Whitecloud09 Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 (edited) Stocking ideas. Any centerpiece fish ideas? Bottom dweller fish ideas? Schooling fish ideas? Thanks! How many fish can I have in a 20g. I am getting one very soon, thanks again. Edited May 29 by Whitecloud09 Changed name of topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Tank dimensions play a big role in my opinion. What sort of 20g tank are we talking here to be precise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoofyGarra Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 I am going to assume we are talking about a standard 20 gallon, a 20 high (24x12x16). I don't have experience with 20 longs or special tank sizes For a 20 high i really like to do platies. They are fun colorful little fish that will inhabit all levels of the tank, which is very nice for a taller tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 (edited) On 5/27/2024 at 1:07 PM, Lennie said: Tank dimensions play a big role in my opinion. What sort of 20g tank are we talking here to be precise? 20g long. I am unsure of the brand I will buy and exact dimensions @Lennie. I am looking into it now. On 5/27/2024 at 1:08 PM, GoofyGarra said: I am going to assume we are talking about a standard 20 gallon, a 20 high (24x12x16). I don't have experience with 20 longs or special tank sizes For a 20 high i really like to do platies. They are fun colorful little fish that will inhabit all levels of the tank, which is very nice for a taller tank. Thanks, 20g long is what I was thinking. Is this a 20g long? Considering a long instead of high. https://www.petsmart.com/fish/tanks-aquariums-and-nets/aquariums/aqueon-standard-glass-rectangle-aquarium-5345488.html Edited May 27 by Whitecloud09 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 On 5/27/2024 at 12:11 PM, Whitecloud09 said: 20g long is what I was thinking. I don’t believe petsmart does the 20g long or tall. That’s a petco thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 On 5/27/2024 at 1:30 PM, Tony s said: I don’t believe petsmart does the 20g long or tall. That’s a petco thing Oh got it, thanks, I guees I can go to petsmart or this smaller fish store that has really good deals and the tanks are good quality. For a 20 long tho, how many fish do u think I could get in there with normal one week change maintenance @Tony s? This looks good from petco. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/aga-20g-30x12x12-lng-bk-tank-170933?store_code=1730&mr:device=c&mr:adType=pla_with_promotionlocal&cm_mmc=PSH|GGL|CCY|CCO|PM|0|kUMWcWiLY5b1EHQjK6kSR6|||0|0|||18145199970&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3tCyBhDBARIsAEY0XNmWgqZf7YpE5EArbH7-fKhArfu525SNsxc94OWZYmhMS-6eeSS1Gm4aAr8ZEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Depends on which ones you want. Some fish are fast and require lots of swimming room. Some like gourami’s are slow and wander all over. They don’t require as much. If you get your pandas. They’ll want the sand for substrate. Small smooth gravel will work as well. We often make this mistake. We buy the tank and get fish to fit it. A better way is to choose a fish and then find a good fit with the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 On 5/27/2024 at 1:37 PM, Tony s said: Depends on which ones you want. Some fish are fast and require lots of swimming room. Some like gourami’s are slow and wander all over. They don’t require as much. If you get your pandas. They’ll want the sand for substrate. Small smooth gravel will work as well. Yes I was thinking sand substrate. I like the slower fish that wonder all around, I was thinking honey gourami. How many? I am planning on panda cories. So with both of those, can I have a schooling fish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Sponge filter is fine for 20g. Or small hob works as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 On 5/27/2024 at 1:41 PM, Tony s said: Sponge filter is fine for 20g. Or small hob works as well Ok. One or two? I will get the AC one, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 On 5/27/2024 at 12:39 PM, Whitecloud09 said: So with both of those, can I have a schooling fish Yes. Of course you can. The question is which one you want. Harlequin’s are pretty. Small tetras. Etc… On 5/27/2024 at 12:42 PM, Whitecloud09 said: Ok. One or two? One is fine. and just think. For 11 inches more length and 3 inches more depth. You could do a 40g tank 🤣🤣🤣 On 5/27/2024 at 12:39 PM, Whitecloud09 said: . I like the slower fish that wonder all around, I was thinking honey gourami. How many? A trio would work just fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 (edited) On 5/27/2024 at 1:43 PM, Tony s said: Yes. Of course you can. The question is which one you want. Harlequin’s are pretty. Small tetras. Etc… One is fine. and just think. For 11 inches more length and 3 inches more depth. You could do a 40g tank 🤣🤣🤣 A trio would work just fine 😂 yes, but idk about that, tho, maybe some, day, but if I can have a centerpiece, bottom dweller and schooling fish, I will just go with a 20g. Thanks! I will probably get some harqulins. Maybe shrimp too? With the corys, honeys, and harqulins? Thanks so that tank is 60 bucks, wow. I don’t know a empty tank would be that expensive lol. so I would probably need a heater? I don’t have one in my WCMM tank because my tanks temp sat at 72. Edited May 27 by Whitecloud09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 On 5/27/2024 at 1:05 PM, Whitecloud09 said: so I would probably need a heater? Yeah. You would. These fish would be more tropical in nature. