20 gallon long planted community

[smm333]

I am looking at friends to inhabit my 20 long planted tank. It is softer water and currently set at 74°, but the only fish are 8 male endlers so that could fluctuate a bit if needed. I'm thinking cories,  but wasn't sure if they are ok with gravel?  The tanks in my bedroom and we keep the room pretty cool, so no gourami 😕. My wish list includes Norman's lampeye fish, German blue ram, apistogramma, all kinds of micro rasboras, and cherry shrimp. I'm unsure which way to go. If I get larger fish (ram/apistogramma) I  know shrimp would be a no go, but maybe a Mexican dwarf crayfish or 2? 

Anyone have recommendations? Who would play nice with my endler boys?

[KBOzzie59]

With the lower temps you might consider Bolivian Rams.  I've had rams with shrimp, you just need to give them loads of cover.

[Schuyler]

I've heard crayfish rip up plants.

Corys should be fine with the gravel.

If you want to try something slightly different fur a centerpiece fish you could go with an Aphyosemion Striatum or Aphyosemion Austral

[Guppysnail]

I breed Pygmy, panda and bandit Cory as well as Aspidora (Cory cousin) on gravel. They are fine just keep the gravel clean. 
German blue rams need 78 plus degrees. 
 

My Pygmy Cory had a grand old time in a 20 long and so did my bandits. The best part is they both swim midwater quite a bit making a very fun to watch tank. 
 

 

[smm333]

On 6/12/2023 at 4:50 AM, Guppysnail said:

I breed Pygmy, panda and bandit Cory as well as Aspidora (Cory cousin) on gravel. They are fine just keep the gravel clean. 
German blue rams need 78 plus degrees. 
 

My Pygmy Cory had a grand old time in a 20 long and so did my bandits. The best part is they both swim midwater quite a bit making a very fun to watch tank. 
 

 

Thank you! I had pygmy cories before and loved them! I have albinos on sand and they spend quite a bit of time roaming mid level too! I'm glad to hear the gravel is ok. I really enjoy cories! 

[Jennifer V]

Hey there! I just posted about a 20g long setup. How did you set yours up? Lights, heaters, type of substrate, etc? Looks like we might want to keep some of the same inhabitants! 

Edited June 12 by Jennifer V

[Lennie]

On 6/12/2023 at 6:18 AM, Schuyler said:

I've heard crayfish rip up plants.

Idk the big ones but I have Cambarellus diminutus and they do nothing to plants. They are too tiny to do anything in general tbh 😄 

 

 

 

[Schuyler]

On 6/12/2023 at 6:27 AM, Lennie said:

Idk the big ones but I have Cambarellus diminutus and they do nothing to plants. They are too tiny to do anything in general tbh 😄 

 

 

 

Haha they're all illegal in Washington so I have no first hand experience

[Lennie]

On 6/12/2023 at 4:37 PM, Schuyler said:

Haha they're all illegal in Washington so I have no first hand experience

Really? Is it because they are natives or something?

They are lil funny creatures. I have them in my big community tank but may go for a species only breeding tank soon. They are already a size of a female neocaridina. Can't imagine those tiny babies

[Schuyler]

On 6/12/2023 at 6:39 AM, Lennie said:

Really? Is it because they are natives or something?

They are lil funny creatures. I have them in my big community tank but may go for a species only breeding tank soon. They are already a size of a female neocaridina. Can't imagine those tiny babies

We have a problem with invasive species pushing out native species do they're all banned at the family level (all genus and species)

[Lennie]

 

Look at its size next to a couple aquasoil balls. @Schuyler

[smm333]

On 6/12/2023 at 6:20 AM, Jennifer V said:

Hey there! I just posted about a 20g long setup. How did you set yours up? Lights, heaters, type of substrate, etc? Looks like we might want to keep some of the same inhabitants! 

I put about 3 1/2" of gravel and a bunch of plants.  I decorated wit a couple pieces of petrified wood,  a big crystal rock and some driftwood. The heater I got from Amazon. It's a 100 watt Kulife Fumak. I have 3 others in various tanks and I really like them. They're really small, programmable, and the temperature shows in big digital numbers so I can check it with just a glance. I want the plants to do well so I bought a Nicrew AquaLux plant light and the Nicrew tank mount to hold the light. I don't have a top on the tank and I want to be sure I don't knock it in on accident. The filter is a hygger that has two containers with bio balls and the water flows out at the top which is nice for agitation and doesn't take up too much room.

I just have my male endlers in there now. As babies show their boy colors I toss them in. My colony has grown waaaaay too big! So far there are 12 of them. I am currently looking for some local cherry shrimp and deciding between types of cories!

What is yours like?

[Sora]

On 6/11/2023 at 11:18 PM, Schuyler said:

I've heard crayfish rip up plants

To add to lennies comment. Might just be my md crayfish, but she’s never touched my plants and I have lots. I have one in a similar setup and she seems to do great, not aggressive, very cute and interesting and a great bottom cleaner. Highly recommend @smm333 you get one 😄 
 

Edited June 13 by Sora

[smm333]

On 6/12/2023 at 6:50 PM, Sora said:

To add to lennies comment. Might just be my md crayfish, but she’s never touched my plants and I have lots. I have one in a similar setup and she seems to do great, not aggressive, very cute and interesting and a great bottom cleaner. Highly recommend @smm333 you get one 😄 
 

I think I might just need one, lol! I love shrimp and they just look like a super shrimp! I have seen them at my lfs but didn't have an appropriate tank at the time. That beta looks beyond mello, lol! 🥰

[Jennifer V]

On 6/12/2023 at 6:38 PM, smm333 said:

I put about 3 1/2" of gravel and a bunch of plants.  I decorated wit a couple pieces of petrified wood,  a big crystal rock and some driftwood. The heater I got from Amazon. It's a 100 watt Kulife Fumak. I have 3 others in various tanks and I really like them. They're really small, programmable, and the temperature shows in big digital numbers so I can check it with just a glance. I want the plants to do well so I bought a Nicrew AquaLux plant light and the Nicrew tank mount to hold the light. I don't have a top on the tank and I want to be sure I don't knock it in on accident. The filter is a hygger that has two containers with bio balls and the water flows out at the top which is nice for agitation and doesn't take up too much room.

