Aquatics ~ 20g Desk Tank!
Introducing the 20g desk tank!
After dealing with the annoyance of a 5g tank on my desk (smaller tanks really ARE harder to keep), I opted for a 20g rectangular tank that sits to the left of my computer. It’s easier to keep and far more interesting to watch!
The above two photos are the front view.
Here’s the king of the 20g – Neptune the German blue ram! He’s putting his beg on. I swear, he acts like a dog! He’ll even come to the surface to eat treats (blood worms) from my fingers. He was shy at first and took longer to get comfy than the tetras, but once settled in rams are quite interactive. On maintenance days, he’s so curious that I have to try not to accidentally catch him in my hand because he loves to get so close and sometimes plays in fingers – as if they’re some sort of impromptu obstacle course.
You can also see one of the female amanos harvesting algae off the Ambulia.
The above is a side shot, looking out into the study.
This is the other side, looking towards the writing area. There’s an open area here where I’ve tried a few plants that just didn’t work for me. So, need to find others to put there. I’m considering propagating the mermaid weed and starting a stand of it on this end too.
Here’s the ember tetras and a stray glow light tetra, hanging out in the forest.
Shot of the male amano shrimp.
This is the fat oto cat, of the two he keeps the plumpest and sometimes looks like he’s going to pop!
Because of the high light from the T5s over a 20g there were many algae issues at the beginning. I’m glad to say they’ve now abated! The magic combo of algae eradication was dosing Excel, choosing some faster growing plants like the tiger val (which wasn’t originally in the tank) and adding the oto cats and amano shrimp once there was enough algae for them to thrive on. Now I supplement feed them an algae flake here and there to ensure they’re getting enough food.
Tank specs:
Hardware: 20g glass tank, glass cover, AquaticLife T5 dual bulb system, Marineland HOB filter and Tetra heater
Substrate: EcoComplete
Livestock: German blue ram, ember tetras, glow light tetras, oto cats, amano shrimp, assassin snails
Plants: Ambulia, chain swords, tiger val, mermaid weed, Hygro angustifolia, Crypt balansae, Rotalia indica
Tank, cover, driftwood, substrate, all livestock and plants are from Blue Fish Aquarium in Grandville MI