Future plans for my 20 gallon tank

[Natalie is new]

Hi Fish Friends- 

I have a 20 gallon high, and so far I have 6 pandas, 6 Amano shrimp, and 5 red racer nerites + a good number of bladder snails. I'd like to add a Honey Gourami and some schooling fish. Do you think my tank is large enough to handle this? Thanks for your advice. 

Natalie 

[GoofyGarra]

@Natalie is new is the tank planted?

Using live plants will allow you stock more without overstocking as they absorb nitrates in the water.

[Natalie is new]

I have some pogostemon stel. oct,  a red tiger lily, Java ferns, another frilly fern dwarf sag, red root floaters that are melting away as we speak,  and I just dropped a new cutting of my philodendron brazil in to grow from the top. It doesn't have any roots yet though. I'm going to add more long plants in back.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Natalie is new

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/8/2023 at 4:17 AM, Natalie is new said:

I have some pogostemon stel. oct,  a red tiger lily, Java ferns, another frilly fern dwarf sag, red root floaters that are melting away as we speak,

PSO will definitely "out compete" other slower plants like the lily or fern.  I've had it choke out dwarf sag as well.  Between the floaters and the PSO, I can see a lot of those two doing a lot of growing and pushing nutrients away from other plants.

I would imagine that if you keep the PSO in check, keep the floaters from blocking out the other plants, then you'll have a really developed planted ecosystem. 

I can't really chime in about the fish, but I don't see any issues with adding a gourami to the group.  Adding "some nano fish" might be fine, but just keep it in the temp range that fits for all of the fish.

Panda would be "cooler" which would be rasbora, minnows, danio, or barbs, but I am unsure what a gourami needs! 😞

Edited December 8, 2023 by nabokovfan87