# Stocking a 20 Long



## arenkel (Nov 28, 2011)

Hey!

Thanks to a lot of people on this forum, I now have a 20 gallon that is fishless cycling. It's getting close to finishing up, and I need to start thinking about which fish I will stock it with. This is my first "real" aquarium, and I want to do it right. I realize that it's quite small, so I'll have to stick to small fish. That's perfectly fine-- I like the little guys better anyway. 

My tank-- 20 gallon long
Filter-- Aqueon 30 (made for 30 gal, 200 gal/hr)
Heater-- erm... I don't remember the exact type, but it's made for 20-30 gal and it's immersible (I can check it when I get home if necessary)
Substrate-- eco-complete
Lighting-- high efficiency something or other (low lighting)
Plants-- a bunch of odds and ends.. can't remember what exactly. I can check this as well if I need to
pH-- 8.0 straight from the tap. Not planning on using chemicals to alter the pH; I'd rather it be consistent than perfect. (I'm too poor for RO/DI)
Hardness-- 5*KH, I think. (also something I can check)
Of course, I use dechlor on my water. I can't remember what brand, but I'll probably switch to Prime based on what I've read on the forums.

Okay, now to the good stuff.

I found a list of suggestions for how to stock a tank. I figured instead of researching every single species of tropical fish, I could start with some suggestions and then adapt them to my tank. I'm assuming that I could adjust the numbers slightly for the suggestions for the 20T and 10.
Here's for a 20 tall:
- 4 platies, 6 neon tetras, 4 corydoras, 1 snail
- 10 neon tetras, 10 pygmy corys, snail
Here's for a 20 long:
- 5 zebra danios, 6 neon or cardinal tetras, 4 corydoras
- 3 swordtails, 6 larger tetras, 4 panda corys, snail
- dwarf gourami, 6 neons or cards, 2 platies, 4 panda corys, snail
- dwarf gourami, 8 neons or cards, 4 panda corys, snail
Here's one of the suggestions for a 10 gallon:
- honey gourami, 6 harlequin rasboras, 6 ghost shrimp, snail


I looked into the suggested fish and some alternatives, and came up with: 3 platies (2F,1M), 5 panda corys, 6 pristella tetras, and a handful of red cherry shrimp. According to AqAdvisor, I should be fine.

I really, really want the panda corys, but I'm not too attached to the other types. Please let me know if there are potential problems with this tank, and if there's a better way to stock it. I'm completely open to feedback and/or other suggestions.

Thanks!


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

It's really great to see someone do their research before adding fish! +5

I like the stocking you're suggesting, especially because I LOVE RCS, haha. The platies might pester the RCS (especially the male platy), but if you keep them well fed they shouldn't be a problem.


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## arenkel (Nov 28, 2011)

Thanks!

I have an old 1.5 gal that I could potentially move a few RCS into if they're being bothered too much. I'm hoping, however, that I'll have sufficient hiding spaces for them. I have a few plants in there at the moment, but it will gradually become moderately planted.

So, who goes in first? Platies?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Yes, IMO they're the toughest and should be able to tolerate and stabilize any hostile new tank conditions first.


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## arenkel (Nov 28, 2011)

Should I change my M:F ratio for the platies? I don't think I have enough room for another female, but I could shuffle numbers for the other fish a little bit. If my 1:2 ratio is okay, then I'll just leave it. If I need at least 3 females for every male, I may change the numbers of tetras or cories or just not get a male platy.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Do the 1:2, and see how they behave. If it doesn't work, you can always add the 3rd female


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## arenkel (Nov 28, 2011)

Cool. Now I just gotta get my lfs to order the platies that I like. I'm not too keen on the red wag or the mickey mouse varieties, and that's all they carry at the moment.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Glad you decided on your fish!

I was going to say, I liked the last option: Honey gourami, 6 Harleys and 6 shrimp.

But, that's because I have Honey Gourami and Harleys and I adore them! The Honey's have such amazing personalities and are very interactive with us. And, shrimp are so much fun to watch!

Post pics once you get everything set up! We'd love to see them!


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## arenkel (Nov 28, 2011)

I'm so excited! 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite! That was so fast!

I called my lfs, and the very sweet girl who answered the phone placed an order for 3 pineapple platies for me (1M, 2F). She said they should come in w/in the next week or so, so until then I'll keep dosing some ammonia just to keep the bacteria alive. Of course, I'll also do a big pwc sometime in the next couple of days.

I'm also glad that I stopped by the store today to grab a filter and heater for my QT. Guess I better get that filter seeded...


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Gizmo said:


> It's really great to see someone do their research before adding fish! +5
> 
> I like the stocking you're suggesting, especially because I LOVE RCS, haha. The platies might pester the RCS (especially the male platy), but if you keep them well fed they shouldn't be a problem.


LOL Guy, I guess you have never had Platies or livebearers? The females are the most voracious eaters of all livebearer species I have owned (Molly, Platy, Guppy, Swordtail). I used to sort of believe that until I saw a female Guppy with a RCS half way down its throat...and I OVERfeed my fish. 

Bottom line, you take a chance with adding any fish with dwarf shrimp and shrimplets will definitely be a target. Cory or Plecs maybe....


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## arenkel (Nov 28, 2011)

*sigh*
Would ghost shrimp fare better?


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## arenkel (Nov 28, 2011)

UPDATE

So, it's been a while. I got 3 pineapple platies (2F, 1M), and they're doing fine, as far as I can tell. I've been keeping up on my weekly pwc, although I haven't been testing the water as often as I should.

Only a few days after I got the platies, one of them gave birth. I'm not sure how many "batches" of fry I have in the tank at the moment, but I think it's at least two. I'm sure there will be plenty more in the future.

Now, I'm thinking I'd like to add my next fishes. I love the look of cories, and I know that they'll adapt to my hard alkaline water, but I'd like to know if there are any other species of small bottom-dwellers that I should consider. Ideally, I would like fish that come from (and thrive in) alkaline water; otherwise, I'll just go with cories and hope they work out.


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