20 gallon stocking ideas?

[slapmonster]

Hi all,

So I have this 20 gallon that I am writing up a stocking plan for. I have a few fish in there right now, but I'm only keeping the two otos. So other than the two otos, I pretty much have a clean slate.

1. I definitely want to have a school of small fish - either rummynose tetras or harlequin rasboras.
2. I also want to have a blue ram.
3. I'm deciding between rainbows or gouramis as the centerpiece fish. Not sure if I have enough space for boesemani rainbows though, which is the species that I want.
4. I'm still deciding if I should get cories, and right now I'm leaning towards getting 2-3.

Any suggestions on what you would do? I have attached a picture of my tank here so you all can have a better idea of what I'm working with. Please note: The tank is still a work in progress. I am planning on adding more plants for cover and caves in case I get a blue ram.

 

[rufioman]

5 corys (panda, size and cuteness)
8 schoolers (harleys are baller, rummys are better)
1 ram (i loooove my bolivian but blues are gorgeous as all get out)

Or you could do loaches like kuhlis instead of corys. Trust me, they're hilarious in groups of 3+.

 

[jpappy789]

1. Either would work. I only have direct experience with harlies and I love them, but rummies are supposed to be tighter schoolers.

2. I would highly suggest finding local sources and possibly a local breeder as you'll get the best stock there. Also give the tank some time to become more established before you add blues. More caves and places to mark out a territory would be a must.

3. Bosemanis are too large and active for a tank that size. Praecox may work but they are also very active and used every inch of my 30g when I had some. I'd also advise sticking to one schooling species so no 'bows if you go with harlies/rummies. Some other smaller rainbows would be threadfins, celebes, and Psuedomugil spp.

A single dwarf or a honey or two would also make a good centerpiece.

4. Corys do best in groups of about 6 or more. I would suggest getting the biggest group possible to get the best activity out of them.

 

[PattyCakes81]

I would get the rummies, gold honey gourami, and panda Cories. Or so you cab get 5 to 6 cories you can get a school of the dwarf ones. I got 8 of the habrosus Corydoras aka Venezuelan pygmy Cory, dainty Cory, or salt and pepper Cory. My avatar is a pic of one of them.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[Byron Amazonas]

Assuming the 20g is the basic "high" which is 24 inches in length [which seems the case from the photo], I would recommend quieter fish rather than active fish. Rummys are more active swimmers and appreciate length; I have a group of over 20 in my 5-foot Amazon River setup, a mix of Hemigrammus bleheri and Petitella georgiae, and they are continually swimming ful length, in and out among the plants, but they do like to swim. They also fare much better in larger groups, I would never have less than 12. The Harlequin Rasbora is much less active, rarely swimming at all, and it remains mid-water (rummys tend to stay in the lower third of the column) so it is a better fit. A group of 9 or so would be nice. Both remain in their shoals almost exclusively; it is the level of activity that is different.

I agree with others on increasing numbers for corys, and the rainbow suggestions. I know a 20g seems large when you first get it, but it is very limited space. And that is nicely aquascaped.:clap: My one suggestion would be to replace the blue background if you can, with black. Something as simple as black construction paper works well. The space becomes "larger" and the fish and plants really stand out.

Byron.

 

[slapmonster]

1. Either would work. I only have direct experience with harlies and I love them, but rummies are supposed to be tighter schoolers.

2. I would highly suggest finding local sources and possibly a local breeder as you'll get the best stock there. Also give the tank some time to become more established before you add blues. More caves and places to mark out a territory would be a must.

3. Bosemanis are too large and active for a tank that size. Praecox may work but they are also very active and used every inch of my 30g when I had some. I'd also advise sticking to one schooling species so no 'bows if you go with harlies/rummies. Some other smaller rainbows would be threadfins, celebes, and Psuedomugil spp.

A single dwarf or a honey or two would also make a good centerpiece.

4. Corys do best in groups of about 6 or more. I would suggest getting the biggest group possible to get the best activity out of them.

Thanks! Very well written and knowledgeable info! Definitely ruling out rainbows now haha

Assuming the 20g is the basic "high" which is 24 inches in length [which seems the case from the photo], I would recommend quieter fish rather than active fish. Rummys are more active swimmers and appreciate length; I have a group of over 20 in my 5-foot Amazon River setup, a mix of Hemigrammus bleheri and Petitella georgiae, and they are continually swimming ful length, in and out among the plants, but they do like to swim. They also fare much better in larger groups, I would never have less than 12. The Harlequin Rasbora is much less active, rarely swimming at all, and it remains mid-water (rummys tend to stay in the lower third of the column) so it is a better fit. A group of 9 or so would be nice. Both remain in their shoals almost exclusively; it is the level of activity that is different.

I agree with others on increasing numbers for corys, and the rainbow suggestions. I know a 20g seems large when you first get it, but it is very limited space. And that is nicely aquascaped.:clap: My one suggestion would be to replace the blue background if you can, with black. Something as simple as black construction paper works well. The space becomes "larger" and the fish and plants really stand out.

Byron.

Thanks! The background is actually black, just looks blue in this pic for some reason lol. THanks for your suggestions, they really help. My toughest decision is between rummies or harlies grrrr. After your explanation, leaning towards harlies.

 

[desam90]

I agree with others on increasing numbers for corys, and the rainbow suggestions. I know a 20g seems large when you first get it, but it is very limited space. And that is nicely aquascaped.:clap: My one suggestion would be to replace the blue background if you can, with black. Something as simple as black construction paper works well. The space becomes "larger" and the fish and plants really stand out.

Byron.

you mean on the outside of the backside of the tank? (black construction paper, or this paper actually withstands well, dissolving in water?)

 

[Byron Amazonas]

you mean on the outside of the backside of the tank? (black construction paper, or this paper actually withstands well, dissolving in water?)

Yes, on the outside of the back glass. On all my smaller tanks I use a sheet of black construction paper that I cut to the tank wall size, and tape it on at the top frame. If it gets wet it will, like any paper, fall apart, but I've never had this happen.