20L stocking question

T

tbirdie

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May 6, 2008
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I'm not a complete freshwater newb, but I'm no expert so I'll just hang out here. :) I posted another thread about the tank I'm trying to start up in the planted section, because that is definitely part of my goal. I wanted to get some votes on the stocking specifically though, since I keep reading different things.

I currently have a 6.5L aquarium. It's the length of a 10g. I had it for my beta, but he died a month ago and I'm ready to get something in there so I don't keep looking for him. Right now it has: gravel substrate, fake plants, 2 ottos, 2 amano shrimp, 1 ghost shrimp.

I've always wanted to have a planted aquarium, so that's the direction I'm going. I love my tank, but it's time to move to something larger and have a nice little adventure. I have a 20 g long aquarium in the garage that I'm considering re-instating as my main tank. It's the same length as a 29g. I would be trying to plant it, and then transferring my current fish family over.
It's sad, I have a 55L too, but I have no where to put it... at all. This new house has a giant fireplace where my giant aquarium should be. Huff.

So my plan is to transfer over my current filter media and current substrate (plus some flourite, perhaps) into the new tank, along with a good bit of water from the old tank, since all of this is already established. I guess I would just have to move my current fish into a little holding tank while I do all this. I hope the otto cats can survive that. If there is a better approach, I am all ears.

I would then like to add:
8 Harlequin Rasbora
4 Glass Catfish (K. minor)

I know the Glass Cats aren't super easy to keep. It might be a total fail, but I want to try because I love them! They would probably be the last ones I would introduce to the tank. Some people say it should work fine, other's say they are too big or need to be in a larger group. Thoughts?

So, I'm thinking at this point, I am probably approaching full capacity with my stocking choices? I had wanted some kind of centerpiece fish, but I'm afraid I probably don't have room. What do you think? If I do have room, do you have any suggestions on a nice, fun, beautiful center piece fish to check out? Lastly, if the glass cats are a no go, what do you suggest to put with the Rasboras?

That's it! This community is amazing and definitely what gives me the confidence to try something new. I am very very excited, but also very wary lol. I want to do everything right!
 
You know what would look excellent with those rasboras and would be active in the mid to top level?

Praecox rainbows...they are the dwarf rainbow, bright solid turquoise with small red fins. They are hardy and peaceful.

You could easily add 5 (instead of the glass cats)
 
SidtheMonkey said:
You know what would look excellent with those rasboras and would be active in the mid to top level?

Praecox rainbows...they are the dwarf rainbow, bright solid turquoise with small red fins. They are hardy and peaceful.

You could easily add 5 (instead of the glass cats)
Click to expand...

Ooo, those are pretty! You're right, they would look really nice. Rasboras are mid to top levels, right?

I guess one of the things that I like about the glass cats (besides their behavior, which is a HUGE part of my love for them) is that they provided such a nice visual juxtaposition to the Rasboras. But they also see to integrate well, as I have seen in one of the tanks they maintain in the local pet store. It has always been my favorite tank. It has a great variety of fish, including rasboars, glass cats, discus, and more. I love the discus fish so much, that's why I thought I might want a centerpiece fish myself.

I'm not sure that my tank size is good for a centerpiece fish though, especially if I'm already trying to fit 2 schools. I know it is suppose to be 1" fish per 1 gallon, and I have been somewhere between a 20L and a 29G in my calculations. I've been told you can get a few more fish in a planted aquarium.
 
Tank dimensions matter. Larger footprint tanks can support more fish than "tall" tanks, because there is more surface area for gas exchange, more movement room, and more territory space. Also, keep in mind that the "inch per gallon" guideline is a very general one. Active fish need more room to swim, messy fish need more water volume to dilute their waste, a slim bodied fish generally produces less waste than a thicker bodied fish, etc. Unfortunately I don't know a whole lot about K. minor, so I can't give you a more definite answer on if your tank would be suitable for them.

As a side note: just because a tank is well planted doesn't necessarily mean it's a great idea to overstock. Plants take up swim space, and water volume...so although they might help with water chemistry, they don't necessarily mean you can add a lot more fish.
 
Aphotic Phoenix said:
Tank dimensions matter. Larger footprint tanks can support more fish than "tall" tanks, because there is more surface area for gas exchange, more movement room, and more territory space. Also, keep in mind that the "inch per gallon" guideline is a very general one. Active fish need more room to swim, messy fish need more water volume to dilute their waste, a slim bodied fish generally produces less waste than a thicker bodied fish, etc.
As a side note: just because a tank is well planted doesn't necessarily mean it's a great idea to overstock. Plants take up swim space, and water volume...so although they might help with water chemistry, they don't necessarily mean you can add a lot more fish.
Click to expand...

Great, thanks! So, what do you suppose I use to calculate approximate appropriate stocking numbers for a 20L? I certainly do not want to overstock.
 
You could consider going with a similar looking, but smaller species of Trigonostigma (Harlequins are Trigonostigma heteromorpha) such as T. espei or T. hengeli, although they might be a little freaked out by the more hyper Melanotaenia praecox. I've never kept rainbows, so compatibility is just a guess based on a few minutes of research. I think if you did that, you should be able to put in a pair of dwarf cichlids as a bottom dwelling centerpiece if your water isn't too hard.

Really much of it depends on your filtration, maintenance, how much you feed, etc.
 
My praecox were never hyper, they got along super with cardinals, angels, smaller tetras. They always had at least a 30 long tho. I think they'd do ok in a 20 long, but maybe someone else has had experience there.

And you could add a few cories for the bottom....they come in a few sizes...pandas are small and beautiful, Julii are medium sized and also handsome.
 
Hi Tbirdie. Those glass fish look awesome, I've never seen a completely transparent fish! Your tank may be large enough (I also have 20 G, 24" x 12" footprint) but a couple of things that would eliminate them for me personally is their apparent fragility (one source even warned that they may not survive the drive home, yikes!) and that they eat live food only?
 
I have read that, but the LFS says they eat flakes and frozen bloodworms no problem. It would be work, but I think it would be worth it! I'm hoping the extra 6" for the 20L will help too.
 
those panda cories are awesome. i love cute fish!

do they need to be kept in groups? what i'm reading says probably 4 or more? don't think i'd have room for that. But I've seen them in pairs in other tanks, so I'm not sure.
 
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