20 Gallon Tank-what To Put In?

[Mako Man111]

Ok, So I have a 20 US gallon tank, and I'm tired of the whole schooling/community tank kinda thing, so I was wondering what type and how many cichlids( or any other nice fish for that matter) would be good for the 20 gallon tank? I know that Oscars grow way to large for this tank, but what about some other cichlids?

 

[Sp3nc3r]

a- a few shell dwellers, bn pleco

b- 2 pairs of kribs, shoal of corydoras

c-pair of jewel cichlids, royal pleco

im just listing pairs because i find pairs more interesting
here are all the things

shell dwellers
kribensis
keyholes
jewel cichlids
Flag cichlid, or flag acara
Nannacara
Apistogramma

add in some corydoras or a small pleco and any of those and you should have a nice tank

 

[Mako Man111]

Thanks!

Do all those fish prefer nice hiding spots? Also would those guys dig up any of my plants(artificial)?

 

[Sp3nc3r]

umm depends which fish you are talking about shell dwellers need shells to hide in *hiding spots*

rams dont really need hiding spots unless you have more than 2, as they might chase eachother around,

tall plants and lots of hiding spots on the lower end of the tank should be good for all of those *any*

which are you interested in?

 

[KathyM]

c-pair of jewel cichlids, royal pleco

Royal panaques grow to 16"+ and require very heavy filtration and a larger tank than this when they mature. I wouldn't recommend them for such a small tank, because even though they're slow growing, they make the most amount of mess, being a panaque. Also in a small tank such as this, it's harder to keep the water stable and Royal's are sensitive fish.

The only plec I would recommend for such a tiny tank would be one bristlenose or similar hardy small plec.

As for cichlids, I would stick to the smaller dwarf species (Keyholes and similar would be too big for this tank too). A pair of Rams/Apistogrammas might be okay.

If you really want to go into cichlid keeping and aren't swayed by a couple of small cichlids, I would hold out for a bigger tank which would give you more versatility.

 

[Mako Man111]

c-pair of jewel cichlids, royal pleco

Royal panaques grow to 16"+ and require very heavy filtration and a larger tank than this when they mature. I wouldn't recommend them for such a small tank, because even though they're slow growing, they make the most amount of mess, being a panaque. Also in a small tank such as this, it's harder to keep the water stable and Royal's are sensitive fish.

The only plec I would recommend for such a tiny tank would be one bristlenose or similar hardy small plec.

As for cichlids, I would stick to the smaller dwarf species (Keyholes and similar would be too big for this tank too). A pair of Rams/Apistogrammas might be okay.

If you really want to go into cichlid keeping and aren't swayed by a couple of small cichlids, I would hold out for a bigger tank which would give you more versatility.

Well i'm already probably going to get a 75-100 gallon tank for an oscar, so this 20 is all i'm going to have for now

How about a cory to go along with a pair of apistogrammas?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

cory's are best kept in small groups, but if you go for small cory's and apistogramma's you could have some together, I'd say 6 cory's and 4 SMALL apisto's, I've just got some cockatoo's that only get to 2 inches, get 1m and 3f. That gives you around 20 fish inches which is what you should aim for roughly with a 20g tank

 

[jayjay]

a- a few shell dwellers, bn pleco

b- 2 pairs of kribs, shoal of corydoras

c-pair of jewel cichlids, royal pleco

im just listing pairs because i find pairs more interesting
here are all the things

shell dwellers
kribensis
keyholes
jewel cichlids
Flag cichlid, or flag acara
Nannacara
Apistogramma

add in some corydoras or a small pleco and any of those and you should have a nice tank

the jewel cichlids would get to big, so would the royal plec, the keyholes. one pair of kribs maybe don't think two pairs would work.

you could go with a pair of rams, 4 apisto's, maybe 6 shelldwellers, not to sure on a pair of kribs as the tank is fairly small. cories would work with the rams and apisto's none of the others. with shelldwellers they would be the only thing i would put it the tank. Bn plecs still get quite big BTW so remember that.

 

[Mako Man111]

Would 4 apisto's and 6 corry's be too much for my 20 or just right?

Also, live plants will work with the apistos right?

 

[Griz]

Apistos will not bother your plants and in fact I would recomend having plants in an apisto tank. I would go with just a trio of Apistos, 1m/2f. A 20gal is a bit small for 3f IMO. Research they type of apisto you are interested in. Some, like cacatoides are harem breeders but others do better as a pair. In any event, you will not be able to put more than one male in that tank. Be aware that Cories are very good at wiping out a batch of apisto eggs. They will generally get along pretty well but if you want fry, cories are a no-go. I've kept cories with mine and they got along nicely but I wasn't interested in breeding them. Depends on your what your intention is.

 

[Mako Man111]

Apistos will not bother your plants and in fact I would recomend having plants in an apisto tank. I would go with just a trio of Apistos, 1m/2f. A 20gal is a bit small for 3f IMO. Research they type of apisto you are interested in. Some, like cacatoides are harem breeders but others do better as a pair. In any event, you will not be able to put more than one male in that tank. Be aware that Cories are very good at wiping out a batch of apisto eggs. They will generally get along pretty well but if you want fry, cories are a no-go. I've kept cories with mine and they got along nicely but I wasn't interested in breeding them. Depends on your what your intention is.

Thanks, is there any way to tell the difference between males and females? How many corrys do you recommend to go along with them? So it would be best for me to go with 2 females and 1 male(apistos)?

 

[Griz]

The most common species of Apisto you are likely to find is A. cacatuoides, or Cockatoo cichlid. They will sometimes be seen as double red, triple red or orange flash. These refer to the markings on the fins. They are all cacatuoides however which is a good species to start with. They do well with more than one female per male. 1m/2f is what I would recommend in a 20gal.

As for telling males from females....
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=42314

I assume you mean sexing them when very young? For cacatuoides, look for signs of red colouration on the caudal fin. Next, look for elongation of the first few rays on the the dorsal fin. Even before these traits appear however, look at the leading edge of the ventral fins. They will appear black on the females and is the most reliable method IMO for very young fish.

 

[Mako Man111]

Apistos will not bother your plants and in fact I would recomend having plants in an apisto tank. I would go with just a trio of Apistos, 1m/2f. A 20gal is a bit small for 3f IMO. Research they type of apisto you are interested in. Some, like cacatoides are harem breeders but others do better as a pair. In any event, you will not be able to put more than one male in that tank. Be aware that Cories are very good at wiping out a batch of apisto eggs. They will generally get along pretty well but if you want fry, cories are a no-go. I've kept cories with mine and they got along nicely but I wasn't interested in breeding them. Depends on your what your intention is.

Thanks, is there any way to tell the difference between males and females? How many corrys do you recommend to go along with them? So it would be best for me to go with 2 females and 1 male(apistos)?

Hmm, well it looks like i'm not going to be able to get the apistos due to the LFS not carrying them, but they do sell some Gold Rams, is the 1m 2f ratio good for those guys too? Also, how many corrys would you recommend to go with them?

Also, some quick info on Gold Rams would be really appreciated, are they basically the same temperment(agression, live plants or no live plants, food) as the Rams in the fish index?

 

[jayjay]

1m / 1f with rams

 

[demonmagus]

If you went with kribs, then cories would get beaten up as they are both bottom dwellers and the middle and top layers would be empty