I just have my male endlers in there now. As babies show their boy colors I toss them in. My colony has grown waaaaay too big! So far there are 12 of them. I am currently looking for some local cherry shrimp and deciding between types of cories!

What is yours like?

Looks so beautiful! I'm just getting around to buying the tank so I have no idea what the setup will be yet. 

[Lennie]

Crayfish are escape artists tho! I guess u have no lid? @smm333

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/11/2023 at 6:37 PM, smm333 said:

I'm thinking cories,  but wasn't sure if they are ok with gravel?

They should be fine with it, they will do better if you add a feeding dish though or a sand section for feeding.

For cooler tanks: Rasbora, barbs, minnows, river species, and cypranidae species are a great segment that should do good.

Ricefish might be fun. White clouds. Rasboras. Nano barbs. There's quite a few options. Pleco and Otos also do great.

On 6/12/2023 at 5:38 PM, smm333 said:

I am currently looking for some local cherry shrimp and deciding between types of cories!

If you don't have any shrimp locally, let me know. I might be able to help with that depending which ones you're looking at obtaining.

[smm333]

On 6/12/2023 at 10:50 PM, Lennie said:

Crayfish are escape artists tho! I guess u have no lid? @smm333

No lid now. I may need to add one depending in the type of fish I settle on.  I'm looking at glowlight danios and  leopard danios as frontrunners! 😉

[smm333]

On 6/12/2023 at 11:30 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

They should be fine with it, they will do better if you add a feeding dish though or a sand section for feeding.

For cooler tanks: Rasbora, barbs, minnows, river species, and cypranidae species are a great segment that should do good.

Ricefish might be fun. White clouds. Rasboras. Nano barbs. There's quite a few options. Pleco and Otos also do great.

If you don't have any shrimp locally, let me know. I might be able to help with that depending which ones you're looking at obtaining.

I have a tank of blue dreams that has exploded with babies. I have a red rili tank that is not showing the growth which is frusterating since they are the same water/ temperature  and most plants. I do remineralized RO water in those tanks as well as my strawberry rasbora tank that has wild type shrimp because my shrimp success was dismal prior to them. I was hoping to do just regular water in this tank so I was thinking cherries. I heard they are tougher than some other colors. I'm nervous because I check my TDS all the time and it's over 400 in the 3 tanks I have with shrimp, but only around 150 in this setup. I read that if you get local ones you have a better chance at matching your water parameters. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/13/2023 at 4:47 PM, smm333 said:

I have a red rili tank that is not showing the growth which is frusterating since they are the same water/ temperature  and most plants.

What about feeding differences or hide differences?

On 6/13/2023 at 4:47 PM, smm333 said:

I heard they are tougher than some other colors. I'm nervous because I check my TDS all the time and it's over 400 in the 3 tanks I have with shrimp, but only around 150 in this setup. I read that if you get local ones you have a better chance at matching your water parameters. 

Do you have a liquid GH test kit handy?

On 6/13/2023 at 4:47 PM, smm333 said:

I read that if you get local ones you have a better chance at matching your water parameters. 

100% yes. It should result in less shrimp issues. It doesn't mean it's a fool proof situation. The logic is common across fish and shrimp that after 2 generations they are acclimated to your water and your care. That they should be used to your care and methods. Essentially, that they will act normal for you because that's all they've ever known.

[Peaceful Fish]

I really like the Hillstream Loach. They are something different, fairly active and are not nocturnal so you actually get to see them. I am currently keeping a Reticulated and a Zebra Hillstream loach. 

[smm333]

On 6/13/2023 at 5:09 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

What about feeding differences or hide differences?

Do you have a liquid GH test kit handy?

100% yes. It should result in less shrimp issues. It doesn't mean it's a fool proof situation. The logic is common across fish and shrimp that after 2 generations they are acclimated to your water and your care. That they should be used to your care and methods. Essentially, that they will act normal for you because that's all they've ever known.

I feed them the same. Both tanks have little shrimp houses. The rili tank is a 20 long and the blue dreams is 10. Wish that was switched, lol! I do have the GH test. I need to get a new Ph one this weekend. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/13/2023 at 9:21 PM, smm333 said:

I do have the GH test. I need to get a new Ph one this weekend. 

What is the GH in both tanks?

[smm333]

On 6/13/2023 at 9:51 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

What is the GH in both tanks?

Rili 125.3 and Blue 196.9. I'm surprised by the difference! The rili tank has a lowe TDS. I started the blues at a higher TDS because I tested the water they came in and tried to raise mine a bit closer to theirs.

[smm333]

On 6/12/2023 at 6:37 AM, Schuyler said:

Haha they're all illegal in Washington so I have no first hand experience

My lfs had Mexican Dwarf Crayfish a few months ago in Olympia Washington! Maybe its illegal to ship to different states? I know that all apple snails have that rule. I can sell spixis but can't ship them across state lines.