Stocking 20 Gallon Tank w/ fish + plants (help/advice)

[jakester42]

If you have an answer for any of the questions in this post that would be awesome. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/images/smilies/Thanx.gif


So I have a 20 gallon tank that i started three weeks ago and theses fish so far: Bleeding Heart Tetra, male Long Fin Danio, male Danio, Black Khuli Loach, male Cobra Guppy, Ghost Cat Fish, Cory Catfish 4 x male Endlers Live Bearers, 4 x Ghost Shrimp. I also have Dwarf Hair Grass and two background plants that are smaller


The Endlers wont lay off the Guppy (I don't know if its fighting or chasing yet). I'm thinking i switch one male Endler out for a female one so they pay attention to her now. Will that work? What should I do if not?


The Loach just stays in the corner by his lonesome behind a plant but you can still see him because the plant isn't that big but he wont change spots. I'm thinking I get two more which will promote activity and keep the bottom clear. Will that work? What should I do if not?


I tried to capture a sort of Zen Garden look with my aquarium so I COULD put in a Buddha guy to hide the Loach instead of getting two more (but I want them so they will clean the bottom). Or i could get rid of the Cory Cat fish in order to get the extra two loaches if people thought i would be overcrowding my tank.


I also plan on getting two neon tetras (one female, one male).


I have had perfect water tests so far and I have been using bacteria supplement and CO2 supplement for the plants.


If I cleaned my tank often enough could i support all these fish?


Also, If i bought a 30 gallon filter (and put a pantyhose over it just in case the Endlers or Tetras breed) would that make it easier on myself?


Should i even bother with breeding when I have so many fish?


Is there anything else I could do for the DHG that wouldn't surpass a student's budget?

 

[henningc]

Ok, your Endlers are trying to mate the guppy. If you put a female in the Endler males and the guppy will chase her until the stress kills her. Solution, bye, bye guppy. The loach, you guessed right the first time. I'd add three more. The cory cat needs friends, another three corys will do. Sorry to say, the glass cat is just not compatable with what you have. They typically live in schools and inhabit slight currents. They do not compete for food so the tetra, danios, Endlers and guppy will cause major issues with feeding. Before you ask, the tank is really too small for a proper glass cat setup.

As for male and female neons, good luck with that. I would just leave the neons out as they have to compete with the danios and other tetra you already have. If I were you I would not breed in the current set up. Most likely the Endlers would breed like crazy and most of the fry would be eaten, but not all. In six months you will have a population explosion. I put two trios of Endlers in a 30L and in nine months had over 100 fish. Fortunatly for me my other tanks eat Endlers.