20 gal info

[Rhys_Pieces]

I presently have a 20 gal that I am in love with. As soon as I borrow my best friends camera I will upload pics. But here is my question. How many fish are optimal for that size as I had 9 (4 guppies, 4 swords and a pl*co but since then my pl*co and my male sword have since died but everybody else is fine. Not sure if it is the water as I did changes ( tank sprung a leak) I am gonna get a test kit in a few days as I couldn't find a store with a good set but a friend of mine is on his way back here from NY so he said he would bring a couple for me. I am tempted to believe it maybe the load was too much as everybody is now fine even a female sword that looked sick has recovered and is regaining weight. HELP advise is needed.

 

[Allivymar]

Hard to say what happened without knowing the water parameters; its always the first place to start. As soon as the buddy brings the tests, let us know the results! And how often/how much did you change?

And one can't really say what an "optimal size" is for the tank. The inch per gallon rule is less then useless. One needs to take into account effect on bioload, room to move, territorial needs, surface area and water husbandry as well as adult size. The original 9 fish you had was a nice amount for the tank (assuming the plec was a bristlenose. If it was a common plec a 20g is way too small - they reach sizes of 2 feet long as adults and grow fast). Its likely either water parameters or illness were to blame.

 

[TankGirl]

Like Allivymar said, it is hard to put a number on it. What you had in there sounds just fine so you could just replace the fish you lost, once you get an idea of the current water conditions, get yourself a small pleco like the bristlenose or rubberlip, as mentioned, and it should be a great tank.

Check for ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte, as that is always the best place to start whenever there are any fish deaths. Frequent water changes are a good thing and will prevent a lot of problems, IME.