20 Gallon (semi) agressive tank

[jclark]

I got a 20 gallon aquarium for my sons room and started cycling it. We are trying to decide what to put in it. I had thought about a few Tiger Barbs and a Red Tailed Shark - will these fish be ok together?

Any other ideas? I know it is pretty limited since it is only a 20 gallon, but he doesn't have much space.

 

[unwritten law]

They would be okay together but you usually should keep Red Tail Sharks in larger tanks. Some people say a 20 gallon would be okay, and it probably would while its small but once it gets larger you would need about a 50, which is what most people advise.

If you like tiger barbs, I would just get 6 of those and call done.

 

[punkrockfish]

i even think a 20g is a bit on the tight side for tiger barbs. while those fish would go together in a larger setting, i don't see them working out in a 20g. are you really set on the aggressive theme?

 

[jclark]

Not really set on it, but since its for a 13 year old boy I was looking for something active and cool. I have a school of Neon Tetras in my 55 gallon and he isn't really impressed by them. He wants something different than the average community fish. Wish I could get him something bigger, he just doesn't have the space in his room. I'll take any suggestions at this point.

 

[mistercoffee]

A school of fish would be great for him, they're fun!

 

[MatthewLaw]

For activity I would definitely recommend Tiger Barbs. I have 6 of them and they always school together...except when the largest gets a little frisky and starts chasing everyone else!!

I had rainbow sharks in with them and for the most part they got along. THe rainbow sharks sometimes chased a smaller TB if it came to close but otherwise they stayed away.

 

[dogdoc]

How bout a pair of dwarf cichlids like bolivian rams, GBRs, or Apistos?

 

[MissFishy]

How about a crayfish or a bunch of shrimp along with a school of some sort of tetra (maybe glofish he would like?). I agree, 20g is a bit small for tiger barbs which get to be pretty large. A crayfish and a school of 4-5 glofish would probably work out nicely and keep his interest.

 

[jclark]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I am going to let him look at all the fish mentioned online and see what he thinks.

I had thought about getting a crayfish for the 55 before, just can't find them in my area. All I have is Petco and PetSmart, so my options are limited

 

[jo3olous]

I got a 20 gallon aquarium for my sons room and started cycling it. We are trying to decide what to put in it. I had thought about a few Tiger Barbs and a Red Tailed Shark - will these fish be ok together?

Any other ideas? I know it is pretty limited since it is only a 20 gallon, but he doesn't have much space.

Done it, worked great. If you have a 20G Long you could do 8 tiger barbs and a Red Tail comfortably. Just make many many hiding places/caves and push them to the back leaving the front of the tank open for swimming, barbs estab pecking orders and swim back and forth all day. The Red Tail shark also enjoys open floor to patrol. Length of the tank is more important than height for these critters.

 

[Rayneuki]

I reccomend cichlids for semi-agressive and fun. :] Kribensis are fun... as are rams

 

[punkrockfish]

something cool, small, and eats snails: dwarf puffers. could do 3-4 of them in a 20g, set up a snail tank next to it, and watch them hunt for their food.

 

[jclark]

Ohh I never thought about puffers. Only real problem is I can't get them locally, would probably have to order them. Any suggestions on what kind would be more hardy?

 

[MissFishy]

Personally I think puffers would be a hard first fish to handle for a beginner. Glofish/danios would be very hardy and very active to watch.

 

[jclark]

Yeah I think we will look at the other fish that were suggested for him and get something a little more hardy and easier to care for for him.

On another note, after looking into the puffers now I am thinking of getting a 5 gallon for myself and maybe putting a dwarf puffer and maybe an oto in it. They just look so interesting - I guess that is for another thread.

 

[jclark]

How about 2 Black Convict Cichlids and a small algae eater? They are pretty cool looking and from what I have read they are pretty hardy and easily breed. If they did breed would an algae eater eat the eggs/fry? Advice?

 

[unwritten law]

A pair might need more than a 20.. I mean they do get a good 5-6 inches. Id personally go with gourami's but rams or kribs would work in this tank.

 

[jo3olous]

still think 9 tiger barbs would be more entertaining. When you get a mass of tiger barbs, they do some pretty amazing shoaling, and have mini gang wars and leader battles <--- this of course is only magnified with 20+ barbs, o_0

 

[mistercoffee]

still think 9 tiger barbs would be more entertaining. When you get a mass of tiger barbs, they do some pretty amazing shoaling, and have mini gang wars and leader battles <--- this of course is only magnified with 20+ barbs, o_0

*BOUNCINGS

how big do tiger barbs get?

I've noticed Gold Gourami's are pretty aggressive to each other, just get two of them and put em in a tank.

 

[unwritten law]

tigers get maybe 3inches