Stocking ideas for 20g tank?

[Whitecloud09]

Oh and I add all everything I need to start the tank and get it going up and it it will total to about 220 bucks. Not to bad, for breaking the bank actually but yeah, then over the time of the cycle I will add a ton of plants. (Don’t worry not all at once, but spread out).

[clownbaby]

On 5/27/2024 at 5:06 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!!!!

 

Personally, I would advocate to get at least eight cories! I know six is a minimum but the more the merrier for schooling fish. You'd be surprised how much cories rely on socialization! I currently have three in my main tank (six in quarantine), and a few days ago my mom dropped a glass pot. It was really loud and I could tell my fish heard it. One cory (the male) was resting away from the other two but became really scared at the sound, and started swimming frantically around. The other two cories immediately rushed over to him and basically invited him to rest on the plant they were on instead to help calm him down. And that is with three fish... you can see some amazing friendships grow and thrive in larger groups. 

Panda cories are awesome!!!!!! They were my first corycat I ever had, I had a group of six in a ten gallon way back (like six years ago lol). I had gravel at the time and that was a huge mistake. Sand or pea gravel is a must. They love to dig in the sand, not a lot or enough to disrupt plants / your scape, but they adore doing so. Otocinclus have evolved with many corydoras, including the panda cory, and they love to hang around these fellas. Both otos and cories adore each other's company. If you're looking for an algae eater (however otos eat all types of food, they don't just graze on algae) get three or so otos to hang with your cory shoal!

They love hiding all together, and while I obviously didn't do this when I had them (still in my "it's just a fish" phase at the time) they would LOVE floaters. I was smart enough to feed them sinking pellets, however - be sure you do this to make sure they're eating enough. I also had my beloved bristlenose pleco (overstocked tank but oh well) and would feed him peas and zucchini, the cories also seemed to enjoy these foods! 

If I were you, here is how I would stock the tank personally:

8 to 10 panda cories

3 otocinclus 

6 guppies to start with (but eventually would be a lot more, I'm sure lol)

This would get your tank at a 85% stocking level, so you would be able to either increase numbers or add some honey gouramis if you wanted!

[clownbaby]

On 5/28/2024 at 9:37 AM, Whitecloud09 said:

Oh and I add all everything I need to start the tank and get it going up and it it will total to about 220 bucks. Not to bad, for breaking the bank actually but yeah, then over the time of the cycle I will add a ton of plants. (Don’t worry not all at once, but spread out).

Tips to be cheap:

1) Offerup, ebay, craigslist. People give away free tanks and tank supplies constantly. I have gotten soooo many plants for cheap on Offerup. 

2) lava rock, pea gravel, sand, aquasoil, even some plants... don't buy at pet stores. Home garden stores (home depot is usually the cheapest) and going outside and finding stuff in nature is super easy. Airline tubing (for sponge filters and airstones) is so cheap at stores like this. Same with suction cups, extention cords, etc.

3) Getting a used aquarium is a steal. Do it! Even if you have to reseal the silicone this is so much cheaper. 

4) Name brand isn't always necessary. I bought the cheapest heater from amazon, the cheapest light, and the cheapest sponge filter I could. All has worked really well! The light was a houseplant light (not one labeled for aquariums) which helped a ton, I must say. Often times they throw the word "aquarium" on packaging and BAM twenty extra bucks. 

5) Often times, "pond" stuff / "pond" plants are cheaper than "aquarium" plants. 

6) When shopping at big box stores, look at reptile clearance and the reptile section. They often sell stuff that can easily be used for aquariums at a cheaper price (especially if it is on sale). 

7) Dollar store. Just trust me. 

and more, I'm sure. Being cheap is super fun! I highly recommend it 😉

[Whitecloud09]

On 5/28/2024 at 1:55 PM, clownbaby said:

Personally, I would advocate to get at least eight cories! I know six is a minimum but the more the merrier for schooling fish. You'd be surprised how much cories rely on socialization! I currently have three in my main tank (six in quarantine), and a few days ago my mom dropped a glass pot. It was really loud and I could tell my fish heard it. One cory (the male) was resting away from the other two but became really scared at the sound, and started swimming frantically around. The other two cories immediately rushed over to him and basically invited him to rest on the plant they were on instead to help calm him down. And that is with three fish... you can see some amazing friendships grow and thrive in larger groups. 

