# New 20g aquarium



## Lil Gashog (Dec 1, 2010)

For hristmas if i get a 20g aquarium would these fish be okay together?

5-7 Cardinal Tetras
5-7 Hatchetfish
1-3 Tequila Sunrise Guppies
2-5 Algae Eaters
4 Red Claw Crabs
Maybe someone could some more fish to pet in?

I'm honestly worried about the algae eaters and the crabs together,any opinions will be appreciated!


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Off the top of my head I'm thinking that is WAY too many fish. I didn't work out the numbers or anything and I only have experience myself with the guppys but it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen if you put that in a 20gal. Except maybe (and like I said I did not workout the numbers) if you went with the lowest number of all those fish. Also, I am not familiar with many of them so I can't comment on compatibility.


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## Lil Gashog (Dec 1, 2010)

Ya i know the tetras are small so are the hatchetfish and algae eaters but im not really sure the size of those guppies

Thanks for opinion!


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

Put your info in there and see how it says you are ding on the stocking level.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

sounds ok to me if you don't get all the maximum number. I don't trust crabs in a fish tank but others seem to have done ok with these, personally I'd leave them out. Just don't start with too many and add slowly.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Female guppys are 2 something cms. Males a little smaller. That is another big thing too-add the fish very slowly so you don't overload the tank. Add like 1or 2 every few weeks or so.


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## Saverio (Dec 4, 2010)

If the algae eaters you're talking about are the common ones they sell at like a petsmart that are like an inch or two long with the sucker mouths, I'd be wary. They get a good deal bigger and get more aggressive as they get older. I'm not referring to common pleco's, although those are often sold at LFS's when they are small, and their adult size ends up at like 18" or so.


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## Lil Gashog (Dec 1, 2010)

Amie said:


> Female guppys are 2 something cms. Males a little smaller. That is another big thing too-add the fish very slowly so you don't overload the tank. Add like 1or 2 every few weeks or so.


Is that just the guppies?Or all fish?


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## Lil Gashog (Dec 1, 2010)

Saverio said:


> If the algae eaters you're talking about are the common ones they sell at like a petsmart that are like an inch or two long with the sucker mouths, I'd be wary. They get a good deal bigger and get more aggressive as they get older. I'm not referring to common pleco's, although those are often sold at LFS's when they are small, and their adult size ends up at like 18" or so.


So should i just ditch em till i get a bigger aquarium?And yes I am refering to the ones at my local Petsmart.18inches Really?


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Add them all slowly. No matter the species only add 1 or 2 at a time and don't add anymore for a few weeks or more. You have to really take your time and slowly add fish into a tank or you will lose them. 

On a separate note: You will cycle your tank before adding anything right?

My experience with Pleco's is similar. VERY big fish but, mine have certainly not been aggressive. Disruptive to the tank ornaments is about all. When he moves across the bottom everything gets knocked over. If your looking for something to clean the tank then I would suggest looking into getting snails. They will keep the tank clean and some species are also good indicators when something is going wrong in the tank.


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## Lil Gashog (Dec 1, 2010)

I have no clue what cycling the tank means,i will look into the snails,what kind?And don't even put a school of the same fish at once?


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## Saverio (Dec 4, 2010)

The "algae eaters" I was referring to that can get aggressive as they get older are typically marketed as "Chinese algae eaters". They have a brown body and sucker mouth. Here's a link to what they look like:
Chinese Algae Eater (CAE) - Gyrinocheilus aymonieri

I THINK Petsmart's price tags that they show for their fishes has the adult size printed on it somewhere. 

As far as cycling goes, it's one of the most common reasons new fishkeepers get discouraged with the hobby when they set up their first tank. Cycling refers to the "Nitrogen cycle" that occurs in our tanks. I'd suggest reading up about it before adding fish to your tank. In short, it's all about getting the bacteria colonies established that will break down the ammonia (which is lethal to fish if it builds up) that fish secrete in their urine and feces. One type of bacteria breaks down ammonia into nitrite, which is STILL toxic to fish. Then a different strain of bacteria breaks down nitrite into nitrAte, which is much less toxic.
This link IMO does a good job at explaining how to cycle your tank:
The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Here is a link to a thread I made about cycling: http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/fishless-cycle-9364.html

I personally recommend doing a fishless cycle by just adding fish food daily. It is the easier and most inexpensive way that I have found. 

No, I don't think that I would even add a whole school of fish at the same time. When you have 'completed' (and I say completed in brackets because it does not really end it's more like a circle) your cycle then the bacteria in your tank are used to handling a certain amount of ammonia and as long as that is the amount of ammonia you have in the tank then everything will run very smoothly. When you add fish you are adding ammonia to the tank. Adding too many fish at the same time means that there will not be enough bacteria in the tank to consume the ammonia immediately and you will end up with a high level of ammonia-that is poisonous to your fish. But, if you only add 1 or 2 at a time then you are giving the bacteria a chance to catch up with the level of ammonia you are adding to the tank. There will still end up being a little bit of ammonia in your tank but it should not be enough to hurt your fish.

Also, IMO, I would stay far away from any additives they sell at the stores: prime, Stabilize, Anti bacterial stuff, etc. stay away from it all. The more natural the tank the better. There are ways around using each of those things. 

Also, here is another pointer since you are new: Everyone on here who has had a tank for more then a few months has an opinion on how to run them. Me included. Someone will tell you to cycle using fish, others will tell you to use ammonia, others will encourage the use of store bought additives etc etc etc. I suggest you pick which way you want to do things and stick to it. You can get all kinds of advice here for which ever you choose but if you are undecided then you are going to end up with a lot of headache from one person telling you one thing and someone else telling you another. If you want to explore your options for anything then I would suggest creating a thread for that and asking people to tell you what they like and why. For example, if you wanted to determine the best way for you to cycle start a thread entitled that and ask people to tell you which method they prefer and why. Then. when you have picked a method you can research that method to get all the details. Either here or on the internet or by again creating a new thread.


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