Ideas Ideas Ideas...

[hobbes]

Hey everyone, just got back into fish keeping and ready to jump into keeping puffers again!

However, I kind of feel undecided about what I kind of tank I should setup & what fish I should get. Right now I have a 29g and a 20g high. I honestly detest these tanks because of their height you don't actually get that much room for your fish and its harder to grow plants. I'm leaning towards buying a 20g long and selling/trading in my 20g high. I'm consider other freshwater species aside from puffers. I have a couple ideas and I just wanted to list them out to see what you guys think. I don't want too interactive of a puffer since I know they'd get bored and I can't always "play" with them. Suggestions kindly appreciated! I'm really all ears for filling my 29g or 20g high or future 20g long. Also, this is kind of off topic but would I be able to "breed" Marble Shrimp in a 20 gallon (long or high)? When breeding fry/shrimp, more gallons = better results? I remember Pufferpunk saying a 20 gallon would be fine for a Congo since they're not that active, but would a 20 gallon high be too small?

Tank Plan 1 - 29 Gallon
FISH: Congo Puffer, no specific color in mind ( I realize its going to be hell trying to find one of these considering I haven't seen one in person in over two years...)
PLANTS: Duckweed, floating plants. Maybe a plant with large leaves so the congo can lay on it every now and then. ( I've read/seen some pictures where Congos nap on broad leaves. )
SUBSTRATE: Black sand.
DECOR: Round, smooth rocks and maybe some driftwood.
LIGHTS: Standard fluorescent. I don't plan on spending much for lights really when it comes to this tank set up since I won't have that many plants.
STAND/ETC: Buy a stand for a 29 gallon and keep the 20g underneath. Maybe breed some cherry shrimp/guppies/swordtail/cichlid fry with it for feeders. Have a dark background. I'd be going for a really dark tank where the plants could really contrast. A layer of duckweed on the top of the tank would make it even darker and maybe more comfortable for the Congo. Hes a lurker and an ambush predator so I guess he could hunt better and I think it'd look really nice in the end.


Tank Plan 2 - 29 Gallon or 20 gallon
FISH: Dwarf Puffers - quite a few of them.
PLANTS: Fake mostly since I wouldn't want to bother with lighting/etc.
SUBSTRATE: Eco-complete, something dark.
DECOR: Driftwood? Rocks here and there.
STAND/ETC: Stand for the 29 gallon. Breed shrimp/snails in the other tank or visa versa. Maybe I could have 29 gallon with plenty of shrimps/snails and some kribs while the DPs are in the 20 gallon. Cost-wise, this is a little out of my range and might take a little more effort considering I'd be setting up two tanks.


Tank Plan 3 - 20 Gallon
FISH: Kribensis.
PLANTS: Low light plants.
SUBSTRATE: Some eco-complete or sufficient plant-providing substrate.
DECOR: Broken pots here and there. Driftwood?
LIGHTS: I'd definitely have to upgrade lights to support the plants.
STAND/ETC: Got a desk. Honestly it seems a little boring since my dad already owns some cichlids. Breeding the kribs sounds like fun since I've seen them (at the LFS) take good care of their young. Could just breed & sell a lot with the 29g and 20g.

I had a couple more ideas earlier but they seemed to have slipped by mind at 1 in the morning. Anyway, thanks for reading and please don't be afraid to comment. I just want someone's opinion on this. I'm really leaning towards the Congo puffer idea since I can see the tank looking pretty nice in my mind (though it might turn out that way in the end! ).

[LilGreenPuffer]

I recently heard that a 29g actually only holds 25g, so it wouldn't be enough for a Congo. Too bad - they have some beautiful colors out there, like the one in Pufferpunk's avatar.

I vote DPs. I have them, and I love them! They have a lot of attitude for little guys. In pictures I've seen of them, and in tank videos, I've always liked the light-colored substrate better. I just got some, and they positively glow now. If you go with fake plants, you don't need Eco-Complete, by the way.

[Jase]

I would either have DPs in the 29, or kribs in the 29 and the 20 for the young until you sell them.

if you go with DPs, I would put the effort into a nicely planted tank.

[Myaj]

I've had kribs and found them boring.. but maybe I just gave mine too many caves to hide in. They never came out, ever. They had lots of babies, and they sure were pretty, but apparently they saw no reason to come out into the open and let anyone ever see them

20H tanks are annoying, too tall, not much swimming room.. IMO about the only puffer I'd put in one is a single Figure 8 or a handful of dwarf puffers. Maybe, maybe a pair of one of the red eye species.

As far as plants. don't forget a 29 is the same height as a 20H, so you'll have the same light not reaching the substrate issue. That said, crypts and anubias will do just fine with 1.5 to 2 watts per gallon (as long as you don't block the light with floating plants).

[hobbes]

I recently heard that a 29g actually only holds 25g, so it wouldn't be enough for a Congo. Too bad - they have some beautiful colors out there, like the one in Pufferpunk's avatar.

I think I read from Pufferpunk once that you can even keep them in 20 gallons since they're lurkers and don't need that much room so they basically stay buried for most of the time.

I've never kept dwarf puffers even though they're adorable and there's a good number of them at my LFS. I think I'm just less attracted to them because they soooo tiny. Kribs sound like a lot of fun since I've never tried to breed any kinds of fish before and I've read that they breed relatively easily as long as I get the right pair. Anyway thanks for the suggestions. Any info on the marble shrimp and its standard tank size for breeding?

[LilGreenPuffer]

My DPs don't seem tiny! They're always up in your face. Today, I was trying to do water tests, and they kept swimming around my fingers when I reached in, trying to figure out why there were no bloodworms from the sky. They're so cute.