help me stock my tanks

[mrsdorothy]

I bought 2 20 gallon tanks at a garage sale yesterday, complete with metal stands, flourescent lights, and acqua clear 150 power filters all for $15.00. One of the stands is a double stand so I may add another 20 gallon to this stand. These are aga tanks that needed very little cleaning.

My question is, How many cardinal tetra can I put in a 20 along with 4 cories and 4 otos.

The second tank will have a school of 6 sepra tetras which I will quarantine while tanks are cycleing. What can I add with them. It will also have 4 otos and 4 corys.

Both tanks will be planted with 30 watts of flourescent lighting. One will have very small gravel and the other will have eco-complete if I can find it. ph=7.2, kh=6, gh=6




Thanks in advance for the advice. Just want to get some of my fiah into quarntine while these tanks are cycleing. I sill seed them with rocks and filters from my 55 gallon.

 

[Captain Hook]

What a great deal! Are they the long or high versions of a 20 (24" or 30"?). Sounds like they will be really nice tanks as well. You will be putting just cardinals, ottos and cories in the first 20? If so, I think you could have a nice little school of 6-10 easily.

You could try danios or other small fish with the serpaes as well. Myabe some similarly shaped tetras.

Do you really think you need 4 ottos in each tank? I only have 3 in my 35 gallon and they do a pretty good job.

 

[rich]

ill have to agree with hook. a school of 6-10 cardinals will look very nice. if you put things in with the serpae make sure theyre quick and dont have flowing fins as from everything ive read and heard the serpaes are nippers. 4 otos is a bit of overkill in a 20 if your getting them for algae duty. i have 3 in my 29 and there isnt enough algae to go around. they can rasp at fish if they feel under fed. i caught mine doing it now supplement greens in the tank for the otos. a clown pleco might be a nice addition in one of the tanks instead of the otos. they only get like 4 1/2 ".

 

[mrsdorothy]

I guess I can put the sepras in the 55 gallon with my tiger barbs and rosy barbs. O.k. only 2 otos . I love those albino cories. They are so active. I have 2 in a 5 gallon planted on my desk. The rummynose are cute and so is the praecox rainbow. I know that the rummynose would work, but will the rainbow fish work in this tank. They are all 20 gallon high. I have another 20 gallon high that I am quartening 4 goldfish in for my sister since she does not have a q tank. How many rainbow can I put in a 20.

 

[tanker]

Year ago I too had 2 20gal tanks which I used just for tetras. In one I had 10 cardinals, 10 glowlights, 10 black neons, and a few bronze corys. The other I had 10 head and tail lights, 10 sepaes, and and 10 black phantoms, and a few spotted corys. If you are going to get a third 20gal, why not put zebras, rasboras, and tiger barbs in that one. This way you have 2 South American (one with bullet shaped fish and one with more rounder fish) and 1 Asian tank.

GOOD LUCK!!