Panda cories are awesome!!!!!! They were my first corycat I ever had, I had a group of six in a ten gallon way back (like six years ago lol). I had gravel at the time and that was a huge mistake. Sand or pea gravel is a must. They love to dig in the sand, not a lot or enough to disrupt plants / your scape, but they adore doing so. Otocinclus have evolved with many corydoras, including the panda cory, and they love to hang around these fellas. Both otos and cories adore each other's company. If you're looking for an algae eater (however otos eat all types of food, they don't just graze on algae) get three or so otos to hang with your cory shoal!

They love hiding all together, and while I obviously didn't do this when I had them (still in my "it's just a fish" phase at the time) they would LOVE floaters. I was smart enough to feed them sinking pellets, however - be sure you do this to make sure they're eating enough. I also had my beloved bristlenose pleco (overstocked tank but oh well) and would feed him peas and zucchini, the cories also seemed to enjoy these foods! 

If I were you, here is how I would stock the tank personally:

8 to 10 panda cories

3 otocinclus 

6 guppies to start with (but eventually would be a lot more, I'm sure lol)

This would get your tank at a 85% stocking level, so you would be able to either increase numbers or add some honey gouramis if you wanted!

Goodness, thanks for taking the time to post this!!!!!!! It was soooooo helpful and got me thinking……

I am thinking this.

8 pandas.

3 honeys.

and for a schooling fish idk if I am going to go with the guppies, harqulins, or another schooler. 
 

The otos are a good idea, I will have to look into that. I am thinking of maybe adding my honeys first after I complete my fishless cycle. As these fish are the smallest number that I plan on getting….for 85% stocked, I wonder what size water changes and when I should do them? 🤔 

Anyway thanks @clownbaby! You got my mind thinking! Thanks for the 3 time!

[clownbaby]

On 5/28/2024 at 12:06 PM, Whitecloud09 said:

Goodness, thanks for taking the time to post this!!!!!!! It was soooooo helpful and got me thinking……

I am thinking this.

8 pandas.

3 honeys.

and for a schooling fish idk if I am going to go with the guppies, harqulins, or another schooler. 
 

The otos are a good idea, I will have to look into that. I am thinking of maybe adding my honeys first after I complete my fishless cycle. As these fish are the smallest number that I plan on getting….for 85% stocked, I wonder what size water changes and when I should do them? 🤔 

Anyway thanks @clownbaby! You got my mind thinking! Thanks for the 3 time!

I would honestly recommend adding your schooling fish first, but it isn't a huge thing.

Honey gouramis can be pretty shy, especially if your tank hasn't grown out (they love dense vegetation). Panda cories are less shy overall but still appreciate a dither fish. 

However, as you would eventually add in the dither fish, it doesn't matter too much. Just a nit-picky type thing

For your water changes, I think it would be best to just do a typical 10 - 20 percent weekly water change and fine tune it as needed. With cories eating leftover food and life plants, your waste should be pretty low. All the fish you've chosen are also pretty hardy, which is great! So again, just start off basic with 20 ish percent weekly water changes, test your water weekly and as needed, and adjust as you need. Keep live plants to break down waste, keep floaters, gravel vac, don't overfeed, don't over-control algae, etc. You have experience and you're researching, you got this! You have nothing to worry about, friend.

[Whitecloud09]

Got it, i will do schooling fish first, i would like to try guppies but idk, i really like neon tetras and harqulin rasboras. Welp i got time tp decide because i am going for the fishless cycle lol. 

On 5/28/2024 at 3:19 PM, clownbaby said:

I would honestly recommend adding your schooling fish first, but it isn't a huge thing.

Honey gouramis can be pretty shy, especially if your tank hasn't grown out (they love dense vegetation). Panda cories are less shy overall but still appreciate a dither fish. 

