Advice on Tank Setup - 20 Gallon Long

[fishguyutah]

Hello,

I have a cycled 20 gallon long and recently added 1 M and 2 F Orange Flash Apistos. My goal is to create a natural environment that will allow them to breed. My PH is 7-7.5, GH is around 6, and Water temp is 78. I am using black diamond blasting sand for the substrate, a standard Aqueon fluorescent light, and have a couple of caves with java moss and driftwood.

I currently have the 3 apistos, 1 BN pleco and am looking to possibly add a vampire shrimp. Please let me know how I can improve the landscape and I am also open to low-tech plant recommendations. Thank you!

 

[Drayden Farci]

Leaf litter is definitely the easiest thing you could add to create a more natural environment! Otherwise, more things like Anubias or swords would help add more hiding places. I would get a school of small tetras to act as dither fish - pencilfish usually make good cohabitants.

 

[fishguyutah]

Thanks for your reply and the tips. I bought some anubias and narrow leaf java fern. I will look for some pencilfish. Any ideas on the best place to buy pencils?

 

[Drayden Farci]

Thanks for your reply and the tips. I bought some anubias and narrow leaf java fern. I will look for some pencilfish. Any ideas on the best place to buy pencils?

If you're looking to have them shipped, The Wet Spot has a great reputation and they currently have Dwarf Pencilfish from both Guyana and Peru, I believe. You could easily do 15-30 in your tank, I'd bet. Dwarf Pencils are great, but my favorite are the Barred Pencilfish (Nannostomus espei) and Brown Tailed Pencilfish (N. eques).

 

[Mike Wise]

If you truly want to breed your apistos I'd recommend removing the pleco. The only bottom dwellers should be the apistos. I also think you'll be a bit more successful if you can lower the pH a bit.

 

[fishguyutah]

If you're looking to have them shipped, The Wet Spot has a great reputation and they currently have Dwarf Pencilfish from both Guyana and Peru, I believe. You could easily do 15-30 in your tank, I'd bet. Dwarf Pencils are great, but my favorite are the Barred Pencilfish (Nannostomus espei) and Brown Tailed Pencilfish (N. eques).

Thank you, I will look them up now!

 

[fishguyutah]

If you truly want to breed your apistos I'd recommend removing the pleco. The only bottom dwellers should be the apistos. I also think you'll be a bit more successful if you can lower the pH a bit.

I appreciate the info, Mike. I can definitely re-home the pleco. Also, any tips on lowering the PH?

 

[fishguyutah]

I added a couple of anubias and a java fern. More to come!

 

[Mike Wise]

I add peat treated water together with tap water when doing water changes to most of my tanks to lower the pH and it softens it some, too.

 

[Bart Hazes]

I've just put up a facebook post on my first attempt to reduce pH with peat (or ADA Africana soil) in an RO water bin. I sure brings the pH down in the RO bin and am just starting to use it for water replaments. A 10% change in a 50 gallon tank dropped pH from 6.6 to 6.2. RO water bin is pH 4.8. I hope that over time all tanks will start to move towards the pH 5-6 range.

https://www.facebook.com/bart.hazes/posts/2045045692381567?pnref=story

I actually think my current experiment is to complicated. I may soon just dump the loose peat in the RO bin and stir it around. Then get rid of the peat by siphoning water through a foam sponge whenever I need water.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I actually think my current experiment is to complicated. I may soon just dump the loose peat in the RO bin and stir it around. Then get rid of the peat by siphoning water through a foam sponge whenever I need water.

I don't soften my water with peat at the moment, but when I did I used the <"peat in a cotton pillow-case"> method.

It needs to be <"sphagnum peat">.

cheers Darrel