# share your 20 long story!



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

So the past day or so I have noticed a few people have been setting up or redoing a 20 long build. Here, I would like you to post a full tank shot, a description of the substrate and inhabitants, lighting ect ect.

Would be nice to see what so many people do with the same foot print!


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Ok, I'll be the first. I started redoing this tank today. Used to be my fiddler crab tank but lost them after 4 years of enjoying their antics.

Anyway, it will be a medium low light once I get a new light for it. Has pool filter sand substrate. Added a few dwarf sag and some frill plant. Still trying to decide what other plants I want to put into it. Then once its done it will hold betta pugnax juvies.


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

i call it:  القبيح

its not for looks. its for the fish that live in the tank. i think there is around 100 or so. it could be twice that, but they are small and they hide really well. i have to really look just to see one.
i guess technically this is a 20 gallon breeder...
its a fry grow out tank.


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

Auban said:


> i call it:  القبيح
> 
> its a fry grow out tank.


Two questions! Could you translate القبيح 

And what kind of fry?


I've started a 20 to. 
20 Long High Tech Planted - Aquarium Forum


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## KMoss (May 7, 2011)

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Here is my 20 gal long. It's planted with anubias and another long leaf plant. Cycling is complete and it's ready to house some permanent residents, so I'll post a new pic once I get a few swordtails in there. The goldfish in the pic is my buddy Meth. I'm filtering with a new Eheim canister filter - love it! Eheim heater and a Marineland LED light. The driftwood piece is actually synthetic with nice hiding holes in it and it's cool to put plants in as well.


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## TroyVSC (Aug 29, 2012)

My 20 Gallon Long story begins 15 years ago. I originally bought my aquarium in NC for my Cayman Alligator T-Rex. I had him for a few happy years before I went on a deployment. He passed while I was somewhere in Kosovo.

Fast forward 15 years. In May. My daughter won a Goldfish at a carnival. Needless to say I wasn't prepared and clueless so we put the Goldfish in a small bowl. It didn't survive the week and my daughter was very upset (we don't have pets so it was kind of like her first). I felt I had to make it up to her and I had the tank, gravel, Glass top, Heater, pump, and light. Amazing it all still worked. I cleaned it all up and knew I had to setup a tank right.

I checked out the internet and found this site among others and learned a whole heck of a lot in a very short time(Thanks for any advice given along the way).

I cycled the tank and added fish starting late July. This is how it looked soon after adding all the fish.


Since then I have added plants and driftwood. Here is how it looks now. Sorry no pics of T-Rex.



Current Stock:
4 Bleeding Heart Tetras, 4 Serpae Tetras, 2 Fancy Guppies, 2 Platy's.

Oh and I have MTS already. I bought a 40B and I have to get small 5 or 10 to replace the ADF I lost, going to a species only tank this time. My wife thinks I am nuts but I really enjoy all of fish keeping stuff.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Wow, such differences! Well, here is mine! 

I have five betta macs in a 40. I have been seeing spawning behavior, however the larger male refuses to let the little one get any action so I set mine up for the small pair. 

Stocking is, 2 B.Macrostoma
Light is a strip light from a 29 gallon kit 
Plants are dhg, chain sword, rotala indica/rotundifolia, apongeton species, and barclaya longefolia.

Filtration consists of two sponge filters.


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## dirtydutch4x (Jun 16, 2009)

My 20 long E. okefenokee tank


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## KMoss (May 7, 2011)

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ok, here's the update with some pineapple swordtails in my happy little tank! it looks like one has a little damage to her tail, but hopefully that will clear up.


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## weissinphoenix (Dec 10, 2012)

My first tank was a 20 long that I pulled out of my parent's trash when they did a garage cleaning. The story behind that was apparently that my stepdad had the tank in his office for a while when I was away in school and the light fell into the tank. Apparently he had his own light there without a hood. Well anyway I rescued the tank bought everything else but the tank and a year later had an amazon sword growing out the top a ratty java fern leaving rootlets floating in the filter, a bunch of zebra danios that worried each other to death (literally) and about three generations of mollies. Later, I found a 29 at a Goodwill. I while later I just got tired of fishing dead mollies out of the filter every time they give birth to a new generation. I had to go to New York for three weeks and had nobody to fish sit so I took the opportunity to re-home the fish and take down the tank. I recently started it up again with fish that should be in a bigger tank. The idea is I will get the tank they need when they get big enough to need it.