However, as you would eventually add in the dither fish, it doesn't matter too much. Just a nit-picky type thing

For your water changes, I think it would be best to just do a typical 10 - 20 percent weekly water change and fine tune it as needed. With cories eating leftover food and life plants, your waste should be pretty low. All the fish you've chosen are also pretty hardy, which is great! So again, just start off basic with 20 ish percent weekly water changes, test your water weekly and as needed, and adjust as you need. Keep live plants to break down waste, keep floaters, gravel vac, don't overfeed, don't over-control algae, etc. You have experience and you're researching, you got this! You have nothing to worry about, friend.

 

Edited May 29 by Whitecloud09

[macdaddy36]

Now that you already have a tank set up it’s not necessary to do a full fishless cycle, especially since you had so much trouble with the last one. 
Add some media/gravel from another tank and then put an ammonia source in. The cycled media should be able to process the ammonia and once you know this to be true via testing add some fish.

when I got back into the hobby my first tank was a 20 gallon with harlequin rasbora, kuhli loaches, and honey gourami. I think harlequin rasbora and honey gourami are an ideal combo but subbing out the kuhli loaches could be good since they hide so much

I would do something like this:

3-4 Honey Gourami

6-8 Harlequin/Espei rasbora

and then later you would still have room to add other stuff.

Also you could upgrade your whiteclouds to this tank and get tank mates for them and get new fish for the 10 gallon.

[RyanR]

One of my aquariums in a 20L.  I'm currently breeding Rainbow Guppies and Ocean Blue shrimp.  I have 3 ottos to help with algae.  They are all doing great.  I have some round river rocks piled up against a small piece of wood and some java fern, subswarsartang (sp?), java fern, hornwort and water wisteria.  Also a couple of pieces of Cholla wood.  Lots of places for baby shrimp and guppy fry to hide.

[Tony s]

Saw this, thought you might like these. especially the green fire tetra. you'd need an online source for them though

 

[Whitecloud09]

I just got the 20g!!!!! Ordering sponge filter and sand, and light and air pump for filter and everything else you need for a tank. Oh yeah and a filter. So should I mix gravel from my 10 in the sand in my 20? @macdaddy36. 

[EricksonAquatics]

I think if you throw the new sponge filter into your 10g as soon as you can and let it seed up for a hot minute you shouldn’t need to add gravel too. Plus, IMO I wouldn’t want gravel mixed in with my sand (just for visual purposes).

But that’s very exciting!

[DBrown918]

Buy your guppies from a reputable source.  Best source I used when I bred guppies and endlers was aquabid.  It's full of independent breeders and they sell some incredible fish.  You will pay a little more with shipping but it's way worth it in my opinion.  Dans fish and aquahuna are also good options.  

I've never been done wrong with aquabid fish/plants.  

[Whitecloud09]

On 5/29/2024 at 10:39 PM, EricksonAquatics said:

I think if you throw the new sponge filter into your 10g as soon as you can and let it seed up for a hot minute you shouldn’t need to add gravel too. Plus, IMO I wouldn’t want gravel mixed in with my sand (just for visual purposes).

But that’s very exciting!

Hmm, not a bad idea. So would I still need to add BB and ammonia to the tank? And just do what would normally do? I am just making sure as I have never boosted the cycle before. I was thinking of just doing the cycle. But I am traveling across the US on a huge long 26 car hour trip in august. It might be too late by the time I leave. Might sound dumb but I don't want to make any mistakes  @EricksonAquatics.

 

On 5/29/2024 at 10:55 PM, DBrown918 said:

Buy your guppies from a reputable source.  Best source I used when I bred guppies and endlers was aquabid.  It's full of independent breeders and they sell some incredible fish.  You will pay a little more with shipping but it's way worth it in my opinion.  Dans fish and aquahuna are also good options.  

I've never been done wrong with aquabid fish/plants.  

Thanks i will look into it! @DBrown918

[Guupy42]

On 5/29/2024 at 9:10 PM, Whitecloud09 said:

I just got the 20g!!!!! Ordering sponge filter and sand, and light and air pump for filter and everything else you need for a tank. Oh yeah and a filter. So should I mix gravel from my 10 in the sand in my 20?

