The pics were of my tank, the light I am going to get and the plants I was thinking of buying, I did not mean to advertise any of it. The only plant that is alive is the Amazon Swords allll the way in the back left.
20g tank help
- Thread starter Lefky
- Start date
Hi, there is a site called aqadvisor and on it you can enter the dimensions of your aquarium and and a very few other details such as which fish you are interested in and have and this site will calculate according to its formula, your stocking level. Just know that this site is very conservative in its estimates of reasonable bioload so don't worry overly if it tells you are overstocked. It's a guide.
If your tank isn't very wide, avoid stocking it with fish that are fast, active and medium sized. Dwarf gourami are beautiful fish that are very inquisitive about their surrounding and display some very intriguing behaviours.
Here is some general advice: Keeping a well planted tank gives your fish a complex environment that also breaks the line of sight from each other, the benefit being, they are not constantly in each other's view, have a sense of their own territory and privacy and refuge from each other. Plants are good for fish and fish are good for plants, the fish provide fertilizer and the plants, especially fast growing ones, absorb nitrates and help keep fish healthy.
At this point, I'd buy low fuss plants that grow like the clappers as they will help immensely with water quality. Contortionist and jungle val are stunning and grow fast. Your choice of Amazon sword is a good one. Incredibly hardy, lovely and doesn't need a lot to grow. Just give enough sand or small sized gravel (large gravel can be hard for plants to root in) and your plant should do fine. I don't use root tabs for mine and they are both doing well. Crypt is another easy to find, very lovely but slow growing plant ideal for foreground. Please ask as many questions as you like.
other plants that will do well are ludwigia varieties, tiger lotus red, African bolbitus, anubius, Japanese ivy, and some pennyworts.
If your tank isn't very wide, avoid stocking it with fish that are fast, active and medium sized. Dwarf gourami are beautiful fish that are very inquisitive about their surrounding and display some very intriguing behaviours.
Here is some general advice: Keeping a well planted tank gives your fish a complex environment that also breaks the line of sight from each other, the benefit being, they are not constantly in each other's view, have a sense of their own territory and privacy and refuge from each other. Plants are good for fish and fish are good for plants, the fish provide fertilizer and the plants, especially fast growing ones, absorb nitrates and help keep fish healthy.
At this point, I'd buy low fuss plants that grow like the clappers as they will help immensely with water quality. Contortionist and jungle val are stunning and grow fast. Your choice of Amazon sword is a good one. Incredibly hardy, lovely and doesn't need a lot to grow. Just give enough sand or small sized gravel (large gravel can be hard for plants to root in) and your plant should do fine. I don't use root tabs for mine and they are both doing well. Crypt is another easy to find, very lovely but slow growing plant ideal for foreground. Please ask as many questions as you like.
other plants that will do well are ludwigia varieties, tiger lotus red, African bolbitus, anubius, Japanese ivy, and some pennyworts.
PS: I just took another look at the first image you uploaded, you could easily have the aforementioned gourami as well as some neon tetra, The standard rule re anglefish is 10 g per angel. To be honest, if you plant the tank heavily as well as give them adequate swimming space, they will be fine. They are not strong swimmers and tend to spend most of their time foraging around for food and exploring, Again, give them a complex environment and they will be well served. The valissneria (contortionist or jungle val or even eel grass) I mentioned is native to angelfish habitat so it's a great match for them. Cheers.
I really appreciate the response, this has helped me a ton! Thank you!
Also one question, are you saying I can keep the angelfish if I plant the tank enough?
Your sword looks to planted a bit too deep. You want the "crown" (where roots & leaves both emerge) at, or very slightly above, the top of the substrate. It would like a root tab fertilizer near it too.
In a standard 20g, you can probably keep 1 angel OR 1 dwarf OR 1 pearl gourami. And maybe a small school of taller bodies rasboras OR corys with angels. Gourami have smaller mouths, so there maybe other options.
In a standard 20g, you can probably keep 1 angel OR 1 dwarf OR 1 pearl gourami. And maybe a small school of taller bodies rasboras OR corys with angels. Gourami have smaller mouths, so there maybe other options.
Do you think 6 corys, 6 neon tetras, and a paradise fish (or neon blue gourami) would work in a 20g long? Depends if its planted enough or light planted?
absolutely I think you will be fine with an angelfish in there. The more planted the aquarium is, the better off your fish will be.
So I can keep: 1 angelfish, 1 paradise fish, 4 neon tetras and 4 corys in the tank? I feel the angelfish and paradise would fight for dominance.
As in all things that we have no absolute control over, there are no guarantees. I've kept angelfish and members of the gourami family without any issues. That my be because my aquariums have always heavily planted, but who knows. The best thing is just to try it out. The next best thing is to have a plan in the event the it doesn't work.