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## Dustin86 (Sep 22, 2012)

These are getting me excited! My 20 long story is only just beginning. I picked up a 20 long in decent condition along with a heater off Craigslist for $15. I still need to test the heater, but I have recently purchased a Coralife light fixture and I have a Fluval 206 coming in the mail. I have plans to build a 2-tier stand that will support the 20 long above my 14H and once I get that built I will decide what to stock it with!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Nothing fancy,but this is my 20 L.It houses 6 female swords with my black orange(painted)male.He is the meanest male sword I own and can not house with other males in anything under a 75g.The combo of marigold(5 of the females) and 1 kio female with him yields some fantastic babies.As you can see they are fairly large swords ,but with just the anacharis and hornwort floating babies are safe till I pull them to the 30 breeder fry tank.


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## dirtydutch4x (Jun 16, 2009)

My apologies, all I did was post a pic. I got my 20 when I first started in the hobby and it became a fry grow out tank. Since moving to Florida and finding interest in natives I decided to go a different way and this set up was born. I have had this tank stocked with everything from guppy's to African Cichlids. Right now I run a DIY CO2 with dirt bottom capped with sand. Plants are java moss, Subwassertang, Water sprite, anacharis, and like 5 or 6 I don't remember.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Some more pics of my 20 long, hope to find some more plants for it soon.


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## Chididdy123 (Jul 21, 2012)

Had no idea you guys already started this thread  late to the party i guess...
But anyway! It all started when petco had their dollar per gallon sale. never heard of the deal before so i rushed and picked one up around june/july. yeah it just sat in my room for a good month or two before doing anything really substantial. What first was planned for an Iwagumi set up turned into something with a bunch of plants in it lol. 

Upon realizing and doing more research, i started buying more crap. started off with AQ 50...soon upgraded to fluval 306. LED 24 inch desk light bar...upgraded to dual T5HO 24 inch 48w. DIY co2 upgraded to pressurized. Procrastinated on this tank for a really long time for some reason so two weeks ago i barely started getting plants...(8 month project...) In all, it was supposed to be a low budget build but ended up totaling close to $400 give or take a few bucks

So recap of the tank
-Fluval 306 (DIY Spraybar)
-Dual T5HO 24 inch 48 watt
-24 inch LED Viewing Light
-Fluval M150(?) Heater
-Black Diamond Blaster Sand for Substrate
-Lots of Ludwigia Species (Thanks again Megan and Brad, they are doing great!)
-Dwarf Hairgrass
-Pressurized Co2 (paintball tank)
-A Cool switcher/timer with remote so i can time when lights and co2 come on (Automatic daily repeat function)
-A yellow Lab that seriously needs a new home lol

Tank when i first got it with the AQ










Then the Fluval










Today
















































I managed to have a Snail-less tank also  (at least i think so, havent seen them in days.) 
but some how Malaysian Trumpet Snails Popped 
up in another tank so i will have to empty and clean it out soon.

After i get everything situated with the plants i will start to add driftwood etc...

There is a Yellow lab in there right now, hopefully it does something good like eat snails that i didnt catch but i need to get rid of soon and start schooling cardinals 

I would like to thank everyone who helped me with this tank, i had alot of noob questions and you guys (susankat, Majerah1, chipmunk, akinaura, auban, gizmo, jrman, and other people i missed...list goes on) helped me get here!


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

looking good Chi! something I forgot to mention about the ludwigia glandulosa, it loves high light and needs to be pruned often to get it to fill out. I chop the top several inches off of the tops of mines once a week to get it to fill out. it is also sends out some serious roots, so it will be able to use root tabs if you have them.


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## Dustin86 (Sep 22, 2012)

Time to bump this thread! I finally have gotten my 20 long stand finished, and the tank is currently sitting full of water with the filter running. I will start my fishless cycle in a few days, as I am waiting for a new power strip I ordered so I can plug in my heater and light. I also still need to buy a lid for the tank.

I am currently trying to decide who is going to move into the 20. I have 3 rams, 7 neons, 5 corys, and a dwarf gourami in a 30 gallon tank. I'm trying to decide how to best separate them so that the rams may attempt to breed again. I would like to add a school of tiger barbs to either the 20 or the 30 if possible. I will probably swap out some of the cichlid stones with driftwood but I put them in there for now along with that nifty cave-shaped rock that I bought off craigslist. Wherever the corys end up is where that cave goes - I know they will love it.

Enough talk - here are some pictures! Obviously no fish, plants, or final decorations yet, but I am just so excited about my stand.


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## Chididdy123 (Jul 21, 2012)

Time to bump and update


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## TroyVSC (Aug 29, 2012)

Absolute stunning tank. Great job Chi. I think like the sparkle in the BDBS better than my black sand substrate. Just a little bit of lighter color material that is in it makes the black really pop.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Looks great, Chi!


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## KMoss (May 7, 2011)

Update - this pic is a few weeks old, but pretty much what it looks like now. Love seeing everyone's pics! this is a great thread since people are sharing updates


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