L104 or L144?

cableguy69846

cableguy69846

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Dec 18, 2011
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Just got done setting up a 20 long tank. It is pretty low tech for the time being, but I don't see myself going much more high tech really. It was originally intended for a trio of L104 plecos, but now I think it may be better for my L144 pair. More on that later on. Here are the specs.

Tank - 20 gallon long with the back painted black.
Filter - Some HOB that I had sitting around. Pretty small, and a 170 GPH powerhead with a sponge on the intake.
Substrate - Miracle Gro Organic Choice Garden Soil capped with leveling sand.
Plants - an assortment of crypts right now. Going to add some Anubias, Java Fern, and maybe a moss.
Light - 15w 8,000K T8 in a 24" fixture. Need up upgrade this a bit.

As far as I am concerned, I am not really picky about which type of fish I put in here. I would love to breed both, but I am wondering which this tank will be better suited for. I still have to add some drift wood and get some PVC for caves. Here is how it looks so far.











Let me know what you think so far. And which fish would do better in here. Right now the L144's are in a 20 high community tank and the L104's are in a 10 gallon tank with 9 Cardinal tetras. If I put the L144's in this tank the other plecos will take their place in the 20 high. If not then the L144's will stay in the 20 High.

:wb: Help.
 
Lornek8

Lornek8

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Either would work. Not a great tank if breeding is the intention, too hard to keep clean and/or remove fry. Would need some wood for the L104s, not necessary for the L144s. PVC caves could work but you need to be able to cap the end. With the amount of work going into setting up the tank i'd think caves that are more aesthetically pleasing would be in order.
 
cableguy69846

cableguy69846

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Dec 18, 2011
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Lornek8 said:
Either would work. Not a great tank if breeding is the intention, too hard to keep clean and/or remove fry. Would need some wood for the L104s, not necessary for the L144s. PVC caves could work but you need to be able to cap the end. With the amount of work going into setting up the tank i'd think caves that are more aesthetically pleasing would be in order.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I have a bunch of driftwood, I just need to boil it and see what I want in the tank. I will get that done tomorrow. As for caves, I was going to go for cheap right now. I may wrap them in mesh and cover them in various plants if I don't get some better caves. Thanks for the feedback. It is much appreciated.
 
bigbird

bigbird

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Hi ,

very nice set up indeed, however I do agree with Lornek. Your tank looks so great, why spoil it with PVC pipes ? Why not slate , wood or other natural stuff. My other suggestion would be to have a background as well, makes them feel more secure . cheers jk :thumbup:
 
cableguy69846

cableguy69846

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Dec 18, 2011
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bigbird said:
Hi ,

very nice set up indeed, however I do agree with Lornek. Your tank looks so great, why spoil it with PVC pipes ? Why not slate , wood or other natural stuff. My other suggestion would be to have a background as well, makes them feel more secure . cheers jk :thumbup:
Click to expand...
After reading the post by Lornek again, I am thinking I could get crazy with some driftwood. Maybe drill it out? I think I am going to have to play with that. And thanks for the kind words.:)
 
xingu

xingu

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Apr 26, 2009
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bigbird said:
My other suggestion would be to have a background as well, makes them feel more secure . cheers jk :thumbup:
Click to expand...
Pretty sure it has one, that's all reflection you can see.

Plant growth is good, any plecos you have in there will have fun rearranging all your plants in the substrate :)

I'd go for 104's and make the caves from wood as you indicated.
 
cableguy69846

cableguy69846

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xingu said:
Pretty sure it has one, that's all reflection you can see.

Plant growth is good, any plecos you have in there will have fun rearranging all your plants in the substrate :)

I'd go for 104's and make the caves from wood as you indicated.
Click to expand...
You are right on the background. The back of the tank is painted black.

I think, for now, I am going to use PVC until I can get my hands on some good pieces of driftwood and attempt to drill it out. I may try to camouflage the PVC somehow though.
 
cableguy69846

cableguy69846

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Some updates. I took down 3 tanks a few days ago so all the fauna from those tanks went in here. 3 L104 Plecos, 4 Habrosus cories, 9 cardinal tetras, and a bunch of cherry shrimp.






 
cableguy69846

cableguy69846

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So. I added some 3/4 in. PVC pipe in 4 inch lengths to act as caves. They didn't really mess with them for a few days, but today, I saw two of the L104's in the cave. Spawning perhaps? We shall see.
 
Brengun

Brengun

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Nice cloudy tank. Does it need a water change or something?
The biggest trumpet snails are the breeding females. Remove as many of those as you can easily find and you should be able to control their numbers a little.
 
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