1st community tank

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Nightfallnrose

Registered Member
Aug 15, 2005
3
0
0
Texas
I have made the old 20 gallon into a community tank. It has an oto and a surviveing von reo tetra. The current list is as follows:
1 oto
1 von reo tetra
4 neon tetras
2 male dwarf gouramis
2 blue gouramis
2 Blue german rams (pair)
1 golden algae eater
*1 Zig Zag Eel ( the small one, I checked)* **My fav freshwater fish**
I dont plan on adding anymore. I was wondering if that was ok. Also how would u do a water changes?
 
So I have no experience with those fish, as long as you looked up their size and considered the swim room they'd need at full size, then you're good.

As for water changes, you'd use a syphon vac. to pull the water out as you vaccuum the bottom, and either syphon clean, conditioned water it back in, or pur it in slowly so as not to stress your fish.

How were you doing changes before?
 
Yeah, how were you doing them before? Just so you know you are DEFINATLY going to have problems with your fish. There are not enough otos, tetras, but don't add any right now. Your dwarf gouramis are gonna fight, so are your blues if they are both males. Your golden algea eater will out grow your tank and get to a size of 12 inches, he is also semi aggresive, too aggresive for this tank. I suggest you return him and one of the dwarfs and maybe one of your blues. I have no idea what a zigzag eel is but you should continue doing reasearch i have a feeling a 20 is to small for any eel but i don't know. Welcome to the site!
 
I was asking more of when to do the water changes than how to. I already vac the gravel and all that. I was doing a 25% water change every week. What would yall do? My dwarfs dont fight, least that I have seen. Ill be ready to transfer if they do though. I bought the golden algea eater by going by the lfs advice, I know shouldnt go by that, but did, so when the problem arises ill do a trade in. n i know yall dont like that so sorry but i cant go return.
 
regular gouramis can get to be around 6 in. so i'd say do away with both the blues. As for the dwarfs you would be ok as long as they are different genders or maybe both females. I like the paradise fish, similar to gouramis but easy to tell the sex of and very beautiful.

also double up on the neons
 
I like weekly 50% water changes, myself. As overstocked as you are, I would definitely shoot for at least that. Ditto on what Willy said. Gouramis can be very aggressive toward one another. If the tank is mature, 3 otos would be nice, I'd drop to just one gourami, keep and love the rams but beware as they can be territorial near the bottom and I suspect the eel is a bottom dweller so that could lead to conflict if the pair are nesting/mating. Personally, I'd like it better like this:
3 otocinculus
7 neon tetras
1 male dwarf gourami
2 Blue german rams (pair)

That would be 13 smaller fish active on all levels in a small tank. That's plenty.
 
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