Thanks Nicholas for getting those specs. So i think im good for now on filter. I Just came back from pet co and they have a deal with tanks for 1$ a gal. Im thinking about getting the 30 gal tank and building a stand for it. Im getting the sense that you can do very little with a 20 gal.

for another $25.00, you can get a 55 gallon tank...a 55 gallon tank is really the best minimum size tank for beginners especially if one makes mistakes for there is more area in the tank to absorb any problem

the specification that nic gave you is at 300 gph, so on that top fin filter, you are fine...a bio wheel provides continuous good bacteria to accumulate and the bio wheel never needs changing (actually, the dirtier it is the better)...so if you upgrade to the 30 or hopefully, 55 gallon (my fingers are crossed), just 10 times whatever the tank gallons are to get a good filtration going in the tank

on the clown loaches, they are really cool fish, only problem is, they get to be about one foot, and to give this fish an optimum life you need a good 120 gallon for the fish prefers to be in a school (about 4 is okay, but 8 is best); plus this fish needs plenty water flow, so a good water flow pump will need to be placed in the tank...the main reason people buy this loach (or any loach) is to keep the snail population down (I have 4 dwarf chain loaches and about, on average, 100 assorted snails - if it weren't for the loaches, I'd have well over 1,000 snails in about a couple months time)

as for the one inch rule, I must beg to differ on this one...some fish are very long while others are large width wise (from top to bottom), some even have large tail fins...so for instance, the example I gave of 4 redtail sharks, 4 dwarf chain loaches and 4 green tiger barbs, even though there are 12 fish, all fish would have no problem in a 20 gallon because the loaches are small plus stay to the bottom, the sharks also do not get to long and will swim in all levels, and the green tiger barb prefers open space, mainly in the middle level...get the picture?

on a 30 (hopefully) 55 gallon, you can play with the levels much better...and always go for a tank that has more area width and long rather than height, that way the fish have more room to swim

so anyway, let us know how it goes, look forward to your decision

I have a 60 gal sitting in my garage. Trust me everyone i would love to bust that guy out. Only two problems.....my wife and my landlord. My wife dosent understand my hobby and my landlord specifically said no large fish tanks. The 30 gal im going to get will be pushing it with both of them. So the 30 gal will have to do for now.

Once i get everything going on my 30 gal (remember i have to build the stand, cycle the tank, and transfer a few fish. Its going to be at least 3 weeks before im ready to put fish in the new tank) i will definitely get the bio wheel filter since i will need a bigger filter anyways. I do have a snail in the tank and he laid eggs but i accidentally knocked them into the water while moving the decor. I don't know if they will survive or not. Last time my snails laid eggs my bichir ate a bunch and i gave a bunch to my friends. So loaches would be a nice help.

I do have a long 20 gal, not a tall 20gal. It measures 30x12x12.

Once i do get the 30 gal on the stand how should i go about transferring the different parts(filter, air pump, plants, driftwood) to the new tank while maintaining healthy fish in the old tank?

I would bucket the fish, remove everything out of the 20gal into the 30gal, fill, let it come up to temperature (or add warmer water) add fish back in.

If the old tank has an established filter it will take up in the new tank quickly. You may get a small mini cycle due to tank size difference, but it should cause no major concerns

Redtail Shark, also known as the Redtail Black Shark is great for the semi-aggressive community aquarium, as long as they are the sole sharks and the other tankmates are of similar size. The other fish I wrote about also are of the same size.

alasse is correct that the redtail can become aggressive when mature, but in hopes with a larger tank (55 gallon) and with tiger barbs and loaches (loaches actually will bite - when I moved once, I was taking the fish out of the tank, a few I had to gather up by hand, when I attempted to get the dwarf chain loach, the SOB bit me to the point that the little guy, by sheer instinct on my part, flew across the room luckily landing in the bucket of water), so loaches can and will defend themselves quite well.

Now beings you must stay with the 30 gallon, American Flagfish is the only other alternative I can think of (though it prefers to have floating plants, but this is not a must have, but it does needs dense live plants).

On the redtail, there are all sorts of stories of these sharks getting along and not getting along, the key to this fish is having its own territory; if you set up a cave/ledges on one side (mid-level), in the corner, place this fish first in the tank before the other fish so that it establishes its own territory without competition, then place the other fish in the tank, the other fish will be less likely to interfere, they sure may try, but they will get the message that the shark's territory is theirs. Green Tiger Barbs and loaches will fend for themselves. So on this fish, it is a toss up, 50-50 call. Some have had no problem, others have. If you want to go the safe route, just get a few flagfish...remember, as you stated before, you wanted the bala sharks, so I assume you are after a semi-aggressive species tank.

In my tank, I have all peaceful fish except for the dwarf chain loaches, but they stay to the bottom of the tank, rarely come up into the middle or top; the cherry barbs are peaceful-semi-aggressive fish, but beings they are in a school, they keep to themselves.

so I will end it on this note, if you really have your heart set on a shark, the only way around it is, get 1 redtail shark, 6 green tiger barbs, and 6 dwarf chain loaches.

I agree 100% with alasse on the tank change. Actually you can use the filter you have in the 20 gallon and most if not all of the gravel (gravel is a hotbed for good bacteria), between the gravel and old filter, it will help jumpstart the cycling process. If you do decide to get 1 redtail, use this fish to complete the cycling process; if you decide against the shark, then use the tiger barbs or another hardy fish to complete the cycling.

as for the tetra, it is not aggressive enough for the tiger barb - loach will probably not bother it (for I have loaches and tetras together)...as for the gourami, opaline Gourami, though it gets to be around 6 inches at maturity, males can be territorial with each other, so if you get these fish, best to get 2 females.

so let us know how it goes...don't mind alasse, she always gives me a run for my money ((((smiles))))