# New Tank...any suggestions?



## Enki (Mar 26, 2008)

Hey guys

I am thinking of having a new tank and I was hoping for some input. The tank is going to be a 20 gal, and I am getting a small school (5-6) of the blue platies. 

any suggestions of what other kinds of fish I could put in? 

thanks


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Well, you definitely need 5 or 6 Corydoras!


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## Enki (Mar 26, 2008)

hahahaha....why am I not supprised you'll say that


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Really? Weird...

I was only thinking about the zones. Platies middle zone, Corys bottom and maybe Zebra Danios for the top. Or even hatchet fish (although I haven't seen those around for a while).

Cheers.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Your name is Cory dad- and in your sixth post you suggest corys.  
Its humorous is all

How about a group of platys, a group of corydoras aeneus, maybe six or so, and a male Paradise http://www.amazonas-alfeld.de/bilder/zucht_nehls/macropodus_opercularis__03.jpg

Keep 'er at around 77 if u get the paradise


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## Enki (Mar 26, 2008)

hahaha....ya

I think i am going to add some cories....and also two angels.....possibly red angels..to contrast the blue platys.

and to be honest, I was never a fan of paradise fish.


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## kweenshaker (Mar 11, 2006)

a 20 gallon is too small for angels. 
but I agree on the corys...they're so fun!


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

A 20gal tall is perfect for angels


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Two platies will more then fill the tank in a month or so unless you are planning on keeping all males. I'd go with cories and pleco's & shrimp for that sized tank rather then livebearers.


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Won't the angels take care of the platy fry?


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Brian said:


> A 20gal tall is perfect for angels


NO IT IS ABSOLUTELY 100% NOT.

You can put a pair in it to breed for a week then put them back in their 50 Gal but anyone who puts Angels in anything less than a 30G standard (which is still a little small) is a scumbag IMO..


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Lol, I can live with that 

I don't see breeders with pairs of angels in 30gals and I am pretty sure they don't take them out and put them back into a comm. when they are done breeding them.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Pablo said:


> NO IT IS ABSOLUTELY 100% NOT.
> 
> You can put a pair in it to breed for a week then put them back in their 50 Gal but anyone who puts Angels in anything less than a 30G standard (which is still a little small) is a scumbag IMO..


Why don't you tell us how you really feel Pablo? Don't hold back now. 

When I was a kid I had a pair of 'dime' angels in a 20 along with some guppies, swords, hatchet fish and a cory. There was never any problem.

I don't like the idea of a 20 tall as it cuts down the amount of fish you can keep. Normally the rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per gallon but when you move to a tall you need to decrease the number of fish because you've decrease the surface area which cuts down the amount of oxygen transfer.

Whatever size of tank you get, always be cognizant of the number of fish in the tank and of the water quality. In my 60 tall I started with 6 red wag platties, I now have 12 even with the zebra danios doing their best at birth control.

Cheers.


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

1 inch of fish per gallon is pretty hard when you get into mass breeding such as discus breeders who are trying to produce new strains of fish.

The 1 inch of fish per gallon is like the 1 watt per gallon rule... its usually a rule of thumb for beginners.

There are no discus breeders that keep 1 inch of fish per gallon... that would be insane.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Brian said:


> Lol, I can live with that
> 
> I don't see breeders with pairs of angels in 30gals and I am pretty sure they don't take them out and put them back into a comm. when they are done breeding them.


Ever heard of a puppy mill???

Its not humane.


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

A puppy mill compared to a fish breeder... pretty nice comparison... not.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Cory_Dad said:


> Why don't you tell us how you really feel Pablo? Don't hold back now.
> 
> When I was a kid I had a pair of 'dime' angels in a 20 along with some guppies, swords, hatchet fish and a cory. There was never any problem.
> 
> ...


1" fish per gallon= total absolute BS.

You need to look at biomass, amount of food consumed, amount of waste.

