Need advice on stocking a 20 gallon tank

[fishy_foo]

Hi,
I recently got a 20 gallon fish-tank and I'm in the process of stocking it with fish (after the nitrogen cycle seems to be stable).
I've got 3 zebra danios already. I'd like to put in 6 glo-fish (3 at a time) and then, once they stabilize, a couple of dwarf gourami (one at a time).

Is this a viable set of fish? Specifically, I've read that there should be a minimum of 6 zebra danios. But since the glofish are just altered zebra danios, I was thinking 3 zebras + 6 glofish should be fine.

I'm a complete newbie, so any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ami

 

[lauraf]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Your mix of danios and glowfish will be just fine. However, I wouldn't suggest two dwarf gouramis together. Most of the ones sold at fish stores are male ('cause the males are the pretty ones) and while they are fairly peaceful with other fish, they are known to be aggressive to their own kind. So do one dwarf gourami only.
What else are you thinking of adding eventually?
Cheers,
Laura

 

[fishy_foo]

Hi Laura,
Thanks for the welcome
As far as the dwarf gouramis go, we're planning to put in a male AND female gourami. Do you know if the males are aggresive toward females (like in bettas?)
Once there's enough alga, I'd like to put in 3 otocinclus-es. Not sure if I should get 1 by 1 or all three together. But I reckon that's at least a month out.
Got a question on feeding danios. I got a 20 gallon aquarium kit from Aqueon. It came with tropical flkes. Will it be enough, or shoud I also buy some frozen worms / brine shrimp? I kinda think I need some for the dwarf gouramis anyway.
Take care,
Ami

 

[Thyra]

It is my understanding that female dwarf gouramis are almost impossible to find. No one seems to stock them because they aren't as pretty. I was never able to find a female.

 

[Thyra]

In spite of some other opinions, I have had good luck with Otos for the past year and don't find them that sensitive. (I have well water) I have two or three in all my tanks. I understand they like groups, but I have not noticed any problems with smaller numbers and I would put them in all at once, just be sure your tank is established and has enough food for them. Some will eat wafers and/or veggies, others won't or you can grow your own algae logs like OC does.

 

[fishy_foo]

In case I can't find a female dwarf gourami, I might keep just 1 betta. From what I read zebra danios get long with 1 betta as long as the danios are in a group of six or more.

A couple of questions about bettas:
1. Between bettas and dwarf gouramis, which one is hardier...or are they equally hardy?

2. I have a power filter and it creates a mild ripple / splash. I'm going to get a surface (live) plant to keep on the quieter side of the tank. Would this be OK for the betta?

 

[aakaakaak]

IMO a Dwarf Gourami would be better in a community tank, particularly with fast moving fish like zebra danios/glofish. If you really want multiple gourami in the same tank you could maybe look into getting a couple-three pearl gourami. They aren't aggressive towards each other, but don't have the same coloration. You could also look into honey gouramis, which are much smaller and don't have the same aggression issues. However, with the honeys you wouldn't be looking at centerpiece fish.

While both danios and gouramis can live on nothing but flake food, it's healthier for them if you provide a varied diet. I probably go a little overboard with the varied diet aspect, but I do have some nice fish.

A quick tool that can help you make sure your bio-load will be okay is aqadvisor. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing. Always check things for yourself afterwards:
AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor.

Also, what's your PH at? If its low 6-7ish you could probably do a couple apistogramma, rams or kribs instead of gourami.

 

[Thyra]

I do have a betta in a 16g tank with 4 danios and some platies and they do fine. I am actually wondering if it is because the temp is at 79 degrees and danios are a colder water fish. They certainly aren't "zipping around" and faster than the betta or the platies.

 

[lauraf]

Pearl gouramis might get a bit big for a 20g - I'd say one beautiful dwarf gourami would be lovely. Also more flexible in terms of other stocking choices than bettas can be - having said that, bettas seem to be particularly varied in individual temperament . . . .

