# 20 Long



## Xailiar (Jan 2, 2011)

So, I recently updated my, inescapably, too small 10 gallon tank to a 20 Long, which is what I wanted in the first place. 

In it resides; 3 Black Mollies, 3 Pictus Catfish, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Bushynose Pleco, and 1 Black Mystery Snail.

Here is a picture (with most of the fish hiding ):









It currently doesn't have a hood, as I can't afford the $50 it'll cost. Instead it has this glass top thing I found. The lack of a light didn't seem like a big issue, since most of my fish are nocturnal anyways. 

Any suggestions or comments? Is it overstocked? Understocked?


----------



## J-Pond (Jun 8, 2009)

It may be a little tight space wise when the catfish grow. The light should be fine unless you plan on adding live plants!


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I love full glass tops vs. hoods. Just get yourself a cheap light fixture from Home Depot and rest it on top of the tank. The light might overhang a little, but it's a great high-power way to go.

You could also check Craigslist for light fixtures and even hoods for cheap.

Don't discount incandescents as well. A good desk lamp over the tank with a 90 Watt bulb will do wonders.


----------



## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

looks nice!  I've always liked the white substrate idea

Watch your snail (depending on it's size) with those Pictus's in the tank; they'll consume ANYTHING they can fit in their mouth


----------



## Xailiar (Jan 2, 2011)

Well, I made some stocking changes, got a second filter, and moved everything up to campus.

My current stock is:

2x Marble Angelfish
3x Pictus Catfish
1x Dragon Goby
2x Banjo Catfish
1x Bushynose Pleco
1x Black Mystery Snail
1x Golden Apple Snail
1x Green Mystery Snail (?)

For now, at least, it doesn't seem to be overstocked and, if in the future, things start to get tight, I'm not opposed to getting a larger tank (a 55g is on my wish list anyways, but my college budget laughs at that idea right now).

Some pics of the current set-up:



















The plants (other than the rubber sea grape thing) are real. Fake plants just didn't feel right. My dorm is a triple with two people in it (It's bigger than the senior singles. All of campus is green with envy! ) and the tank sits across from three 5, 10, and 5 foot windows, so light for the plants isn't a huge concern.



[email protected] said:


> I love full glass tops vs. hoods. Just get yourself a cheap light fixture from Home Depot and rest it on top of the tank. The light might overhang a little, but it's a great high-power way to go.
> 
> You could also check Craigslist for light fixtures and even hoods for cheap.
> 
> Don't discount incandescents as well. A good desk lamp over the tank with a 90 Watt bulb will do wonders.


I don't dislike the glass top (except for the annoying black hinge running the length of the middle of it. ), but I find I prefer to leave the top open, at least while I'm spending time with them. The adjacent floor lamp seems to do rather well. It looks awesome when it on! The way the angled light plays off the filtered water surface and white sand it pure magic! XD



automatic-hydromatic said:


> looks nice!  I've always liked the white substrate idea
> 
> Watch your snail (depending on it's size) with those Pictus's in the tank; they'll consume ANYTHING they can fit in their mouth


I originally had white gravel, which worked well with the colors of the fish I like, but I've switched to white sand for several reasons. One, the dragon goby needs sand to eat; two, the banjo catfish like to burrow; three, I was concerned about whether or not the gravel would be too sharp for the pictus' barbels; and four, the sinking food always seemed to get lost in the gravel.

All three of the snails are about an inch across, so I'm not too worried about the pictus' eating them. For now, anyways.


----------



## Xailiar (Jan 2, 2011)

One thing I do need help with is the heater. The little one I had in my 10g (which you see in the middle of the tank in the above pictures) just doesn't seem to be cutting it. What size heater should I be looking for and where is the best place to put it? (Or doesn't placement matter once the heater is an appropriate size?)


----------



## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

I had a 40 watt in my 10 gallon, and it did fine over the winter

I assume for a 20 gallon, just double that to 80, or step up to 100 to be sure


I place mine as close to the filter intake as possible so the water gets "pre-heated" as it inters the filter, and then the warmer water is pushed out into the tank as filter water (at least that's my theory any way; seems to work well  )

You definitely do want to place it in an area that has some sort of current though so the warm water get's moved around


----------

