matrix, and a thin layer of filter wool. Also using it with a prefilter sponge on the intake. The more surface there is, the better I believe. I can easily keep up with weekly water changes and I clean the filter around once every 3 weeks- a month. I personally dont use an airstone, but it may help to increase oxygen levels if you want to. 

I have so many plants in my tank too. But I have tanks without a lid so never tried to remove the cover on lights as it would be risky in my case. So I cannot comment on that one

 

Here is a great video from @Irene for some HOB hacks in case you haven't seen the video yet! I have always been keeping my fish successfully with a similar HOB design that she recommends. 🙂

 

 

[Guppysnail]

20long is one of my favorites. The thing I noticed is the end without the hob does not get flow and collects debris and grows a lot of algae. If I put the hob in the center both ends lack flow. I like the hob on one end and at least a sponge if not a second hob on the other to keep the water moving. 
I don’t care for the hob in the middle since I then find myself feeding on the ends so the food isn’t swept away. 

[Xr4tiCrew]

On 1/11/2023 at 10:35 PM, Niwa said:

I haven't had any issue with the ACO light(30inch) with that lid yet on my 20 long, it doesn't sit on the glass just almost. If you plan on having riser it will leave a shaded line in the tank which cause by the plastic that connect the 2 piece of glass. 

Thanks for that picture. It looks like you place yours just behind the plastic hinge. Can't wait to get mine all setup, just waiting on the light and stand. 

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 1/12/2023 at 6:12 AM, Lennie said:

Here is a great video from @Irene for some HOB hacks in case you haven't seen the video yet! I have always been keeping my fish successfully with a similar HOB design that she recommends. 🙂

 

 

 

@Irene 's video is great, and I can also recommend @Cory 's:

 

On 1/12/2023 at 7:49 AM, Guppysnail said:

20long is one of my favorites. The thing I noticed is the end without the hob does not get flow and collects debris and grows a lot of algae. If I put the hob in the center both ends lack flow. I like the hob on one end and at least a sponge if not a second hob on the other to keep the water moving. 
I don’t care for the hob in the middle since I then find myself feeding on the ends so the food isn’t swept away. 

How about placing the HOB on one if the sides? I've never tried it but I know @nabokovfan87 is a HOB-side-placement partisan.

[MattyM]

I have an AC30 in one corner of my 20 long, and a large sponge in the other corner. I bought a diverter from GalaxyGlowStudios (on Etsy) that diverts the output flow on the AC towards the other end of the tank. That said, Amazon is/was selling AC50s for $30 - I have one of those on my 20H and it works great too. I'd also recommend getting some silicone lube, the stuff I bought on Amazon is "Trident" - I've noticed on new HOBs, whether it's AC or Seachem, that the impeller shaft often needs to be greased a few times to keep it quiet before it settles in. 

[Xr4tiCrew]

On 1/12/2023 at 9:36 AM, MattyM said:

I have an AC30 in one corner of my 20 long, and a large sponge in the other corner. I bought a diverter from GalaxyGlowStudios (on Etsy) that diverts the output flow on the AC towards the other end of the tank. That said, Amazon is/was selling AC50s for $30 - I have one of those on my 20H and it works great too. I'd also recommend getting some silicone lube, the stuff I bought on Amazon is "Trident" - I've noticed on new HOBs, whether it's AC or Seachem, that the impeller shaft often needs to be greased a few times to keep it quiet before it settles in. 

Good to know about the impeller shaft, hoping that won't be an issue for a while. I am trying to avoid adding another filter in the tank as I want it to look as clean as possible. Might just have to add an air stone towards the opposite end of HOB to get some additional water movement. 

[MattyM]

On 1/12/2023 at 10:45 AM, Xr4tiCrew said:

Might just have to add an air stone towards the opposite end of HOB to get some additional water movement.

My general theory is if you have an air stone, might as well have a sponge filter with it, even if it's a small one. Once the plants grow in it will be hidden pretty well, and provide another place for bacteria to grow and a buffet for your smaller fish/shrimp. Just food for thought. Mine is a large AC one, is pretty much completely hidden, and I haven't had to clean it in months. Also, if you need to start up a hospital tank, just drop it in. 

