Who Gives A Fish Forums

So I'm back after a year, that's pretty wild. I've been thinking about making some changes to my tank setup.

I've got a 45ish gallon tank right now, but it's not fully stocked. I'm thinking of downsizing to a 20 gallon, it'd be way easier to care for. My current fish are 5 neon tetras, 7 zebra danios, and 4 albino cories.

I'm planning to move the tetras and danios to the 20 gallon, and the cories to a 10 gallon. I'll probably get a couple more cories later, and maybe some more tetras if everything goes smoothly. The 20 gallon will have a decent amount of plants and hardscape, but not too much. The 10 gallon will have more hardscape and just a few plants.

The reason I want to split them up is because my current tank has that black pebble-like substrate, which isn't great for the cories. But sand is a pain to clean in a big tank, so a smaller tank with sand would be way more manageable.

What do you guys think about this idea? Should I stick with it, or is it a bad plan?

Honestly, I don't see an issue even if you decide to put all your fish in the 20g. The two main factors that usually cause problems are overfeeding and neglecting maintenance and water changes. As long as you've got those under control, you should be fine.

Are you planning on a 20L or 20T?

Great to see you back, SlyFox - the forum just wasn't the same without your sly presence. I think you could easily house all your fish in a 20-gallon tank, especially if it's a 20 long. Adding more neons and cories would be a great idea too. However, I do have some reservations about your plan, particularly with the zebra danios - they're incredibly energetic and I'm not sure a 20-gallon tank would provide them with enough space to swim about.

I'm curious, what's your experience been with sand? I've found it to be relatively easy to clean, even in my larger tanks like the 150-gallon one. I just make a point to vacuum the surface mulm and debris about once a week.

My experience has been the opposite - I found smaller tanks required more work. With a larger tank, you've got more water to dilute waste from fish and plants, so you don't need to change the water as often. I'm a fan of small, smooth pebbles for my corys and plecos - they're easy to clean and let water pass through, preventing voids that can cause chemistry issues. I know you mentioned sand, but for me, pebbles are the way to go. It's your tank, though, so it's up to you.