Just got a 20H and a Aquaclear 30...

[Rocky998]

Idea is to provide the best captive life conditions to your fishes, right ?
Obviously you'll find sites/shops (whose goal is to sell) that will say " it is ok".
As dwarf neon rainbowfishes are very active schooling fishes that need a strong current, ideally suited to a heavily planted setup while wanting long swimming space, sorry but I say no.

Ok. I do want what is best for the fish and now I do understand why they cant be in a 20g...

 

[Rocky998]

Ok. I do want what is best for the fish and now I do understand why they cant be in a 20g...

Idea is to provide the best captive life conditions to your fishes, right ?
Obviously you'll find sites/shops (whose goal is to sell) that will say " it is ok".
As dwarf neon rainbowfishes are very active schooling fishes that need a strong current, ideally suited to a heavily planted setup while wanting long swimming space, sorry but I say no.

Guess I just keep looking for fish...

 

[Byron]

Guess I just keep looking for fish...

You have almost endless options for fish, with your soft water. Look at the tetras, rasboras, the smaller rainbowfishs, some catfishes. Danios and barbs are going to be too active for a standard 20g, but there are so many other fishes.

 

[Avel1896]

Ok. I do want what is best for the fish and now I do understand why they cant be in a 20g...

Anyway, tere arehundreds beautiful fishes that love soft water ;à

 

[Rocky998]

You have almost endless options for fish, with your soft water. Look at the tetras, rasboras, the smaller rainbowfishs, some catfishes. Danios and barbs are going to be too active for a standard 20g, but there are so many other fishes.

What smaller rainbow fish would you recommend?

 

[Avel1896]

What smaller rainbow fish would you recommend?

If you are talking about "Melanotaenia" the smallest is Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish that is, according to me, too large for a small 20 gal.

Why not a big school of 25 Boraras/Danio tinwini/Microrasbora kubotai or 15 Epiplathys 'killi clown' annulatus that won't grow over 1 inch ? If you provide a densely planted tank, pH 6.5 to 7, GH KH < 10, shool effect would be beautiful.

 

[Rocky998]

If you are talking about "Melanotaenia" the smallest is Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish that is, according to me, too large for a small 20 gal.

Why not a big school of 25 Boraras/Danio tinwini/Microrasbora kubotai or 15 Epiplathys 'killi clown' annulatus that won't grow over 1 inch ? If you provide a densely planted tank, pH 6.5 to 7, GH KH < 10, shool effect would be beautiful.

Well I wanted my tank to be almost like an ecosystem... Maybe 1-2 small or large schools (I say large if I just do one school) and maybe have some bottom feeders and then some snails such as nerite snails or maybe those micro crabs...

 

[Avel1896]

Well I wanted my tank to be almost like an ecosystem... Maybe 1-2 small or large schools (I say large if I just do one school) and maybe have some bottom feeders and then some snails such as nerite snails or maybe those micro crabs...

Snails don't count nor microcrabs/shrimps
What kind of ecosystem ?
Bottom feeders why not if you give them very smooth sand, a large "beach", roots like spiderroots, and soft-acidic water.

 

[Rocky998]

Snails don't count nor microcrabs/shrimps
What kind of ecosystem ?
Bottom feeders why not if you give them very smooth sand, a large "beach", roots like spiderroots, and soft-acidic water.

Thats the exact set up I want besides acidic water... My water is neutral at a 7.0

 

[Rocky998]

Thats the exact set up I want besides acidic water... My water is neutral at a 7.0

Snails don't count nor microcrabs/shrimps
What kind of ecosystem ?
Bottom feeders why not if you give them very smooth sand, a large "beach", roots like spiderroots, and soft-acidic water.

I plan on having some java fern and anubias growing on driftwood. Java fern in the back corners and the anubias near the front but not all the way... So front-middle section and then in the middle I will have some dragon rock with spider wood laying on some of it. The rocks will be somewhat spread out with smaller-medium rocks around the middle while larger rocks will be closer together near the center of the aquarium. And I dont know if I will do this but I might do some floating plants... Does this setup sound good?

 

[Avel1896]

Thats the exact set up I want besides acidic water... My water is neutral at a 7.0

pH 7 from tap water ? Lucky you !

Edit : sorry you've already told it. To lower a little pH you could add Indian "catappa" almond leaves.

 

[Rocky998]

pH 7 from tap water ? Lucky you !

Edit : sorry you've already told it. To lower a little pH you could add Indian "catappa" almond leaves.

Won't corydoras be fine in soft water?

 

[Avel1896]

Won't corydoras be fine in soft water?

They will But you know pH rises during the day and falls at night, so to make sure it doesn't rise above 7 it is best to lower it to 6.5 for example.

 

[Byron]

If you are talking about "Melanotaenia" the smallest is Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish that is, according to me, too large for a small 20 gal.

What smaller rainbow fish would you recommend?​

There are many other rainbowfishes aside from this genus. Iriatherina werneri (common name likely Threadfin Rainbowfish) is one, there are others (@Colin_T is a good source on this group of fishes) and these mostly like soft water and are small, so worth considering.

Classification of the Atheriniformes has been uncertain. Nelson (2006) established what had previously been the suborder Melanotaenioidei as a distinct family, Melanotaeniidae, which includes the rainbowfishes familiar to hobbyists. This classification results in the family being monophyletic, which means the species form a clade that contains all the descendants of the closest common ancestor of the members of the group. The family has some 75 species classified within seven genera.

 

[Rocky998]

They will But you know pH rises during the day and falls at night, so to make sure it doesn't rise above 7 it is best to lower it to 6.5 for example.

I never knew ph does that in the day and night... I'm curious as to why ph does that?