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Hi all! So, I have been tossing around some ideas for my 20 gallon tank. Once there are no fish left in there, I was thinking of adding some different kinds of fish. I really love honey gourami's, sparkling gourami's, and angelfish. I would love some ideas for the tank stocking. (I want a limited stocking in the tank). 

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On 12/14/2021 at 7:57 PM, FishPlanet said:

Hi all! So, I have been tossing around some ideas for my 20 gallon tank. Once there are no fish left in there, I was thinking of adding some different kinds of fish. I really love honey gourami's, sparkling gourami's, and angelfish. I would love some ideas for the tank stocking. (I want a limited stocking in the tank). 

Thanks for inviting input! We have a lot of 20 gal. tanks we’ve set up over the past few years.

Here is a 20 gal. long that has gone through many phases… stockings… purposes… iterations…

(1) Guppy tank…

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(2) Apistogramma Cacatouides tank…

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(3) German Blue Ram tank…

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(4) Purple Smilers Breeding tank…

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(5) Dwarf Gourami Breeding tank…

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There’s a lot of things you’ll learn from trying different things with the same tank.

Other 20 gal. set ups we’ve done include…

Goldfish…

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Platy Community…

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Kribensis Breeding…

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Golden Ram Growout…

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Corydoras Breeding…

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Common themes include Pothos roots inside / leaf growth outside and Wisteria and other hardy hygrophilias for bright greens.

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What I would do with a 20 long if temperature wasn't an issue: a shell dweller tank

 

Not as colorful or beautiful, but it would be cool to watch everyday. 

On 12/14/2021 at 10:25 PM, Fish Folk said:

Goldfish…

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I didn't think goldfish could handle a 20.  Or is this temporary?  If this is possible long term, I need to look into this possibility.  

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I think @Fish Folk just won the internet for today, but I can add one thing! I have 1 angel in a 29 gallon, and it's really pushing the edge of being big enough for him. 

For what it's worth, a 20 gal might have been big enough when he lived alone. He used to pick a parking spot, in any size tank, and just sit there. But now that he has platies to chase, he'd probably love a full 6 feet. So if you want a single angel with no stimuli, then maybe.

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@Gideyonone goldfish can occupy 20 g with weekly water changes.

Stocking ideas:

Dwarf cichlids like apistogramma or rams like German blues, golds or blacks or Bolivian rams - loads of personality color and great cichlid behaviors. That gets you close to an angel. These plus a small tetra like green neons.

Wild bettas are really great macrostoma, smargdina, mahachai, you can keep groups and males&females together. 

You could do a nice group of honey gourami (I like the sunset variety) and a rasbora of your choosing like the kubotai. 
 

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On 12/14/2021 at 11:20 PM, CalmedByFish said:

@Gideyon I think it was on this site that I recently saw someone mention that long-finned tetras can look like goldfish. They very much do! Since you're interested in goldfish, and aiming for a 20 gallon, maybe research long-finned tetras. They'd fit better.

It's the cooler temps that intrigue me about the goldfish.  A heater in my basement would burn out. Hence no shell dwellers for me... 

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On 12/14/2021 at 10:49 PM, Gideyon said:

I didn't think goldfish could handle a 20.  Or is this temporary?  If this is possible long term, I need to look into this possibility.  

It’s possible. Better if the tank is a 29 gal. or 40 gal. Buy goldfish very young.

On 12/14/2021 at 11:27 PM, Gideyon said:

It's the cooler temps that intrigue me

You are perfect candidate for a U. S. Native tank! Go with Rainbow Shiners…

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How many angelfish would I be able to keep in a 20 gallon tall? And, what other fish could I keep in my tank? 

 

If I can't keep angelfish in a 20 gallon tall, then how many sparkling gourami's/honey gourami's could I keep in my tank? And, what other fish could I keep in there?

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On 12/15/2021 at 10:30 AM, FishPlanet said:

How many angelfish would I be able to keep in a 20 gallon tall? And, what other fish could I keep in my tank? 

 

If I can't keep angelfish in a 20 gallon tall, then how many sparkling gourami's/honey gourami's could I keep in my tank? And, what other fish could I keep in there?

As others have said, angels in a 20 gal. tall are more or less a temporary thing. While they’re young, they can fit. But eventually, Angels do outgrow the space. In truth, few aquarists stick with Angels bought young long enough to see what large specimens they become. We’ve kept Angels in a 20 gal. tall for a year or so, but they’ll outgrow the space in time. I’d say a 29 tall is probably as small as I’d go for angels for life. But a 55 gal. is probably best.

Honey Gouramis are great in a 20 gal. I’d suggest a pair or a trio: 1 make / 1-2 female(s). Then add a load of schooling fish. If it were up to me… consider a school of 12-16 Glowlight Pygmy Barbs with your Honeys.

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On 12/15/2021 at 9:40 AM, Fish Folk said:

As others have said, angels in a 20 gal. tall are more or less a temporary thing. While they’re young, they can fit. But eventually, Angels do outgrow the space. In truth, few aquarists stick with Angels bought young long enough to see what large specimens they become. We’ve kept Angels in a 20 gal. tall for a year or so, but they’ll outgrow the space in time. I’d say a 29 tall is probably as small as I’d go for angels for life. But a 55 gal. is probably best.

Honey Gouramis are great in a 20 gal. I’d suggest a pair or a trio: 1 make / 1-2 female(s). Then add a load of schooling fish. If it were up to me… consider a school of 12-16 Glowlight Pygmy Barbs with your Honeys.

What other fish can I keep with honey/sparkling gourami's? It all depends if my LFS has the fish. 

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Any smaller rasbora, danios, tetra or barb could go in there. Examples of each: espei (pork chop), kubotai, emerald eye, and chili; celestial pearl danio, glowlight, longfin zebra; green neon, neon, and ember tetras are excellent choices and green neons are my fave; cherry barbs (see if they have the albinos or longfins stunning), drapefin barb, etc. Oh what fun putting tanks together! 

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