20g High Setup

[hobbes]

Alright after going throw a lot of work and chores, I have a good amount of money and went ahead and quit my job at the local blockbuster. Time to start over my 20g. It's been empty for awhile and I've barely had ANY time to take care of all the fry and start my tank until now. So now, I got 2 new aquaclear HOBs and started the setup.

So here are some questions.

Could I put a freshwater sole with the F8 without any other tankmates in the 20g high?

Could I use CaribSea Aragonite Substrate?

Last time I used an airstone there was a lot of salt spray, so is it really required with puffs or soles?

Thanks for the help. -Hobbes

[Phaedrus]

I can't answer your first question difinitively. I think it would be ok, but I don't know a lot about sole.

I use caribsea aragonite and it works fine. Takes a lot of rinsing though. Lots of filter floss for the first little while should clear it up in no time.

Airstones aren't necesary. I stopped using mine when I got to about 1.008 because the salt was getting EVERYwhere. The water movement from the HOBs should be more than enough to keep the gas exchange going.

[hobbes]

Thanks for the heads up Phaedrus. I'll have to ask OraLacerta about how to maintain a sole, I think she has one if I'm not mistaken. Can't find much about these guys other than they like meaty foods and small fish.

The ones at my LFS are put in freshwater so I'm unsure how healthy they are. I'll probably post more questions later.

Thanks again. -Hobbes

[Fella]

I keep a freshwater sole, and to be honest, anything less than a sandy bottom would inhibit their natural behaviour.

[lisalisa]

I hate airstones. Too much muck, and micro bubbles affect my water clarity too much. Like Phaedrus said, your filter should do the trick.

[The Fisherman]

I espeacially dont like airstones in BW tanks. I had salt creep like there was no tomorrow....

[Raphael]

I stop using mine also because it didn't really look pleasing to the eye and the puffers got bored of it.

[hobbes]

Thanks for the information guys. I still need to figure out if 1 sole and 1 F8 isn't overstocking in a 20g high, I'm pretty sure it's not but I want a positive answer from someone on the forums first.

[Tihsho]

Soles/flounders get about 6 inches so a 20 gallon would not be sufficient for the sole/flounder at an adult age. ATM I have 4 babies in a 20 long till they hit about 4 inches when they will be hopped out to big boy brackish tank.

[hobbes]

Alright. Thanks a bunch Tihsho.

-Hobbes

[OraLacerta]

Hey Hobbes, sorry I couldn't respond to you quicker.

I have a sole (about 3") with my F8 in a 15 gallon high. Soon they will be going into a 30 gallon, but not for a while.

My F8 leaves my sole alone, and sometimes he watches it for fun. I'd be cautious if you F8 was nippy because soles can wiggle about the substrate in a very tempting way. I agree that if you can deal with sand in your tank set up, you should because the soles like to bury under it with their eyes poking out of the sang (also tempting for a nippy puff).

Anyways, so if you trust your puff I'd definitely get a sole. It will be a while before you have to upgrade, and then it would be to a 30 gal. or so.

The one I got was in FW at the LFS and he is doing great. They don't seem to be as sensitive to short stays in FW at a LFS as many other brackish fish do (such as puffs and gobies).

As for food, soles eat anything that falls to the bottom of the tank that isn't consumed by the puff. IME krill is a bit too large for mine to swallow so you might still want to pick up large uneaten particles of food, but blood worms, small pieces of squid, brineshrimp, and anything else that is bite size will be eagerly eaten by your sole.

My sole didn't eat when I was in the room until he got used to me, and his surroundings. Now I watch him wriggle down to the substrate as soon as he smells food and he hunts for scraps. You can tell when they are well fed when you see a lump appear behind their gill (where their stomach is).

They are really fun to watch feed because when they happen across a morsel of food they pause, and then pounce on it and shake it like a dog does with a chew toy. They're very fun fish, and so far mine seems to be very hardy and competitive.

Let me know how it goes .

*edit* Oh yeah, btw- I have seen full-grown soles before in an aquarium, they are about as big as the span of your fingers and outstretched palm. That's sort of relative advice, but that's the best way I can think of to describe their length and width as adults. I saw a picture once online, I'll try to find it.