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllFishNoBrakes Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Have you thought about White Cloud Mountain Minnows? 😂. Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. Hope you find something you love for your 20! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 On 5/27/2024 at 2:38 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said: Have you thought about White Cloud Mountain Minnows? 😂. Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. Hope you find something you love for your 20! Lol. Yes I have, but this time it is time to experiment! Thanks! I will post a journal very soon on it as soon as I buy the tank itself. I gotta make sure this doesn’t break the bank 🤣. On 5/27/2024 at 2:14 PM, Tony s said: Yeah. You would. These fish would be more tropical in nature. Thanks! Can’t wait!!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricksonAquatics Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 20g open up a lot more options which is very exciting! You can narrow it down by figuring out what is most important to you. Do you like a lot of color? Does personality matter to you? Do you want something that will be there to greet you every morning or are you okay with something a little more reclusive? What about activity level - something a little more “sit still look pretty” or something that’s darting around the tank at every second? Recently Cory released a video of his top couple of fish he couldn’t live without after his extensive time in the hobby. You could check that out! Also check out the cookie cutter set ups in the Co Ops help center. Gives you a lot of great ideas.. you can skip through the videos to see what is being recommended. If you’re interested, you honestly might as well try livebearers if you haven’t yet! Guppies or endlers are always a great choice as well as Platies if you want something a little larger. Sorry for long response - this is just how my thought process goes if I was setting up a new tank! Best of luck! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted May 28 Author Share Posted May 28 On 5/27/2024 at 7:52 PM, EricksonAquatics said: 20g open up a lot more options which is very exciting! You can narrow it down by figuring out what is most important to you. Do you like a lot of color? Does personality matter to you? Do you want something that will be there to greet you every morning or are you okay with something a little more reclusive? What about activity level - something a little more “sit still look pretty” or something that’s darting around the tank at every second? Recently Cory released a video of his top couple of fish he couldn’t live without after his extensive time in the hobby. You could check that out! Also check out the cookie cutter set ups in the Co Ops help center. Gives you a lot of great ideas.. you can skip through the videos to see what is being recommended. If you’re interested, you honestly might as well try livebearers if you haven’t yet! Guppies or endlers are always a great choice as well as Platies if you want something a little larger. Sorry for long response - this is just how my thought process goes if I was setting up a new tank! Best of luck! Wow! That is sooo helpful! So much info and things for me to think about! I like personality and slower moving fish. That is just my type of fish. For the stocking, here is what I a, considering….. Panda corys. 6 or so. Platies. (I would like to try them!) guppies. honey gourami. 3 or so. a schooling fish. Idk what fish yet tho….. of course not all of those fish at once. But this is what I am considering. Thanks @EricksonAquatics!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS Fish Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 On 5/27/2024 at 8:06 PM, Whitecloud09 said: Wow! That is sooo helpful! So much info and things for me to think about! I like personality and slower moving fish. That is just my type of fish. For the stocking, here is what I a, considering….. Panda corys. 6 or so. Platies. (I would like to try them!) guppies. honey gourami. 3 or so. a schooling fish. Idk what fish yet tho….. of course not all of those fish at once. But this is what I am considering. Thanks @EricksonAquatics!!!! For a schooling fish, I have always found lamb chop rasboras nice. For personality, shrimp. It sounds like a joke but I've found shrimp to have very intriguing and unique personalities. Plus there fun to watch, I've seen one saim faster than my fish! Another cool gourami idea is the sparkling gourami. They are small, peacful, cheap (at least where I live), and I found to be full of alot of personality and color. Currently have one and he is very personable. I imagine a small school of them would be cool! Also keep in mind with a 20, you would have to really watch the guppy population if you are also going to have a lot of other fish in the tank. