How to stock my new 20G

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CalypsoGirl

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Sep 4, 2006
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Hi, my name's Erin and I just joined this website. I just came across a cheap 20G at a thrift store, and I'm looking for suggestions on how to stock it. It has rather odd dimensions...10" wide x 20" long x 24" high. I'm a poor college student in a little apartment, so size and cost are important. My current tank is a planted 10G with danios, guppies, 2 mystery snails, 2 dwarf frogs, and a dwarf puffer. I want to try some more challenging fish in my new tank, once it's cycled and planted. Some rams at the LFS caught my eye, but I was told they were so difficult to keep alive that the store wouldn't guarantee them. So, basically, everyone's opinions about rams and other fish for my new tank are welcomed and greatly appreciated :D
 
I am looking into bronze cory cats, they are supposively very entertaining to own. You could probably fit a school of 5 in your 20G
 
You could still try rams. They are one of my fav fish. Get a pair though, or maybe 2 females and a male. If you do that be sure to have some rocky caves and lots of plants to create territories because they are fairly territorial. I am a bit dismayed about the puffer and even more so the frogs. Do the frogs have somewhere to perch on the land or soemthing? I would probably put the frogs in your old tank on their own and have like a half land half water environment. Thats just me though. Read up on the rams though before you get them. I suppose they are tempremental to water conditions. If you can get an appropriate ph and softness and keep the water clean with water changes every week or 2 they are fine. They die more from infighting than anything else for me but they are the most entertaining and pretty little fish. Im just an amazon dwarf cichlid fan all the way though.
 
I've heard that puffers aren't the best community fish, but mine has been doing well in this tank for about 6 months now. He eats tons of daphnia, blood worms, and brine shrimp and seems to get along well with the other fish (although he has taken a toll on the ramshorn snail population).
As for the frogs, African Dwarf Frogs are one of a few species of completely aquatic frogs...their skin dries out extremely fast, often leading to death, if they get out of the water. My guys spend most of their time perched in the plants or digging through the java moss for food, and they both swim to the surface to get hand fed. Unlike the MUCH bigger African clawed frogs, the ADFs only grow to about 1.5 inches and get along well with peaceful fish :)
 
CalypsoGirl said:
I've heard that puffers aren't the best community fish, but mine has been doing well in this tank for about 6 months now. He eats tons of daphnia, blood worms, and brine shrimp and seems to get along well with the other fish (although he has taken a toll on the ramshorn snail population).
As for the frogs, African Dwarf Frogs are one of a few species of completely aquatic frogs...their skin dries out extremely fast, often leading to death, if they get out of the water. My guys spend most of their time perched in the plants or digging through the java moss for food, and they both swim to the surface to get hand fed. Unlike the MUCH bigger African clawed frogs, the ADFs only grow to about 1.5 inches and get along well with peaceful fish :)
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You are right about the puffers it all depends on the individual fish but just keep a look out for any aggressivness with it because I've heard of them just turning on tank mates over night.
 
i have a puffer 10g tank. three puffers and five otos. my puffers are super sweet dont bug each other or the otos, maybe you can do that and pass everyone else to the 20g. About the rams, i have one in my community tank, havent been able to find a female for him :( but hes fine, hes been through ich infestation, and ammonia spike and is still going. i heard the same thing when i got him but he good so i dunno.
 
Trust me the dwarf puffer will turn eventually. I thought my dwarf puffer was doing fine in a community, then all of a sudden after 8 months the puffer turned and almost killed my female betta. Trust me I learned the hard way I don't want you to experience the same.
 
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