You may be able to buy some form of biomedia and have a GOOD LOCAL FISH STORE swap it with some in their tanks. I had some once that was white balls in a mesh baggie, they kept several of them cycling through their tanks, they help establish a tank quickly.
Please, please, please, go to a good local fish store. It will be clean. The tanks will be clear, they quarantine their new fish, they know what they are talking about and will NOT sell you an inappropriate fish or at least, will try like hell to steer you away from it. (A good test question is “I have a goldfish, those stripey convicts are pretty, would they be good tank mates?” The answer is absolutely NO. If they answer otherwise, RUN.
I’ve had fish tanks for 20 years. I’ve never saved a dime by using a crappy store to get livestock from.
Alright I did it, a 20 gallon kit with a Penguin bio-wheel filter and 100W dual temp heater. My only worry is that the lighting might be weak but I suppose since I don’t actually know what I’m doing with plants slow growing, low light ones might be best.
Santa is slowly getting into this whole thing.
So I do have some new questions if no one minds.
Do we need fancy substrates for low light plants to ensure they survive?
Stocking of fish….I guess we’ll need some algae eaters and the fancy schooling ones the boys like…any suggestions?
How hard is it to find canopies with mounts for two lights instead of 1?
For decoration which would be better – rock or wood and how does that impact the water
If nothing else this looks like an excellent chance for Dad to potter around and get soaked over the holidays. I’ll schedule the tank setup following several egg nogs for added creativity.
Plants can be very hardy. I’m of the school that believes the idea that some plants are heavy “root feeders” as opposed to “column feeders” is somewhat of a myth - plants will do what it takes to get nourishment where they can find it. Having said that, you have to figure out what you want, and where you want to economize.
Gravel/sand is biologically inert. So there is a limit as to how much goodies the plants will get from there. if you want, you could use a layer of laterite. Or you could go 50/50 gravel and laterite. Or you could just go with flourite or eco-complete.
I suggested soilmaster, which is a very cheap alternative. Heck, depending on where you live you could just dig up some dirt from your garden, or try to economize with kitty litter. But a 20 isn’t all that big. I’d suggest going 50/50 gravel/flourite. Then, even if you have a hard time growing plants, at least you won’t be kicking yourself saying, “Damn, I wish I’d gone with better substrate!”
Man, this is totally your choice. One possibility might be 2-3 larger fish - maybe mollies, dwarf guorami, or praecox rainbow. If you get males and females, you get to see more interesting behavior.
Then maybe a school of 4-5 tetras of your choice. I’ve always had good luck with serpae and glow-lights. Neons are a big favorite. Rummynose seem to school nicely.
Add maybe 3 cories of your choice, and a dwarf bristlenose pleco, and you have a nice little community. IMO, that would be a pretty fully stocked tank.
Note: get a bristlenose pleco, not a plain pleco. Plecos do not eat algae as bristles do, and get MUCH larger.
Don’t forget to cycle it first.
I know there are plenty of 2 light fixtures, but you may need to look on-line to find them. I’ve had good dealings with these guys. And if you already bought a single strip light, these guys sell super high quality kits where you can replace the reflector and bulb. Very simple to do and makes a huge difference.
Your choice. Can go with either. Can go with wood you find, tho you should go with hardwood, and ought to boil it first. May need to soak it for a while for it to sink. Some wood lowers the ph and leaches tannins which might darken the water somewhat. Boiling decreases tannins.
Some stone can harden the water, so you might want to check your water quality and whatever you are adding.
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If you go with a nice substrate and up the light, you might want to consider DIY CO2 mixing up sugar and yeast in an old juice bottle. Really helps the plants and is a kinda interesting little science experiment as well.
