My New 20Gal Tank

[bluerams]

I just got a 20gal freshwater tank with a nice filtration system, a solid heater (78-82 on average, and a cool set up of tank decor. Ive had a red molly, 5 black neon tetras, 2 gold barbs, 1 guppy, and 3 serpae tetras living together for about a week. I just recently (2days ago) a small german blue ram (less then a inch big)in there. Id love to keep the ram for a while and watch it grow. will the community i surrounded it with fit well?

thank you

 

[Tizer]

it would be fine, but your stocking selection is not very good when it comes to the barbs and serpaes. Both these fish need decent size schools to calm agression and your guppy may well get bullied. Im not all that good with guppies, i've never kept them, always felt they were amazingly boring to watch. basically minimum numbers for barbs and serpaes would be 6. You may well do better to take back the gold barbs and get 3 more serpae, and i might be tempted to get another ram as company for the other. I would probably ditch the molly and guppy and get 5 more black neons too.

You would then have a nice school of neons as dither fish (dither fish will make the rams feel safe), the serpaes adding a nice bit of colour to the tank and making it look busy and a pair of rams as your showpiece fish. You could also get away with a few bottom feeders later on, corydoras for example.

You mentioned the tank is new, did you cycle it properly before stocking it?

 

[OldMan47]

Your fish will not harm each other but you must be aware that the fish all have quite different water preferences. The mollies and guppies like their water hard and high in minerals, the serpaes and neons like their water quite soft and devoid of minerals. You may be able to maintain that mix of fish but it will not be ideal water for any one fish that allows them all to survive.

 

[Randi]

I have to agree with Tizer. I had 2 Serpaes that nipped badly. I then went to 6 and finally 8 before they settled down. On the plus side, my guppies tails are growing back.