Tank Stocking Help

[JenPam]

I appreciate all the help I received on my last thread. My 20-gallon tank is nearly cycled now after 2 months, which is quite a relief!

I'm ready to add some more fish. I'm aiming for a variety of color, plus I'd like active fish that populate different levels in the tank.

I began with 6 zebra danios and have 4 left. I want to add about 2-3 more zebra danios to have a full school.

I was thinking I'd add some rasboras--specific recommendations for species? What other fish might be nice for this small community? What sort of tetras might work well?

I've been having a lot of algae growth. Would I be okay introducing a pleco to the tank, or is it too early in the community?

I appreciate any advice. Thanks!

ETA: Quick question about pH. On the recommendation of posters here, I've stopped trying to engineer the tank pH level with chemicals. The pH in the tank seems to have settled around 7.2. Is that an acceptable level for my danios (and future rasboras and tetras)?

 

[Rbishop]

Even if you stay with plecos, that only get 4-5", I think you would be better off with other algae eaters for the 20 gal tank.

 

[SmallFishi]

Your tank sounds a bit like what I have my tank cycled pretty quickly as I have a friend at work with an aquarium. My tank is 20 gallons also
I have a dwarf gourami
4 Harlequin Rasbora

I really want some pygmy cory's or panda cory but I can only find green, peppered I think they will be too much for my tank so i'm going to have to wait it out. Also some neons but I read that your tank has to be established for a while before you can introduce them.

I love my gourami he is so friendly I hand feed him he is beautiful and never hides and is quite active he is really a pet with a very friendly personality he comes over when I go close to the tank.
The Harlequins are great to watch they stay in view around the top half of the tank they are extremely active and busy.

For the algae if you can wait longer you could get a couple of otto's they don't grow very big and love agae but they need an established tank not a cycling tank, is your tank near a window or something for it to have so much algae already mine doesn't seem to have any maybe it's normal I don't know?

 

[fishman1979]

go with some hatchet fish, they are interesting top level fish.

 

[JenPam]

Thank you for the advice. I'll look for an algae eater smaller than the pleco. My tank is no longer near a window, but I think I'm leaving the artificial light on for too many hours of the day. I'm going to restrict the lighting to 8 hours/day to see if that helps.

 

[TropicalNorth]

Otocinclus Catfish are great algae eaters for a smaller tank (I have 2 in my 20g). Once they clean up the algae (which will be pretty quick) you'll need to feed them a combo of algae wafers and blanched vegetables.

If you don't have any live plants in the tank you only need to put the light on for a few hours a day (or just when your watching the tank).

If the pH is stable most fish will adapt.

Harlequin Rasbora's would be a good choice; they're active, colourful and peaceful schooling fish. 5 would be good.