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kunersbettas Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Schoolers: Ember Tetras, cherry barbs, Praecox Rainbows Cleaners: Otocinculus Cats Centerpieces: Betta Imbellis (2 females, 1 male) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clownbaby Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 If you're going to get corydoras, I would recommend pygmy cories, panda cories, violet cories, or salt and pepper cories. They all stay under 2 inches, which is ideal so you could get a larger shoal (ten or so as a start). Cories love each other's company. And since cories come from the Amazon, why not do an Amazon biotope? Many tetra species are native to the amazon & rio negro. Research some species and select those! I would always recommend a sponge filter or two. I have used Hang-on-the-back filters and compared to sponge filters, they just don't compare. For substrates, I would recommend sand and pea gravel. Cories love this stuff. If you want a lighter color sand, don't go for pure white - try to use something that is at least a little muted in tone and not super bright. Go outside and find some sand or buy pea gravel from a store like Home Depot. Super cheap, just make sure you rinse it extra good. You could boil it to be safe too! Plants? Oh yeah. You got lots of options. floating plants: azolla (fairy moss) water hyacinth heteranthera spp (emersed) duckweed amazon frogbit some nymphoides species riccia fluitans salvinia red root floaters Background plants: alternanthera reineckii or sessilis bacopa caroliniana bacopa lanigera bacopa myriophylloides cabomba aquatica, cabomba caroliniana*, cabomba piauhyensis hornwort echinodorus amazonicus (amazon sword plant) echinodorus cordifolius (Radicans sword plant) Egeria densa ambula Midground: gymnocoronis spilanthoides (spade-leaf plant) creeping jenny* ludwigia repens* mint charlie Foreground plants: Echinodorus tenellus (pygmy chain sword plant) mayaca fluviatilis (marsh moss) sagittaria spp. dwarf hairgrass Crassula aquatica (pygmy water-weed / pygmy water-stonecrop) Epiphytic plants: Crassula aquatica *introduced but now widespread Otherwise, the scape is up to you! But I would recommend using bogwood, aka spiderwood! You could also make a "shoreline" area by having part of the aquarium have thick substrate, about 6 - 9 inches, with spiderwood root pieces sticking out and plants embedded, something like this! have fun!!!! I am REALLY excited to see!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted May 28 Author Share Posted May 28 @JS Fish, @Kunersbettas, @clownbaby thanks a TON!!!! I have so many more ideas to think about it and all know, and thanks for the plant recommendations! I will literally look into every SINGLE plant and fish and decide! THX! On 5/27/2024 at 11:07 PM, clownbaby said: have fun!!!! I am REALLY excited to see!! Yes i will post a journal very soon about it! i CANT wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guupy42 Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 On 5/27/2024 at 7:06 PM, Whitecloud09 said: For the stocking, here is what I a, considering….. Panda corys. 6 or so. Platies. (I would like to try them!) guppies. honey gourami. 3 or so. a schooling fish. Idk what fish yet tho….. If you are going to get the fish from PetSmart, just watch out for inbreeding, especially in the guppies. Here is an article about it: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/livebearers-are-becoming-weaker Other than inbreeding though, guppies are an amazing fish. Have you ever raised them before? I don't remember seeing it in any of your journals. Also, for the schooling fish, Guppies can also fill in for that. They might not constantly be together, but will like to stick together most of the time. My Endler Guppies explore and eat together, but sleep apart. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted May 28 Author Share Posted May 28 No i haven't, thanks! I will look into it @Guupy42! On 5/28/2024 at 8:19 AM, Guupy42 said: If you are going to get the fish from PetSmart, just watch out for inbreeding, especially in the guppies. Here is an article about it: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/livebearers-are-becoming-weaker Other than inbreeding though, guppies are an amazing fish. Have you ever raised them before? I don't remember seeing it in any of your journals. Also, for the schooling fish, Guppies can also fill in for that. They might not constantly be together, but will like to stick together most of the time. My Endler Guppies explore and eat together, but sleep apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clownbaby Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 On 5/28/2024 at 5:20 AM, Whitecloud09 said: No i haven't, thanks! I will look into it @Guupy42! Another option to avoid inbreeding is to buy from multiple stores. Buy two from Petco, two from petsmart, two or more from an LFS... etc! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted May 28 Author Share Posted May 28 On 5/28/2024 at 12:28 PM, clownbaby said: Another option to avoid inbreeding is to buy from multiple stores. Buy two from Petco, two from petsmart, two or more from an LFS... etc! Oooh good idea! That’s very helpful! Thanks @clownbaby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now