Bottom To Mid Dwelling Fish For A 20 Gallon

[noobgamers]

hey guys doing a 20 gallon soon and looking for a mid to bottom dwelling fish thats a bit more unusual so no neon tetra or cherry  barbs can adjust ph and temperature to suit ty for any advice no aggresive fish please e.g angelfish tiger barbs

 

[AeonMapa]

Dwarf cichlids are small, attractive and full of personality! You can keep a pair of Blue Rams, or  one of your favorite Apistogramma species. Kribensis will also work 2 females and male will be nice but they can be aggressive when spawning. These fish are bottom-mid level swimmers and will provide hours of entertainment. A single male Bolivian Ram will be a great responsive pet and you wont have to worry about any spawning agression. They only grow to about 4 inches max. Sorry though I'm a big cichlid fan so that's my default suggestion always
 
Other options would be
Dwarf Gourami (though he's a top dweller)
Corydoras catfish (they do venture to mid waters at times)
 Dwarf Puffers (possibly aggressive)
Otocinclus catfish (only for planted tanks with good algae growth)
A small Bichir
Kuhli loaches (a really cool worm like fish)

 

[fishncan]

Many tetras tend prefer mid-level or lower. Try black phantoms for the elliptical shaped tetra  or the rummy nose tetra for a torpedo shaped tetra. Both are docile

 

[wrightt3]

There are is no such thing as a 'small' Bichir. The smallest species will still grow to 12" which is too big for a 20 gallon. Aeons idea of dwarf cichlids is a good one though!

 

[frapadoodle]

Agree, you can't go wrong with Corys.
Also Bolivian Rams are a great fish.
Was looking at Kribs myself, but as has been noted, they are sheer terror when spawning, beautiful fish though.

 

[Bettabuddy664]

Cories will always be one of the  more commonly used catfish for a reason, they're entertaining to watch and do a good job of cleaning up too. I would recommend cories or maybe some kuhli loaches.