How many more fish can my tank support?

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Apr 3, 2008
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I have a 20 gallon tank for tropical fish. Here at the contents:

1 Zebra Danio
2 Platys
1 Cherry Barb
1 Mollie

We had a Pleco but it died because neither one of us could get the pellets in time for it and we were misinformed at the pet store. They told us that it would eat the regular flake food but after a little research I found other wise. We plan on getting another Pleco. I'm not sure what kind we had but I know it was a cheap one (about $3). What else can we fit?
 
You should probably get a bristlenose pleco, and not a common one as they grow big (if you really want a pleco). You should get at least two more danios as they are schooling fish. Probably some cories (pygmy ones are really small and cute, and you can probably keep up to 10)
 
How much do bristlenose plecos run? I haven't spotted any in Petco, Petsmart, etc. I would rather avoid purchasing fish online. I will get some more danios now that you said that.

What about ghost shrimp or anything like that? Will any of my fish eat them? Can I get a betta fish?
 
the first thing i would do is add to the danios, at least 5 more.

the next thing is forget about a pleco altogether. those cheap $3 ones grow anywhere from 10-24 inches, and do not belong in a 20g tank. i don't believe a smaller one like a bristlenose (4-6") really does either. maybe a clown pleco IF you have real wood in the tank, but they like to hide and you'll rarely see it. if you want a bottom dweller, 3 cories would be a better choice.
 
wataugachicken said:
the first thing i would do is add to the danios, at least 5 more.

the next thing is forget about a pleco altogether. those cheap $3 ones grow anywhere from 10-24 inches, and do not belong in a 20g tank. i don't believe a smaller one like a bristlenose (4-6") really does either. maybe a clown pleco IF you have real wood in the tank, but they like to hide and you'll rarely see it. if you want a bottom dweller, 3 cories would be a better choice.
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I agree, for a 20g a few corys would be much better for the bottom, they are more active, social and fun to watch anyway. And definitely get more danios.
 
If you get corys (which I also recommend), get them in a group - I have 4 in 2 of my tanks and 3 in another. They are schooling catfish. They also appreciate occasional pellets that sink, rather than relying on them picking up flakes that other fish have missed. Only one pellet a day at most - maybe a pellet every 2 to 3 days is more realistic for a small school of corys. I use shrimp pellets and they love it. The snails get anything that is left, which usually isn't anything you can see...but it doesn't take a lot of uneaten food to pollute a tank or to make algae grow!
 
1 danio? they need to be in a good size school, i have 7 in my tank. and go with oscaremmy's cory idea, they are an awesome little fish. (speaking of them i gotta get more of em here soon).
 
oscaremmy said:
If you get corys (which I also recommend), get them in a group - I have 4 in 2 of my tanks and 3 in another. They are schooling catfish. They also appreciate occasional pellets that sink, rather than relying on them picking up flakes that other fish have missed. Only one pellet a day at most - maybe a pellet every 2 to 3 days is more realistic for a small school of corys. I use shrimp pellets and they love it. The snails get anything that is left, which usually isn't anything you can see...but it doesn't take a lot of uneaten food to pollute a tank or to make algae grow!
Click to expand...

One pellet per bottomfeeder? Or one pellet a day?

Should I get 1 snail to help clean up the tank aswell? Also, how many more fish do you think I could get? I think we are going to get 2 more danios next time we go. We will also probably get 3 cories. That's 10 fish all together. Is that the limit?
 
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