# okay guys, i'm new @ fish keeping -- and i need some info.



## korweabo0 (Dec 16, 2009)

well i've had this 20g tank for about two months now, and so far this is all i have:

2 Kissing Gourami's
1 Snakeskin Gourami
1 Chinese Algae Eating Fish
1 Gold Gourami
1 High-fin Tetra
1 Blackfin shark
1 Pictus cat

the list is ordered in from oldest/full grown - smallest.

what i came here for is that for a bit now, my tank has been unusually getting cloudy. i'm not sure if it's the fish cycle being interupted, algae or something else - but it's stressing me and it seems to be stressing my beloved fish. i'm sure the recommendations i'll be getting it "clean your tank more" and i'm aware of that, but i'm also here because my fish haven't been eating as much as they should be. -- the only fish that seem to eat well are my 2 Kissing Gourami's and from that every other fish nibbles for a bit then wonders off.

could it be from the stress that the cloudy water gives them?
does my tank seem crowded?


----------



## squirrelcrusher (Sep 23, 2009)

http://www.aquariumforum.com/f66/cool-new-stocking-calculator-difference-4942-2.html#post37215 <---- thread that talks about stocking calculator

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

put your setup into the stocking calculator and see what it says. It will give you a pretty good idea on if your tank will be over crowded when the fish grow up. It worked out pretty accurate for my tanks.

What type of filter setup are you running in your tank? Have you been doing your water changes?


----------



## korweabo0 (Dec 16, 2009)

i have been doing my regular water changes. and my filter is a mechanical Aqueon 20g filter.

i've heard having a filter for a bigger tank is best at times like this because of the bigger GPH rotation. but thanks for the links!


----------



## aspects (Feb 22, 2009)

you should definitely look into a much bigger filter, and a liquid master test kit (if you dont have one) to keep an eye on your water parameters.

as your tank is already overstocked, you will need to keep a very close eye on it to keep it in check.
the chinese algae eater alone is going to be far to big for that tank (they grow to be well over 10")

how ofted do you feed?
how often/ how much water do you change?


----------



## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

You mentioned that your tank has been set up for (2) months. At what point did you add the fish?


----------



## korweabo0 (Dec 16, 2009)

aspects said:


> how ofted do you feed?
> how often/ how much water do you change?


twice a day.
every 3 weeks.



James0816 said:


> At what point did you add the fish?


2 weeks ater i bought the tank.


----------



## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

ok...one more question...did you add all the fish at the same time?

Also, you water change schedule is off. Once per 3wks unfortunately isn't sufficient. When you do you wc's, how much is it?

At this point, it looks like you added too many fish too quickly. The BB is trying to catch up with your stocking level.


----------



## korweabo0 (Dec 16, 2009)

James0816 said:


> ok...one more question...did you add all the fish at the same time?
> 
> Also, you water change schedule is off. Once per 3wks unfortunately isn't sufficient. When you do you wc's, how much is it?
> 
> At this point, it looks like you added too many fish too quickly. The BB is trying to catch up with your stocking level.


no. i recently added my blackfin shark and pictus cat to see how they react. so far they seem joyful and play a lot in the bottom.

i change 20-30% of the water every 3 weeks. should i start wc'ing the tank every sunday?

also what does BB mean? still new to the acronyms.


----------



## aspects (Feb 22, 2009)

Sounds like your tank wasn't properly cycled, and now you're having water parameter issues. 
change your feeding to once a day increase filtration 
Water change 25-30% *weekly* 
And get a liquid test kit ASAP


----------



## korweabo0 (Dec 16, 2009)

aspects said:


> Sounds like your tank wasn't properly cycled, and now you're having water parameter issues.
> change your feeding to once a day increase filtration
> Water change 25-30% *weekly*
> And get a liquid test kit ASAP


thanks. will do!


----------



## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

BB is for Beneficial Bacteria. These are the little guys that break down the ickies in your tank. Very important.

As for the water changes, with your stocking level, you should be looking at 25%/wk.

This is most likely what is causing your cloudiness: Stocking and lack of adequate maintenance.

One thing to note as well with your stocking is going to be your Black Fin and your CAE. This is going to cause problems.


----------



## korweabo0 (Dec 16, 2009)

James0816 said:


> One thing to note as well with your stocking is going to be your Black Fin and your CAE. This is going to cause problems.


would the CAE be a fin nipper? so far it seems to be really passive, enjoys sticking to my decor more than swimming.. - but i have seen him try and nip my KG's a few times...

what do you think?
*
edit: *what size&brand filter should i get? i don't want to have a big flowrate so my fish would get stressed. but i do want a good enough filter to filtrate my tank better than what my aqueon 20g one is doing.

would it be fine if i got a 30-35g tank filter for my 20g tank? or is 30 too much, and i should just get a 25g tank filter?


----------



## flyin-lowe (Oct 3, 2009)

I would check out the Aqua Clear line of filters. Off the top of my head I can't remember which model is for your size tank. They are a good filter for the price. Rule of thumb is try to get 7-10 times the water to filter per hour. If you have a 20 g tank a filter that pumps 150-200 gallons per hour will be good for you. The heavier the bio load of your fish the higher the gph you will want.


----------



## aspects (Feb 22, 2009)

flyin-lowe said:


> I would check out the Aqua Clear line of filters. Off the top of my head I can't remember which model is for your size tank. They are a good filter for the price. Rule of thumb is try to get 7-10 times the water to filter per hour. If you have a 20 g tank a filter that pumps 150-200 gallons per hour will be good for you. The heavier the bio load of your fish the higher the gph you will want.


the AC20 is for 10-20g tanks, but i have never run anything smaller than an AquaClear50 on a 20g. but im a filter freak. lol


----------



## korweabo0 (Dec 16, 2009)

i'll look into the Aqua Clear filters.

thanks everyone, i'll see how this goes.




James0816 said:


> One thing to note as well with your stocking is going to be your Black Fin and your CAE. This is going to cause problems.


would the CAE be a fin nipper? so far it seems to be really passive, enjoys sticking to my decor more than swimming.. - but i have seen him try and nip my KG's a few times...

what do you think?


----------



## Sweet Tee (Nov 24, 2009)

I currently have an AquaClear 50 on my 20 gallon long. It's great and I preferred more filtration over less.


----------



## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

I tend to go one level up on the filtration myself. I use 20s on 10g tanks. Have two 20s sitting on my 29. I run one of those as an extra one in the event of failure or setting up a new tank.

As for the Black Fin and the CAE, when they come into their own, they will pose problems with the other inhabitants. They'll get a bit aggressive with them.


----------



## korweabo0 (Dec 16, 2009)

James0816 said:


> As for the Black Fin and the CAE, when they come into their own, they will pose problems with the other inhabitants. They'll get a bit aggressive with them.


well i have an old 10g tank i could set up and if anything goes wrong.


----------



## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

10 would be way too small for those guys. 20 is too actually. But we'll work with what you've got. ;o)


----------



## korweabo0 (Dec 16, 2009)

yeah. i'm just saying if anything goes wrong, i can move the ones who act up into the 10g until i get a bigger tank.


----------

