[GSAS-Member] 20 gal (long) stocking ideas? Cheap substrate?

[Matt Staroscik <matt@wrongcrowd.com>]

I am upgrading my tank at work from 5 gal to a 20 long, but I am not 
sure what to do with it. Any suggestions? My goals are:

1. Continue to provide a home for my dwarf African frog (so no livestock 
that will eat him)

2. No plastic plants... but very modest live plants like Java moss, 
water lettuce, etc are desirable

3. No livestock with special needs, it's at work after all. (so probably 
no puffers as I won't have time to raise snails.) Frozen food would be 
OK though.

4. Ideally the livestock will be interesting to non-fish people who pass 
by. 

Ideally this will give me a place to have some kind of interesting 
critter that I cannot accomodate, or get the most out of, in my 90 gal 
at home. 

For equipment I have chosen (but not yet bought) the following:

- Coralife 30" T-5 fixture (36 W)
http://www.aquaticexchange.com/product_info.php?cPath=417_369&products_id=1195
Nice and bright for the price. I want to avoid the expense of PCs for 
this tank. 

- Aqua Clear 50 HOB filter (rated for 40 gal)
Has a big washable chunk of foam in it, looks like a good unit. Cost is 
a factor again, so no cannister filter even though I like them.

- "Stealth" heater
Cheap and reliable in my experience

- Substrate
I may have enough Eco-Complete for this tank but I would like to find 
something cheap/free with a smaller grain size. Something more sandy 
would be a nice change from home. 

I was thinking about a pair of apistos or rams... Puffers would be great 
except for the special feeding issue. (and might they terrorize the 
frog?) Shell-dwelling cichlids also seem very interesting. 

If you have any suggestions, please fire away. (I'm also open to the 
idea of adopted fish. Used equipment too--though this stuff is all 
pretty cheap online as it is... $20 for heater and HOB, $30 for light.)

Best,
Matt (in Kirkland)

-- 
Matt Staroscik
matt@wrongcrowd.com | http://wrongcrowd.com
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