20 gal long stocking with cpds and psuedomugil?

[grimchiroptera]

hi there! got a 20 gal long recently and I've been deciding what to stock it with. I LOVE psuedomugil, but I'm having trouble choosing between p. luminatus (red neon) or p. gertrudae (spotted). which one would you pick, or which one is suited better for a beginner community tank? I'm also planning on adding CPDs as well! I'm looking for what other fish could make for good tankmates for these two, would apistogramma, peacock gudgeon, or stiphodon be suitable? how many of each fish would fit comfortably in my tank? any advice or other fish suggestions are appreciated!

Edited July 23 by grimchiroptera

[EricksonAquatics]

Exciting times for you! I believe that luminatus and gertrudae have pretty but the exact same care requirements so it’s really up to your personal preference in that department 🙂 Personally I would pick luminatus, just because I feel like they have more color compared to the gertrudae?

You could probably add a group of Corydoras to dwell on the bottom, or something else like kuhli loaches or hillstream loaches! Then I would pick a centerpiece fish. I haven’t kept any that you mentioned, so I’ll let others pitch in here on if they’re compatible. But from my little knowledge I believe any of those would do alright.

I think you’ve got a great stocking list going! Best of luck!

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

No issues with that stocking. Pseudomugil will take the high road most of the time and the CPDs are mid to lower water swimmers/ dwellers. I’ve had luminaries and I’ve seen the ARU II I don’t think you can go wrong. with a mop you’ll get eggs 

@EricksonAquaticshad some interesting ideas. I’d go kuhli loach or dwarf Cory’s if it was me because you could have a lot more of them. 10 of either would do it. 

[beastie]

I have luminatus and never had gertrudae, so cant advice. I love my luminatus and I would not do a CPD with them, as in a single species colony, they will be lovely and breed and you will maybe get the fry to remain alive, as the adults dont actively hunt for them, but other species would.

I am trying them with pygmy coryrodas and the combo seems to work, though hastatus might work too.

 

Beware of the setup, they are not the standard fish, they need slow moving water as they dont enjoy flow, they need covered surface and hate bright lights, and when they dont have sufficient plant cover on the top they are super skittish. I have them in a 13 gallon and they did best when I had very very very low light and a lot of plants, and I recently remade it, is way more open, I am waiting for surface plants to pick up, and they hate it. 

They also have very small mouths and dont like dry foods that much. They will however be at all tank levels, surface, but bottom too to scavenge for food, and chase each other in the middle of the tank too

Oh and they also jump, I have a lid but had a container floating in the water for a brief period of time, 25 cm high, sitting on the surface and I found my luminatus in the container, as it jumped straight in. 25 cm !!! So a lid is a must