Beginner Question

[daisy]

Hi i'm new I would like to know if this is an ok number of fish to have in my 20 gallon tank.
7 neon tetras
7 zebra danios
1 dwarf gourami
2 otocinclus
4 cory cats

 

[Liam]

Yeah that sounds fine to me, I haven’t done the maths but it seems okay for UK gallons and even US gallons. If the tank has been cycled (if you don’t know what I mean by cycled look it up put ‘cycling’ in search. I would add the danios first and the tetras second last and lastly the ottocinclus. Maybe think about having one less danio and tetra and one more otto and another cory or two, the ottos and cories are both happier in those numbers and a shoal of six danios and tetras are good numbers. Add the fish over a few months and by the time the ottos are added the tank should be mature enough for them.

 

[daisy]

So I would add Danios first then Cory's
Should I add the tetras before or after the gourami?
Yes the Otto's will need to wait a while for some algae as it would be a new set up.

I have also been looking at guppies I was thinking of not getting danios and getting a couple of guppies but I have been reading they have many children which I would not know what to do with and also are they brackish? I dont' want to get them if they wont suit the water in the tank or they will have millions of children I dont' have the room!

 

[zoekin8yg]

I would only add 20 inches of fish max so i think that would take you over. make sure you have read this though http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

 

[daisy]

Thanks for the replies the first response already went through cycling in their answer which was accepted as she/he also tried to step me through which fish that I suggested would be hardier to accept a new tank.
I didnt' actually post that I needed a step by step link to cycling though?? I was reading through it to see if it had anything to do with my initial question and really it did not!! hmmm
I was under the impression that the 1 inch of fish per gallon is no longer as accepted as rule of thumb as it once was unless obvious larger species are being put into smaller aquariums etc.
I am unsure of the method that is now used to stock aquariums as 2 years or so ago i too went with the 1 inch per gallon.
I do like that it is more pro shoaling and specie rather than well u can put two tetras in and two danios and two cory's.. lol that would take you to your max in inches! Never mind that the fish would suffer because they are not in groups as they should be.
So I am assuming it is now waste? Whole surface area of fish? ???

 

[daisy]

I also want to add I tried to pick fish that used different levels of the tank so they are not all swimming on the same level if that makes any difference?

 

[voo]

Otto's like to be in groups of 3+, but there's not much room to add anything else. The cory's tend to grow about 3", unless you get a smaller cory.

I'd add the tetra's last though, they do best in a mature tank that's been running for 3+ months. If you add them too soon you might find some of them dying.

 

[daisy]

I might be rethinking the zebra danios is there anything else that would be good with the fish I have already chosen for a mid/top level fish either single or a small group?

I would like to get a smaller Cory what would be the name of a small cory I could look at?

 

[Glod]

The small corys are called Pygmy Corys (Corydoras Pygmaeus). They get to about .75 inches long.

 

[Griz]

Corydoras hastatus is another that only grow to about 1"