# 20 Gallon High stocking ideas



## hairstylistdizzy (Jan 8, 2015)

We are currently cycling the tank, just started last night...we want to add some plants and some more gravel, maybe a moss ball....

Our biggest issue is that we are having a themed tank.

I LOVE Harry Potter, that's why I got the castle. Now we are looking for fish...We need 

Red fish
Blue fish
Yellow fish and 
Green fish.

Brightly colored. Please help, You would not believe how hard it is to meet this criteria.


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## chenowethpm (Jan 8, 2014)

Emerald green cory's, neon or Cardinal tetras, lemon tetras. The red and blue are one fish here. But a school of six of each of these would fit. It might be just enoUgh stocking.


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## hairstylistdizzy (Jan 8, 2015)

We are kind of thinking about a dwarf gourami and we think loaches are cool if any are bright and stay little enough for the tank. She wants a pleco but I don't think any stay small enough to be in the tank...

We really do not want livebearers. I might be able to convince guppies since the males are much prettier, but males only...we don't want any breeding going on. We're prudes


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## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

you can easily get an all male tank of livebearers, no breeding, 

personally I like platys, you can get them in most colors.

There are several types of dwarf plec to choose from, or a school of a few otos is a good choice for a tank that size, they are great little cleaners


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## hairstylistdizzy (Jan 8, 2015)

Marshall said:


> you can easily get an all male tank of livebearers, no breeding,
> 
> personally I like platys, you can get them in most colors.
> 
> There are several types of dwarf plec to choose from, or a school of a few otos is a good choice for a tank that size, they are great little cleaners


Ok lets talk Plecos....

is there a dwarf bushynose pleco in yellow?


I just googled the heck out of it and I think a yellow bushynose pleco would be perfect to represent the Noble house of Helga Hufflepuff

lets get started on Slytherin-a green fish


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## joecrouse (Feb 3, 2014)

Slyverin... Stiphodon Gobi. Neon Green PLUS they look like snakes and they eat algae. and they stay kinda small. and they are sneaky and hide! Very Slytherin Id say. They also have a silverish mark on their eyes.

For the Yellow and black of HufflePuff id go with bumble bee gobi. 

RavenClaw Blue and Silver Betta splendens. (-= or a Blue Gourami. 


Gryphindor Red and Yellow a set of Pencil Fish Nanostomus Beckfordi. (that will give you the red and yellow. 


A series of Rams would all fit these colors as well. 

oh and 1 white fish Lyre tail Molly For the House of Hathcock (the house of white feather) Because a BMG 50 Caliber from 1000 yards beats a Wand any day. The house of Hathcock is why the Americans dont have death eaters. (-=


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## darkhymn (Dec 16, 2014)

The bristlenose gets to about 4 inches. It would be fairly comfortable, I think, in a 20 tall. Another possibility is the pitbull pleco, which stays even smaller (around 2"), but likes to live in groups. I see a lot of tanks with 3.
I would advise against the betta suggested above. Blue dwarf gouramis would be a better fit. Tetras come in a variety of colors, rams and even gouramis are fairly colorful as well (but gouramis can be aggressive with each other, and rams can be aggressive in general). Some rasboras may meet some of your color requirements, but you'd need whole schools.


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## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

Black Bar and Orchard Endlers gets you every color.


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## hairstylistdizzy (Jan 8, 2015)

We put in 3 guppies yesterday. Our water was right and we put bacteria in, got past the ammonia spike and all our levels were perfect so we felt comfortable. The guppies are blue and silver. They were a little shy and stressed at first but in a couple hours they were playing with the current and exploring the tank and castle. They are all males but we named them Luna Lovegood, Professor Flitwick and Rowena Ravenclaw.....We are going to let them hang out for a couple weeks to help get the nitrogen cycle stabalized before we add anyone else.


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## hairstylistdizzy (Jan 8, 2015)

An update: My guppies died. They all died in the same spot. Their bodies were found inside a fake plants little spines. I now call it the murder plant. 

The water was fine, but we treated for fungal because we have driftwood with an Anubias attached. Fun Fact" Anubis is the Egyptian God associated with the afterlife.

We got A flame dwarf gourami
and a bristlenose pleco

we were waiting a while before getting any others but then we noticed some snails....3 out of nowhere. They grew very fast and we removed them as soon as we could pick them up maybe 5 days after their hatching.

Lo and behold, only about a thousand more hatched and are crawling all over stealing algea from my pleco, these dudes have to go.....so

I went to the petstore and bought 2 Emerald cory cats and one small clown loach. since both were recommended for snail infestations.....

I realize that the corys want more friends and the clown loach will get to big and also want more friends..but I don't plan on the loach being a permanent resident, mostly he's there to eat the invaders......

So this is where I am
1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco
1 Flame Dwarf Gourami
2 Emerald Cory
1 Clown Loach
7 billion snails


I want to say....I didn't want cory catfish...but they have been the most pleasant surprise. So much personality.....they play like little puppies. I love them.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Sorry for your losses, TBH it sounds like your tank wasn't cycled yet - were you testing the water at all, and were you using a source of ammonia or did you decide to do fish-in cycling? If you did fish-in, what was your water change schedule?


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## hairstylistdizzy (Jan 8, 2015)

Gizmo said:


> Sorry for your losses, TBH it sounds like your tank wasn't cycled yet - were you testing the water at all, and were you using a source of ammonia or did you decide to do fish-in cycling? If you did fish-in, what was your water change schedule?


Our water and ammonia levels were good. The petstore tested it for us and 2 associates checked it. We felt comfortable adding fish. we were doing once a week changes 25%. They were doing really well but then the Anubias started turning yellow and one of the guppies got red spots on his tail and then they just dropped off one by one. We had the water tested again because we were scared we jumped the gun with adding fish but the water was stable. Based on the Anubias and the red spots they said it was likely fungal causes...So we did a 50% water change treated and waited and watched the plant...eventually we took the leaves off. 

We tested again and water was still good so we added the Pleco and the Gourami. 

Snails made their appearance and we removed the 3. But then a bajillion are in there.....That's when we decided to get some new fish.


Other than the snails everyone seems fine. 

In fact the Gourami seems to be having a lot of fun with the Cory cats....He likes to swim to the top and then sink down slowly and lunge at them, and they run off (laughing probably) and then they come back and he gets bored and hangs out and they dart to the surface and then back to the bottom....
The loach is kind of shy, but he was playing this morning with the filter current and hopefully having an escargot breakfast. Maybe I can get a video tonight of everyone playing.


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## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

we need actual numbers for the water test, ammo, nitrite and nitrate. that would help


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## hairstylistdizzy (Jan 8, 2015)

Marshall said:


> we need actual numbers for the water test, ammo, nitrite and nitrate. that would help


I suppose it would, but they have never given me numbers. Is there a different test than the little colored paper test?


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## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

liquid tests are much more accurate, but the strips also give you numbers, any reputable pet shop should use liquid test, but they will always tell you that the test is 'fine' so they can sell you fish.


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## hairstylistdizzy (Jan 8, 2015)

Marshall said:


> liquid tests are much more accurate, but the strips also give you numbers, any reputable pet shop should use liquid test, but they will always tell you that the test is 'fine' so they can sell you fish.



Probably so....I guess I'll get some liquid


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## hairstylistdizzy (Jan 8, 2015)

BTW: i don't know if this makes a difference. but when i set up my tank i put water conditioner/dechlorinator and bottled bacteria.....


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