# my new twenty gallon



## rtbguy782 (May 24, 2005)

i am setting up a twenty gallon and i bought sand and a penguin 150 and i have some decorations from some previous tanks a few years back. now i have had the tank filled with the filter on saturday, sunday. today i got a master test kit and i tested my water and the water is tested at ammonia-0 nitrAte-0 nitrIte-0 
chlorine-0 and ph-7.6. is my tank ready for my p's, its only been running for two and a half days with no goldfish or feeder fish, and this is the water that comes out of my tap. is my tank ready for my fish?


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## spec-v (Feb 27, 2005)

no and it is too small take it back and get a 75


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

rtbguy782 said:


> i am setting up a twenty gallon and i bought sand and a penguin 150 and i have some decorations from some previous tanks a few years back. now i have had the tank filled with the filter on saturday, sunday. today i got a master test kit and i tested my water and the water is tested at ammonia-0 nitrAte-0 nitrIte-0
> chlorine-0 and ph-7.6. is my tank ready for my p's, its only been running for two and a half days with no goldfish or feeder fish, and this is the water that comes out of my tap. is my tank ready for my fish?
> [snapback]1054734[/snapback]​


dude your cycle is not done and no piranhas in a 20..get some dw puffers for that 20


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## rtbguy782 (May 24, 2005)

i am only getting 4 one inchers and i am getting a 55 gallon soon


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

Guys, you should explain things rather than just saying "no" or else people never learn anything.

Your cycle isn't started because there isn't anything making waste in your tank. Your readings are all zero, because there's no waste to be toxic, let alone become processed. Your tank is going to take about a month to cycle, and you should check up on some of the cycling methods in the FAQ section.

A twenty gallon will only last 4 one incers about two months, three maximum. Trust me I know because I did the same thing when I got my piranhas as babies. It's a waste of time to even set up the 20 gallon because it won't even be useful for 90 days, so your better bet is to just get the 55 going when you get the fish, since you'll need to cycle it anyway, and you won't have to go through a few months of waiting for your fish to reaclimate anyway. When you first put your fish in the 20 gallon, they won't get comfortable for some time, and when they finally get comfortable it is time to move them, believe me it's not worth it.

If you want the 20 gallon, you should look into a different choice of fish. If you want the red bellies, you should look into a different tank.


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## Elongatus cockus (May 28, 2005)

It'll be harder to cycle that 20g with Ps than it would be to cycle the 55g. Your nitrite and ammonia peaks will reach dangerously high levels


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## corbypete (Jan 24, 2005)

start breeding guppies for your 55 gallon, so when its ready you have good supply









or use it as a sump for your 55 or larger


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## jasert39 (May 1, 2003)

going to need a bigger tank. or get a spilo in that twenty.


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## redbellyjx © (Jan 26, 2004)

no your tank isnt ready. you need some sort of an ammonia sorce to start the cycle! thats why everything reads "0".


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## timmy (Mar 29, 2004)

redbellyjx said:


> no your tank isnt ready. you need some sort of an ammonia sorce to start the cycle! thats why everything reads "0".
> [snapback]1058496[/snapback]​


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## CTREDBELLY (Apr 8, 2005)

elTwitcho said:


> Guys, you should explain things rather than just saying "no" or else people never learn anything.
> 
> Your cycle isn't started because there isn't anything making waste in your tank. Your readings are all zero, because there's no waste to be toxic, let alone become processed. Your tank is going to take about a month to cycle, and you should check up on some of the cycling methods in the FAQ section.
> 
> ...


of all the post in here twitch has been the ONLY 1 to give the feed back on the question that was asked.

as twitch said no your tank is NOT ready for your prized fish your water has not even started the cycle. it will take a solid month 1 week for gold fish to produce ammonia readings, and another 3 weeks for the bacteria to grow and take over.

if a 20gla tank is what u have then get a SMALL serra species as they only grow 1-2" per year. that said you can house a 3-4" serra in the 20gal for about a year.

pygos (redbellys) will grow a rate of 1-2" a MONTH untill they reach 6" then slow to serra growth rates. for that 20gal a brandti, irritan any serra other than a rohm, manny, elong would be fine


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## tweekie (Nov 3, 2004)

corbypete said:


> start breeding guppies for your 55 gallon, so when its ready you have good supply
> 
> 
> 
> ...


thats a good idea you know.


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## theanimedude (Jun 4, 2005)

tweekie said:


> corbypete said:
> 
> 
> > start breeding guppies for your 55 gallon, so when its ready you have good supply
> ...


hey is it easy to breed guppies? you just put alot of them in a tank and they start to breed right? i got a 10 gallon. will it work?


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## james__12345 (Mar 25, 2005)

yes guppies are that easy to breed but you might want to try a set of small cons they lay eggs and you end up with about 175 fry from each batch.


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## eL ChiNo LoCo (Apr 16, 2004)

Read this. Hopefully this should explain everything you need to know.


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