20 Gallon Tank Stocking

[Aquariua]

Some of you may have replied to my thread "Stocking Advice for 10 Gallon Tank." I have decided that instead of a 10 gallon, I'm going to get a 20 gallon long. (30.5''L X 13.125'' W X 13'' H.) So, here's a rough idea of my stocking plan (The fish in order from favorite to least favorite)

1 Betta Fish
12 Neon Tetras
6 Panda Corys
2 Oto Catfish
5 Glowlight Tetras
1 Nerite Snail
1 Mystery Snail

Is that okay? Would I have too much fish, or too little?

 

[Tetar]

I would replace the Glowlight Tetras with one more Nerite snail.

 

[Aquariua]

Okay, adjusted stocking plan:

1 betta
12 neon tetras
6 panda corys
2 otos
2 nerite snails
1 mystery snail

 

[Tetar]

Looking at your stocking plan more, I'd say to not add the mystery snail. They can get large and the larger they get, the more they add to the bioload. Also, despite what I said earlier, just add one nerite snail. I think with the otos around you won't have a big problem of algae, so it's probably better to add just one snail.

 

[Aquariua]

Okay, thanks for the advice!

So:
1 betta
12 neon tetras
6 panda corys
2 otos
1 nerite snail

 

[henningc]

I'm thinking you're over stocked. Keep in mind the neons have much different water requirments than the corys, otos and betta. If the neons are produced in Florida the difference is not that important, but if they are imported you may have a problem. As for the otos, I don't think they can be stocked without a consistent source of green food added. Also keep in mind that otos get somewhat big and tend to be a little aggressive as they age.

In my opinion, you need to rethink what fish, not fishes, are a must have and build around them. Sounds like a great stocking idea just a bad mix in my opinion.

 

[Aquariua]

Thanks for the advice! I was planning on giving the oto algae wafers and zucchini slices. Also, I'm going to have several live plants in the tank. Would that be enough to meet the otos green food requirements?

When you mean "imported" for the neon tetras, do you mean out of the united states or produced in another state than Florida? I live in Pennsylvania, so I don't really understand how getting neons from Florida would be better.

As for being overstocked, are you suggesting I don't get the neon tetras, the otos, or both? At the moment, I'm not sure exactly where the neon tetras come from. I will call my pet store and ask. I would to keep the neons a lot more than the otos, so if it came down to picking between the two, I would pick the neons.

 

[Aquariua]

I have called my pet store and they do get the neon tetras from florida.

 

[Aquariua]

I just realized that one of my local pet stores stocks the cardinal tetra! Since I've heard that they do better than neon tetras with heat (I'm going to keep my tank at 76 degrees) I was wondering if I shouldn't get neon tetras and instead get 10 cardinal tetras, since they look the same. I'm a little nervous though, because I read up a little about cardinals, and it seems like they are a difficult fish to keep because most of them are wild caught and they aren't very hardy and should be kept by people who have experience with fish. Other than keeping a couple bettas, I have no experience whatsoever. I think that it would be safer to just get the neon tetras since they come from Florida.....any advice on what to get?

 

[Vincenia]

Try Black Neon Tetras, they are a bit more hardier then the Neon. Black Neons are one of my favorite tetras and are great for 20 gallons. They do get the same size as the Cardinal Tetras, which is 2".