Freshwaters for a 20 gallon long?

[artgecko]

I used to be really heavy into fish and was even a mod on an aquarium forum at one point (when I had free time... those were the good ol' days in college lol). I've keep planted fw tanks and community / species setups.

I'd also go with a community tank. I LOVE low light planted tanks (java fern, some anubias, etc.) with driftwood and a dark substrate they look great.

For community fish that are interesting, I'd suggest the following:
Get a krib or bolivian ram as a "show fish' these guys have personality like the bigger cichlids and bright colors but stay 4" and under so can live in the 20gl long permanantly.
A bristlenose pleco for algae control (he'll need driftwood to chew on and they look crazy, in a good way)
A school of one of the following (I'd say 6-8 fish of one of the species below)
Harlequin rasboras
neon blue dwarf rainbows (praecox...great looking fish)
Cherry barbs (both sexes are interesting in color and have interesting display behavior)
Rosy barbs (can be nippy with smaller fish, but great color esp. on the males0

You could also go with a small group of corydoras catfish, these guys are a good cleanup crew and behave kinda like puppy dogs. You need to keep at least 4 together for them to be happy and also don't use a very coarse substrate with them.

In my personal experience, I'd stay away from gouramis...most that I've had (except one pearl gourami) have had internal parasites or died for unknown reasons soon after purchase.

If you don't want to go the community rout, I second the dwarf african shell-dweller suggestion. i have a 20gl long with a colony of Neo. Multis.
Here's a good resource for them

Another option might be a "pet" cichlid that can live solo in the 20gl or with some tough roomie (like a bristlenose pleco). Option for this include jack dempseys, fire mouth cichlids, and convicts. Be aware that in a 20gl though, it may be too small to keep more than one cichlid without casualties.

One other thing to keep in mind... Never stock assuming you're going to move up in tank size later. If you want big fish, get a tank large enough for them to live their whole life in. They can grow faster than you'd think.

Lastly, I'll pass on some good stocking info that I learned from others and has been a great help to me. When you're picking fish to go in your tank find out their adult size. To help keep you levels manageable with normal care routine, try the following:
Find you tank surface area in inches (length x width)
Find the adult size of each type of fish and multiply by the number of fish (i.e. 2" tetra x 8 = 16" of fish)
multiply the number above by 5 and that will give you number of square inches of tank surface those fish need.
(so 16 x 5 = 80" of tank area)
Add all of your numbers up and subtract from your total surface area and you'll know how much space you have left. I'd recommend staying under this number. The more you stay under, the less chance things will get out of hand quickly. This formula works best for fish 5" and under in adult size.

With filtration, no matter what you go with, "more is better" at lest IMO. I try to do at least 10x gph (gallons per hour) turnover rate and sometimes 2x that. I've also had more success splitting this between 2 filters in case one fails. I use HOT (hand on tank) power filters like aquaclears and penguins because they're easier to clean than canisters.

Hope this helps!
Artgecko

[Expensive hobby]

Stay away from red tail catfish! Lol I have 2 that weigh in about 25lbs and they cost a small fortune to feed. Like my 2 4 year old oscars. Ate both within 5 days. And stay away from silver Arowanas.

Everyone says they will upgrade tanks but something comes up and can't afford it. I have a $6800 Tenecor 400g aquarium, along with a few 135g aquariums, and 60 others of different sizes.

It is an expensive and addicting hobby, and big fish just aren't the way to go unless you are ready for the long haul.

That's my advice lol.

Here's some of my fish résumé:




























0.1.0 Normal Ball Python
0.1.0 Columbian B.C.I. 2013
1.0.0 EBV Red Group Pastel Hypo Jungle B.C.I. 2013

[brobertson]

I would do a pair of Kribensis or Bolivian Ram cichlids and a school of Cory cats. Another option would be zebra danios, they are very active.

[Pyrate81]

Almost 6 months later, another one rises from the grave.

[Marissa@MKmorphs]

Sorry for reviving this thread, but I am going to be starting a 20L freshwater tank and love all the advice. I love the idea of doing a tank with se low light plants, some Kribs or rams, a small school of tetras or barbs, and a few Cory cats!


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