![]() Male bristlenose plecos tend to have a very bushy snout, whereas females have a smoother face. In order for breeding to occur, you need at least one male and one female. Now your 20-gallon aquarium is ready for the next breeding project. Once they are about 2 inches (5 cm) long, you can move a few of your favorites to other aquariums to help with algae control and sell the rest to your local fish store. Java fern and anubias attached to driftwood provide cover for the babies, and the wood introduces biofilm and mulm (or organic debris) for them to snack on. To decrease the buildup of nitrogen waste (and make the aquarium look better), consider adding live plants to the aquarium. Of course, lots of food means you must do lots of water changes to keep the water clean and the fry healthy. Once the fry are freely swimming, provide plenty of food in the form of Repashy gel food, flake foods, canned green beans, frozen baby brine shrimp, and even algae in your tank. If you wish, you can keep the parents in a larger community aquarium, and within two days of hatching, move the entire pleco cave (with the babies) into your 20-gallon tank as a safe haven to raise them. Then the male will entice the female to his cave, trap her inside to lay eggs, and faithfully fan the eggs (to increase water flow) until they hatch. Feed the male and female lots of nutritious foods, like frozen bloodworms and Repashy gel foods, to get them ready for spawning. Just provide a pleco cave for the male to claim as his own territory. Most people start with livebearers (or fish who bear live young) like guppies or platies, but have you ever considered breeding bristlenose (or bushynose) plecos before? Many varieties – such as wild-type brown, albino, super red, calico, and long fin bristlenose plecos – have been developed because they are so easy to breed. You can teach kids about nature, get your partner more interested in aquariums, and even sell the offspring to your local fish store or other hobbyists for profit. Setting up a dedicated tank for breeding fish is enjoyment for the whole family. Neon tetras have bright blue and red stripes that really stand out against a wall of aquatic plants. The simplicity of its beauty will get people thinking, “Why don’t I do a tank like this?” ![]() (For minimal tank maintenance, choose slow-growing plants and animals that won’t breed too quickly.) Everyone is drawn to this setup because it isn’t jumbled with a dozen different species but rather looks like an carefully crafted work of art. Neon tetras tend to swim in the middle of the aquarium, so you can add a few bottom dwellers to round out the community, such as a red cherry shrimp colony that pops against the greenery, three to four kuhli loaches to clean up the tank at night, or a few nerite snails for algae control. There’s something instantly mesmerizing about seeing a large group of identical fish swimming in an underwater forest of plants. Then drop in a school of 12 to 20 neon tetras for maximum impact. The goal is to fill the back half of the aquarium with plants of all different textures and colors, such as java fern, stem plants, vallisneria, or a dwarf aquarium lily. ![]() Not to worry – this first setup is a simple but stunning showstopper every time you see it. Unless you’re an expert aquascaper or creative artist type, it may be difficult for you to come up with an intricately beautiful design for your aquarium. The “I Just Want It to Look Good” Aquarium If you’re stuck in analysis paralysis from all the choices, here are five of our favorite setup ideas to help inspire you. There are so many possibilities when it comes to choosing the decorations, live plants, and of course aquarium fish. Getting a new 20-gallon aquarium is like starting with a fresh, blank canvas.
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