Don't forget the Heater and Thermometer. Even if the guppies might be okay without a heater, and can stand a wide range of different temperatures, the other fish might appreciate a more stable temperature.

[Whitecloud09]

On 5/30/2024 at 8:40 AM, Guupy42 said:

Don't forget the Heater and Thermometer. Even if the guppies might be okay without a heater, and can stand a wide range of different temperatures, the other fish might appreciate a more stable temperature.

Yes I forgot but I remembered this morning, thanks for the reminder. Now this is what I am planning on. I am getting a small table, for my 10. I will transfer it over to the smaller table, then I will put my 20 on the table where my 10 is at the moment. But don’t worry. It is literally a foot or less away from the big table so it should be fine, I will just take out the filter and light, take out a couple gallons of water and transfer. I am strong enough to lift the tank, so it should be fine. Idk if anyone has tips about moving  it tho and will take any suggestions thanks!

[EricksonAquatics]

On 5/30/2024 at 5:39 AM, Whitecloud09 said:

So would I still need to add BB and ammonia to the tank?

I probably would. It won’t hurt anything and should get it going even faster.

And thay sounds like a good plan. When I moved my 10 to my bathroom (because we were getting new carpet in my room) I just drained the water down to a couple inches and unplugged the air pump and heater to move it. Wasn’t a big deal, I didn’t even take out my betta or anything so you should be good to go!

[Whitecloud09]

On 5/30/2024 at 11:05 AM, EricksonAquatics said:

I probably would. It won’t hurt anything and should get it going even faster.

And thay sounds like a good plan. When I moved my 10 to my bathroom (because we were getting new carpet in my room) I just drained the water down to a couple inches and unplugged the air pump and heater to move it. Wasn’t a big deal, I didn’t even take out my betta or anything so you should be good to go!

Cool! Thanks sounds great. It might sound wierd because i have an established tank but i am goin for no shortcuts, just the cycle. I see how shortcuts could be a good and faster thing, but overall i am going to stick with what i know @EricksonAquatics. Thx for the help! Keep an eye out for my journal!

On 5/29/2024 at 6:15 PM, Tony s said:

Saw this, thought you might like these. especially the green fire tetra. you'd need an online source for them though

 

Ooohh interesting @Tony s! Thanks for sharing!!

 

On 5/29/2024 at 3:40 PM, RyanR said:

One of my aquariums in a 20L.  I'm currently breeding Rainbow Guppies and Ocean Blue shrimp.  I have 3 ottos to help with algae.  They are all doing great.  I have some round river rocks piled up against a small piece of wood and some java fern, subswarsartang (sp?), java fern, hornwort and water wisteria.  Also a couple of pieces of Cholla wood.  Lots of places for baby shrimp and guppy fry to hide.

Thanks for the info @RyanR!

On 5/29/2024 at 10:55 PM, DBrown918 said:

Buy your guppies from a reputable source.  Best source I used when I bred guppies and endlers was aquabid.  It's full of independent breeders and they sell some incredible fish.  You will pay a little more with shipping but it's way worth it in my opinion.  Dans fish and aquahuna are also good options.  

I've never been done wrong with aquabid fish/plants.  

Thanks i will keep this in mind if i buy the guppies @DBrown918

[Tony s]

On 5/30/2024 at 9:31 AM, Whitecloud09 said:

I am strong enough to lift the tank, so it should be fine

drain it almost to the bottom. it's not so much that it's heavy. It is Very awkward to carry. carrying extra weight makes that worse. you might either leave just enough for your wcmm, or net the out and move it  

[Whitecloud09]

On 5/30/2024 at 1:01 PM, Tony s said:

drain it almost to the bottom. it's not so much that it's heavy. It is Very awkward to carry. carrying extra weight makes that worse. you might either leave just enough for your wcmm, or net the out and move it  

I might net them out but idk, I will see soon enough. Thanks!
Yes it is, abut at least it is not a 20g or larger that I have to carry. Talk about large 🤣🤣🤣