What Would You Do With 24 Gallons?

[Megalechis]

If you're part of any other fish forum you may have seen this question already, but I figured I'd ask around here too. =)

Let's say you've just received permission to put up a gently used 24 gallon (15x12.5x30) aquarium up in your bedroom. It's not that big, but it's not just a tiny desk aquarium either.

Let's just pretend it's going to be yours. Right now.

What would you stock it with?
- Any invertebrates?
- What species of fish?

Would you go planted?
- If so, what types of plant?

What kind of substrate would you use?
- What color?

Thanks!

[Aus]

Okay. I'm going with a not-unlimited budget here..

After I stopped jumping around for joy... I would make it an open-top NPT and add dozens of ammonia-sink stem plants/floaters. Then, when the soil was settled, I'd replace a few of those stems with a lot of mosses, some really lush red lotuses and attractive emergent plants, and probably some reeds. Add some nice twists of Malaysian driftwood, add peacock moss to those ... and then stock it with.. let's see:

- A whole pile of high grade cherry shrimp.
- Some interesting fish which do not prefer to snack on said shrimp.

OR:

- A shoal of panda corys
- Some dwarf gouramis

OR:

(if I lived in America and thus could actually get one.. and I'd maybe ditch the open-top idea)

- An Amazonian biotope with a single Brandt's Piranha.

[1077]

Would for me,,entirely depend on what type of water I had readily available from the tap, and which I would be using for weekly water change.
If My water was soft,,then I would be looking at small fish considering the tank's size,that enjoy soft acidic water.
If my water was hard'alkaline,,I would be looking for small fish that enjoyed that type of water.
Would not consider anything that had potential of exceeding three inches as Adult fish.

[Olympia]

A pair or trio of Carinotetraodon lorteti (Red eyed puffer). Or a lone Tetraodon baileyi (hairy puffer fish). Nothing else, they wouldn't allow it with them.






Cause, I love super inactive boring fish. Sure, it gets to almost 5", but if it doesn't like moving around much, not really a problem.

[thekoimaiden]

It depends on my tap water. With hard water I would do some endlers with some bronze cories (if the water wasn't too hard). With soft water I'd do some tetra. Black neons or cardinals are my favorite so probably one of those and loaches on the bottom.

Or... salamanders ^-^ I love my native salamanders, and if I had a spare 24 gal tank, I would fill it with salamanders.

[Megalechis]

Going with a planted tank. I've got sand in settling now, a few rock formations, and over the next few weeks I'll gradually build up the plant amount in it while I make decisions on which fish to get.

Depending on the speed and temperament of the species I get I may add my girls (Betta) to the tank. But right now heavily considering just going full-out school of dwarf loaches, with some Rasboras as dither. Any idea if Rasboras are so active they make Bettas nervous?

[thekoimaiden]

For the most part rasbora seem pretty chill. Especially the lambchop rasboras and the dwarf rasboras. Loaches are another of my favorite fishes. I love those kuhlies. Are you going with them or a dwarf botine loach like banded dwarf loach?

[Megalechis]

I was thinking about the Dwarf Chain |oach actua||y.
Species Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki.
And Har|equin or |ambchop Rasboras, just because they're common|y avai|ab|e here.

[redchigh]

I'm beginning to really love cories... What about a catfish tank?

6-8 dwarf chain loach
3-4 corydoras
2 Synodontis nigriventris
and a bristlenose pleco?

Maybe even a school of glass cats if the tank was larger...

[Megalechis]

I origina||y was going to do a Brist|enose with some other mixture, but since I've decided I want to use main|y rock not wood ornament, I decided against it.