 

[Thyra]

I agree Laura. You have to have an alternate plan when attempting it. I have had success with two male bettas (Different community tanks of course), but last week I tried a female betta in a community tank. It was instant chaos! I never saw fish move so fast - particularly the female! The tank thought it was being fed. I thought, "How the heck am I going to catch her?" Fortunately, I was lucky - within seconds I had her captured and put her in another community tank where she acted like nothing ever happened and she has joined the other fish. I wish I had a movie, tho, of the short episode in the first tank - it was like one of the "Road Runner" cartoons!

 

[1077]

Is said that many of the imported Dwarf gourami are prone to disease (see iridovirus among gourami) I might consider the Honey gourami were it me for they do not seem to be afflicted by iridovirus.
Gourami appreciate a bit softer,warmer water than the danios who seem to thrive in cooler,alkaline waters.
Had a group of around twenty long finned Danios, and don't believe there is much that swims any faster at snatching food at feeding time, which could put slow moving fish like the gourami at a disadvantage?

 

[fishy_foo]

Thanks for the tool on AqAdvisor aaq-3x =0)
I've got my temp in the aquarium set to 78F, but its the digital kind that you stick to the outside wall. Am wondering if I should get one that's submerged into the water as well.
Also, between Otos and Cory-cats, which are easier to maintain? It'll be a while until I get 'em.

 

[Kitty_Kitsch]

IMO otos, the only thing is making sure you have food for them.

 

[OrangeCones]

Also, between Otos and Cory-cats, which are easier to maintain? It'll be a while until I get 'em.

They are both 'easy' to maintain, provided they are given the foods they can/will eat. Are you looking for algae control (otos) or scavengers of leftover foods (cories)?

 

[fishy_foo]

Thanks for all the suggestions
We are thinking of having Plays instead of dwarf Gouramis. Our local fish dealer told us that altough they are touted as hardy, they're quite susceptible to diseases.
I want to know if Platys swim in the middle region of the tank (since the danios are going to be mostly at the top).
Also, of the 3 danios I got, one of them is larger. It bullies the other two. The smallest one is always hiding in a corner. I was wondering if it gets enough food.

Thanks,
Ami

 

[Thyra]

My platies swim all over the tank. There are also many different colors. I even found some bluish ones with burnt orange colored tails.

 

[lauraf]

Fish are going to swim all over the place in a tank - don't fret too much about top vs. middle swimmers.
Platies are a great choice - unlike dwarf gouramis, you can get several for your tank, and mix and match colours. Just ensure you have more females than males.
Adding a few more danios will help with the bullying.

 

[fishy_foo]

Thanks for the tip on bottom dweller feeding habits Orange. I think I'll stick to Cory-cats since there are always a few flakes left over after I feed the danios...but then may be I am feeding too much? I feed a few falkes once every 12 hours or so.

 

[fishy_foo]

I checked with AqAdvisor and am thinking of two possibilities:

3 zebra danios
6 glofish
3 platys
==> At this point the stocking level is already 77% However, I can't figure out which cory-cat to choose from the list (I'd like to put in 4 albino corycats).
==> In case I put in 4 otos, the stocking level is 96%...and I wonder if a beginner should have such a highly stocked aquarium.

So I'm wondering if I should instead swap the 3 platys for a lone male betta. This gives
3 zebra danios
6 glofish
1 male betta splendens
4 corycats
==> This gives 84% of the full stoking capacity. However there are warning of keeping the betta with danios & glofish. However TimsTropicals says that this combo is compatible (?!)
Feedback will be greatly appreciated

 

[Denther]

I'm a "beginner" and my stocking density is 132%. While it's not good to overstock I can tell you I am perfect fine. Your fish will not all of a sudden float to the top if you add too many. AqAdvisor is a helpful tool but shouldn't be a stringent requirement. I wouldn't recommend more than you have (for now), but I think you should be fine at a 96% stocking capacity.


On AqAdvisor it's just "Albino Cory". I have peppered (which I think are pretty much the same, mainly different coloration). And they're great little scavengers. I suggest grabbing a package of Algae Thins/Wafers when you get them. They love munching on those things. They are also considered sociable animals and it's optimal (not required) to keep them in groups of 5 or more. Just another thought.

Also, if you wanted to have a little algae control you could put in a snail.

Good luck stocking your tank!!

PS: Advanced forumers don't kill me for saying it's okay to have higher stocking when beginning. Correct me if I'm wrong. Just sharing my experience.