Newbie questions for sure

[Dragoro]

Am I supposed to leave my tank light on 24/7?

I was recommended rocks as my bottom and a piece of drift wood as decoration. Is this good?

I have a 20 gallon tank, and use a filter thats meant for a 50 gallon tank, is this a bad thing?

Sometimes my convicts and my flowerhorn hang out at the top of the water (the very top) but not for long periods of time just a few mins at a time, is this a sign of something?

[rich311k]

Leave the lights on 8 hours aday. More than enough. Fish need a night cycle just like we do.

The filter is fine.

Probably looking for food. Are they gasping?

[FireDancer7905]

Welcome to the hobby!

Ditto to rich on the lights and filter (overfiltration is a good thing).

You may want to rethink your stock I am pretty sure that convicts will outgrow your 20g, and I know that the flowerhorn will get very large, badmanstropical.com lists them at 12" max, but I believe that in captivity they usually hit 6-8".

[Aphotic Phoenix]

The maximum time you can leave the lights on is 12 hours, but less is better if you don't have plants. The more light there is, the greater the chance you'll have algae problems.

It's good to have as much filtration as possible so you're good on the filter thing. ^^

The fish you have sharing that tank may cause problems in the future however. Both Convicts and Flowerhorns can be very aggressive when they get older, and a 20 gallon is only really prob only big enough for one convict. Flowerhorns can grow to be 12"...so a 20G is much too small for him!

Edit...woops, someone finished before I did heh...sorry for the repeated info

[Dragoro]

Why do stores give such bad advice!!! Guess I gotta start looking for homes for the flowerhorn and convicts. The flowerhorn is a really nice one, paid 200 for him. If anyone is around orlando florida and can house him, hes yours for free.

[Aphotic Phoenix]

You should call the store you bought him from and ask what their return policy is. Some shops will take fish back.

[Lupin]

I know that the flowerhorn will get very large, badmanstropical.com lists them at 12" max, but I believe that in captivity they usually hit 6-8".
Flowerhorns do not exist in the wild. They were simply created by man, not nature. They do not stop at 6-8 inches. I've seen a lot of FHs at 12-16 inches.

Dragoro, you might want some Lake Tanganyikan shelldwellers for a change.:)

[Coler]

As regards lighting I highly reccomend a timer for your lights...fish like routine.

[Dwarf Puffers]

Flowerhorn gets atleast a foot, sometimes oscar-sized.

convicts get 6".

I would sugest getting a 125g tank, 200+$ down the drain, but you have a 200$ fish, and that aint gunna be right if they won't pay you for it!!

+ more fishys :)

[Dragoro]

I found a good home for the flowerhorn. A guy with 3 200 gallon tanks is going to adobt him. The flowerhorn is much to smart and beautifull not to have a good home, which I cant provide at the moment.