10" of danio= 5x the waste of 10" of platy which = 4x the waste of 10" of white cloud mountain minnow, etc


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Brian said:


> A puppy mill compared to a fish breeder... pretty nice comparison... not.


In that they keep the animals in extremely small cages? Ya. 

I didnt say you couldn't breed angels in a 20 I said it was scummy. People breed convicts in a 3.5 (and then remove them) but thats scummy too


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Brian said:


> 1 inch of fish per gallon is pretty hard when you get into mass breeding such as discus breeders who are trying to produce new strains of fish.
> 
> The 1 inch of fish per gallon is like the 1 watt per gallon rule... its usually a rule of thumb for beginners.
> 
> There are no discus breeders that keep 1 inch of fish per gallon... that would be insane.


No fight from me on your statement but I don't think Enki (the owner of this thread) was looking to use the tank for breeding.

Please don't cloud the issue with facts! 

Cheers.


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

I was addressing the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule with a supportive example using the breeders... not trying to cloud anything.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Cory_Dad said:


> Please don't cloud the issue with facts!
> 
> Cheers.


Confucius say: New member with 10 posts shouldn't tell moderator with 1000 posts how to run business


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Yes, I agree that the 1" per gallon is nothing more than a rule of thumb. And incidentally that rule only holds true for fish up to 2" in length. After that you have to adjust, for example, a 5" discuss does not count for 5 gallons, it's more like 30 gallons. The scale isn't linear.

And yes, it also depends on you filtration method and how often you change your water.

It is a rule of thumb.

Cheers.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Cory_Dad said:


> Yes, I agree that the 1" per gallon is nothing more than a rule of thumb. And incidentally that rule only holds true for fish up to 2" in length. After that you have to adjust, for example, a 5" discuss does not count for 5 gallons, it's more like 30 gallons. The scale isn't linear.
> 
> And yes, it also depends on you filtration method and how often you change your water.
> 
> ...


I've never had a five inch discuss. My discussions tend to be much longer.


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Lol @Pablo.

@ Chris: A 5 inch discus doesn't need a 30gal tank to himself.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Brian said:


> Lol @Pablo.
> 
> @ Chris: A 5 inch discus doesn't need a 30gal tank to himself.


Dont cloud the discussion with facts dude


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Haha, I think that's enough hazing for the new guy.

Point is Enki, bigger is always better but doesn't have to be 

I look forward to seeing the contrasting idea you had witht he blue platies and the angels.

Good luck.

And once again, welcome to the forum Cory_Dad - we are a large and dysfunctional family.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Brian said:


> Haha, I think that's enough hazing for the new guy.
> 
> Point is Enki, bigger is always better but doesn't have to be
> 
> ...


Im the dysfunctional part


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Haha, we've all got a little dysfunction on the inside.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Okay never mind all this platy business, how about some shrimp LOL.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Pablo said:


> Confucius say: New member with 10 posts shouldn't tell moderator with 1000 posts how to run business


Would you rather have 1,000 roller skates or 10 Lambourgini's? Quality vs quantity.

(This is fun).

Cheers.


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Now now... I consider half of my posts at least 08 Corollas and a few Aston Martins... maybe 1 lambo and a ferrari.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Enki dont mind those guys there always like that lol Iam with Kate some shrimp would be cool to and they dont add much at all to the bio load. Not with angels though as they will have them for dinner. Pat


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Congratulations on becoming a devoted member Pat


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Brian said:


> Haha, I think that's enough hazing for the new guy.
> 
> Point is Enki, bigger is always better but doesn't have to be
> 
> ...


Naw, it's cool. I'm a big boy and can take it as well is give it (or not) as long as it's all in good fun.

Sorry about the discuss vs discus. Ya caught me on that one. That's what I get for trying to reply to posts during working hours. I have actually seen people put 2 large discus into a 15 or 20 gallon but they do daily water changes. It's all about water quality.

I don't consider this to be a dysfunctional family, just a family of s%^t disturbers with too much time on our err, their hands.

Cheers.


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