My First Mixed Tank!

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zophie

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hey,

I'm getting my first mixed tank , and I was wondering if these fish would work:
I have a 20 gallon planted aquarium by the way.

6 Cardinal Tetra
6 White Cloud Mountain Minnows
3 Pearl Gourami

Is that way to much?

I'm sorry for my newbieness;)


Zophie :hyper:
 
Pearl Gourami are too big for a 20 gallon tank I would stick to Honey gourami or Dwarf gourami or if you like the peaceful nature of the pearls maybe thick lipped orange gourami would be nice a bit smaller growing than the pearls and different finnage but still a bright beutiful fish a pair of these would work either 1m 1f or 2f :)

Wills
 
Okay- I knid of figured that. Would one Pearl be too much still?
 
A pearl is a very large fish. It would feel somewhat cramped if it was alone in a small tank like a 20 gallon. It would probably be better all around to choose a smaller fish for that tank.
 
Okay. Sorry for my Pearl obsesiion:) Have any ideas of a small-medium sized peacful fish for my tank, that can live in a paire or small group?
 
Apistogramma any of the species would work though the more commercial bred ones will fare better in tap water, bolivian rams are an other or the smaller gourami I mentioned before.
 
As i mentioned in your other thread,

One of the problems you may find is keeping both the cardinals and the WCMM's happy.

The white cloud mountain minnows are a cold water/sub tropical fish and prefer cooler water ranging from as low as 7-21 celcius (47-70F)

Cardinal tetras prefer warmer water ranging from 24-29 celcius (75-84F)



Andy
 
Thankyou, Wills and Andy for your advice. Now i'm kind of stuck. What about
6 Cardinals
2 Bleeding Heart Tetras
2 Ansisirus Catfish

Is that good? Can I fit more fish? If yes, then what kind?
 
The mix of tetras and cardinals in your latest choice makes sense. I have never kept ancistrus so I am not as up to date on their needs.
 
yeah that looks quite nice you need to get more bleeding heart tetras as they are a schooling fish like the cardinal tetras so make sure you get at least 6 of them as well in a 20 gallon though I am not sure if the bleeding hearts are a bit too active and they are one of the larger growing disk tetras but if you like the shape of this tetra and the colouring two fish for you to find would be von rio or flame tetra and flame backed bleeding heart tetras - two different fish quite similar to the bleeding hearts but smaller growing and not as active or zippy. Bleeding hearts are famed for their speed and I worry that a 20g would cramp them a bit. I would go with just one Ancistrus plec as they get quite large sometimes as well or go for 2 bulldog or putbull plec. Then you have room to add some feature fish as well like bolivian rams maybe?

Wills
 
yeah that looks quite nice you need to get more bleeding heart tetras as they are a schooling fish like the cardinal tetras so make sure you get at least 6 of them as well in a 20 gallon though I am not sure if the bleeding hearts are a bit too active and they are one of the larger growing disk tetras but if you like the shape of this tetra and the colouring two fish for you to find would be von rio or flame tetra and flame backed bleeding heart tetras - two different fish quite similar to the bleeding hearts but smaller growing and not as active or zippy. Bleeding hearts are famed for their speed and I worry that a 20g would cramp them a bit. I would go with just one Ancistrus plec as they get quite large sometimes as well or go for 2 bulldog or putbull plec. Then you have room to add some feature fish as well like bolivian rams maybe?

Wills
What about 6 Cardinals, 6 Emperor Tetras, 1 ansisitirus
 
Emperor's are pretty big tetras, getting to 2 inches at maturity. The ancistrus gets to 4 to 5 inches. It would have to be an either/or thing between the catfish and the emperors. Personally, I like a completely different idea for your 20G, though it might not sound appealing initially to you. I think you should keep looking at tetras, searching for a still smaller tetra that you still like but that will look good with the neons/cards. I would try to do low-tech planting and get the tank pretty crowded with slow-growth plants. Two larger shoals of smaller tetras moving among these plants would produce a very nice picture. If you could find a tetra with similar size to the cardinal, you could stock each shoal to about 10 fish I think. If the chosen fish grows a bit larger then the number of that species might need to be left at 6 or so. Just a thought.

~~waterdrop~~
 
Emperor's are pretty big tetras, getting to 2 inches at maturity. The ancistrus gets to 4 to 5 inches. It would have to be an either/or thing between the catfish and the emperors. Personally, I like a completely different idea for your 20G, though it might not sound appealing initially to you. I think you should keep looking at tetras, searching for a still smaller tetra that you still like but that will look good with the neons/cards. I would try to do low-tech planting and get the tank pretty crowded with slow-growth plants. Two larger shoals of smaller tetras moving among these plants would produce a very nice picture. If you could find a tetra with similar size to the cardinal, you could stock each shoal to about 10 fish I think. If the chosen fish grows a bit larger then the number of that species might need to be left at 6 or so. Just a thought.

~~waterdrop~~
Hey Waterdrop

I actually really like that idea. Do you have any idea about a seacond tetra?
 
hey,

I'm getting my first mixed tank , and I was wondering if these fish would work:
I have a 20 gallon planted aquarium by the way.

6 Cardinal Tetra
6 White Cloud Mountain Minnows
3 Pearl Gourami

Is that way to much?

I'm sorry for my newbieness;)


Zophie :hyper:

It's an unpopular position to take these days but I strongly advise you to make sure your fish suit your water. By that I mean if you have hard water, avoid fish like cardinal tetras, apistogrammas, rams and bettas that thrive in water that has a pH of under 7 and is very soft. If you have soft water, avoid fish like mollies, platies, african cichlids and other hard water fish.

Before deciding on a stock plan, check the pH and hardness of your water and pick species that will thrive. Many people say that hardness and pH generally doesn't matter because many species are fairly adaptable but in my experience that is not true. I have kept many soft water species as a result of ignorance and have found that none of them have thrived in my water. Keeping fish that do not adapt well or thrive in your water is unnecessary and don't let anyone tell you that our desire for a certain species of fish is more important than providing the right water for that fish!

Not to put you off =) just saying it's best to check your water before you firm up on a plan.

Now, for 20 gallons both cardinals and white clouds are fine. HOWEVER, cardinals and white clouds want totally different temperatures. Cardinals like it fairly warm at 26-29C and minnows like it much cooler, ideally 15-23C. I would avoid keeping them together. If you have soft water and can acommodate some cardinals, I would either double the number you want to keep (as they look STUNNING in bigger groups) or add another species of tropcical shoaling fish that like the same water.

Pearls will get too big so how about swapping them out for a trio of honey gourami?

I'd also add some bottom feeders into the tank. Again, pick something that stays small and will like your local water. How about a small plec or a shoal of small catfish? Let m know what you think and I'll ahve a dig about to see what would be suitable.
 
Emperor's are pretty big tetras, getting to 2 inches at maturity. The ancistrus gets to 4 to 5 inches. It would have to be an either/or thing between the catfish and the emperors. Personally, I like a completely different idea for your 20G, though it might not sound appealing initially to you. I think you should keep looking at tetras, searching for a still smaller tetra that you still like but that will look good with the neons/cards. I would try to do low-tech planting and get the tank pretty crowded with slow-growth plants. Two larger shoals of smaller tetras moving among these plants would produce a very nice picture. If you could find a tetra with similar size to the cardinal, you could stock each shoal to about 10 fish I think. If the chosen fish grows a bit larger then the number of that species might need to be left at 6 or so. Just a thought.

~~waterdrop~~
Hey waterdrop, sorry for saying this, but I was doing research, and it looks like Cr=ardinals and Emperors get to about the same size.... 2 inches max....
 

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