[Xr4tiCrew]

On 1/12/2023 at 9:50 AM, MattyM said:

My general theory is if you have an air stone, might as well have a sponge filter with it, even if it's a small one. Once the plants grow in it will be hidden pretty well, and provide another place for bacteria to grow and a buffet for your smaller fish/shrimp. Just food for thought. Mine is a large AC one, is pretty much completely hidden, and I haven't had to clean it in months. Also, if you need to start up a hospital tank, just drop it in. 

Good point. I may just do the ACO nano or small sponge filter in the opposite corner and put a plant or two around it. 

[Xr4tiCrew]

So, my 20 long has been setup for one week now. I used Seachem stability during the first 7 days as well as used filter media from my 10 gallon take that is established. I have also had two guppies in this tank for 5 days now. My question is, when should I do my first water change? 

[Lennie]

Frankly, Test kits should tell you.

What I personally do is, when I setup a tank even with established media, I keep testing the tank every day for the first week, then once every 2 days, and I do my water changes if I see anything off. If everything seems okay, I just let everything to establish for a while and don't do water changes. I never clean the filter in the first weeks, letting it gunk up a lil. If everything seems alright in the first 2 weeks, I decrease the testing amount to maybe like once every 3 day. But I keep testing regularly especially in the first month.

After some time, when I observe my readings are not off, then I can start planning my weekly water changes based on mynitrate readings(I would say 40 max imo) if anything seems to be done more than once a week. This may be subject to change with every addition to the tank, how seasoned your tank becomes gradually, and how much plant growth is going on. 

But I do water changes every week in my seasoned tanks, and nitrate readings are not the only reason why we make water changes in my opinion. So I would do at least small water changes once a week even if the nitrate readings are not 40/50, but I suggest to do that when the system gets established well. And see nitrates not reaching 40 at the end of the week as an opportunity incase if I have to skip a water change that week or for a couple days

Early time water changes without off parameters may slow down establishing process in my opinion. So I would watch parameters closely and let the tank do its job for a couple week, and do water changes when necessary.

 

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by Lennie

[Xr4tiCrew]

On 1/28/2023 at 12:11 AM, Lennie said:

Frankly, Test kits should tell you.

What I personally do is, when I setup a tank even with established media, I keep testing the tank every day for the first week, then once every 2 days, and I do my water changes if I see anything off. If everything seems okay, I just let everything to establish for a while and don't do water changes. I never clean the filter in the first weeks, letting it gunk up a lil. If everything seems alright in the first 2 weeks, I decrease the testing amount to maybe like once every 3 day. But I keep testing regularly especially in the first month.

After some time, when I observe my readings are not off, then I can start planning my weekly water changes based on mynitrate readings(I would say 40 max imo) if anything seems to be done more than once a week. This may be subject to change with every addition to the tank, how seasoned your tank becomes gradually, and how much plant growth is going on. 

But I do water changes every week in my seasoned tanks, and nitrate readings are not the only reason why we make water changes in my opinion. So I would do at least small water changes once a week even if the nitrate readings are not 40/50, but I suggest to do that when the system gets established well. And see nitrates not reaching 40 at the end of the week as an opportunity incase if I have to skip a water change that week or for a couple days

Early time water changes without off parameters may slow down establishing process in my opinion. So I would watch parameters closely and let the tank do its job for a couple week, and do water changes when necessary.

 

 

Okay I just tested and have the following numbers.

 

ammonia: 0ppm

nitrite: 0 ppm

nitrate: 20ppm

 

[Xr4tiCrew]

On 1/11/2023 at 10:35 PM, Niwa said:

I haven't had any issue with the ACO light(30inch) with that lid yet on my 20 long, it doesn't sit on the glass just almost. If you plan on having riser it will leave a shaded line in the tank which cause by the plastic that connect the 2 piece of glass. 

What brightness do you have yours on?  Mine is down 3 clicks from the brightest setting and seeing a lot of algae so I moved it down one more. I am running it 9 hours a day.