Stocking my 20gallon tropical tank

[meamea568]

Hey all, new member and beginner fishkeeper here!

So I'm planning on getting my very first tank soon and wanted some suggestions. I consider myself fairly new to fishkeeping, and the only real experience I have is caring for my sister's male betta and two comet Goldfish. However, I have been doing a lot of research, and I understand the cycling process/nitrogen cycle pretty well.

I'm looking at a 20 gallon freshwater tropical tank with the dimensions of 24"L x 12"W x 20"H. The filter I'll be using is the Topfin Power Filter 20. How would you recommend I stock it? I would like to have a community tank with several different types of fish, but I'm unsure of which fish are compatible, their effect on the bioload, space in the tank, etc. I'd really like to have a few gouramis (probably dwarf), if that's at all possible.

One of the main things that concerns me is the fact that I have hard water, and I know that greatly limits the types of fish I can stock my tank with. Honestly, I don't know what my exact water parameters are, but I will be getting my test kit Thursday so I will post them then.

Secondly, I'm considering whether to plant my tank or to just get fake plants, but since it depends on the fish I'm getting, any pros or cons to each would be helpful.

Any advice and suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

 

[lauraf]

Hi, welcome to the site! It's great that you are asking questions before you dive in. While it's true that some fish prefer hard vs. soft water, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it unless your hardness is through the roof. Most community fish will adapt to the different levels of hardness and pH.
Keep in mind that if you want dwarf gouramis, they tend to be aggressive towards each other, so you are best to have only one. Other good community fish are livebearers, which include platies, swordtails and guppies. They are available in all sorts of colours. The only thing to be concerned about is that they are prolific, and some people have issues with the offspring overpopulating the tank.
A small school of tetras or rasboras is another good choice, and four or five small cories would also work. Kuhli loaches work in smaller tanks too.
Things like angels, larger gouramis, and bigger loaches won't be suitable for a 20g. And beware of buying a common pleco or Chinese algae eater - these are fish that are frequently available in fish stores and they are totally unsuitable for smaller community tanks.
Take a look at your options at the fish store - you'll have some time to think about it while your tank cycles - and let us know what interests you. We'll be happy to offer our advice.
Oh, and the number one tool to have other than the tank hardware is a liquid test kit that will measure ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
Cheers,
Laura

 

[meamea568]

So far I've planned to get one dwarf gourami and 6-8 panda cories. What recommendations do you have about smaller schooling fish like the rasboras and tetras you mentioned?

(I am purchasing another 20 gallon filter, by the way, to lift soem of the work off of my current 20 gallon one.)

 

[lauraf]

Oh, panda cories are lovely. Good choice. There;s lots to choose from with tetras and rasboras. I have cardinals and harlequins myself. Serpaes, neons, lemons, rummynoses...these are all good choices.

 

[meamea568]

Okay so I'm going to switch out the dwarf gouramis for 2 honey gouramis and keep the panda cories. I like the idea of having the rummy noses (probably 6-8); they're so pretty! :-D

Do you think I'll be able put any more fish in there or is that pushing it? Any recommendations on any? No livebearers please; I have no place for the fry.

 

[lauraf]

Depends on what other fish you have in mind. Honey gouramis stay pretty small, so you might have room for more fish. To start with though I'd just slowly work up to the stocking you have in mind now. Do not add all the fish at the same time - it may crash your cycle with an ammonia spike.