20 gallon tank advice

[Jadman]

Hello everyone. I started keeping fish about a year ago. I bought a 10 gallon tank and bought 10 common feeder gold fish to stock it. I bought the feeders because they were cheap and I wanted to see how well I would do with fish. Only one of the fish is still alive as most of them died off in the first couple weeks. The one that is left has grown much bigger and seems very healthy and is a beautiful white and gold color. Soon after my initial set up, I bought a 2 gallon tank and it is now stocked with one guppy and 2 swordtails. One of the Swordtails was very agressive to the guppy but has since calmed down and claims a very small area of the tank as his own and the guppy now lives in harmony with the other 2 fish. I also have 2 male bettas that I keep in small goldfish bowls. One of them is absolutely gorgeous. He is a Black Tripple Crowntail with red fins with white tips. All of these fish seem healthy and happy and I would like to start a bigger tank now that I have some successful fishkeeping under my belt so to speak. I bought a 20 gallon tank and I really would like to put one agressive fish in it that would require a little more upkeep than my previous tanks. An intermediate tank if you will. I had thought about a very small green trout but I still think I would need a bigger tank for one of those. What are your thoughts to a small panfish such as a perch? I am also considering an Oscar but I am still unsure if the tank I bought is big enough for that. Any advice as to what type of fish would do well in this aquarium would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you suggest a fish, pleas
suggest what type of envirionment is good for that fish. I have yet to set the tank up and want to get it right for the fish to be healthy and happy in a 20 gallon tank. Thanks a ton!

 

[dskidmore]

I think the occupants of your 2 gallon tank are a bit crowded, and you might do better moving your community fish up to the bigger tank.

Please look at the article sections and read up on fishless cycling for how to prepare your 20 gallon tank to not repeat the massive fish death you had in your 10 gallon tank.

Goldfish also generally grow to the capacity of their tank and then slowly die of overcrowding. If you like the goldfish and want him to live a long time, you might consider moving him to the 20 gallon, and the community fish to the 10 gallon.

 

[alLexX]

well,you really need to upgrade /rehome your current fish,but in regards to your 20,how about a crayfish?most are fairly aggressive,and will eat any fish with them.though some(like mine)are gentle and dont massacre fish.they have a lot of personality.a 20 is to small for an oscer,people say 55-75 for minimum for 1.

 

[Kat1103]

I totally agree with the previous post. FYI, oscars should have at least a 75 gallon tank. They get huge and have a big bioload. I do suggest moving your 2 swordtails and guppy bc 2 gallons is much to small for them. You could always move one of the bettas to the 2 gallon.

 

[alLexX]

I totally agree with the previous post. FYI, oscars should have at least a 75 gallon tank. They get huge and have a big bioload. I do suggest moving your 2 swordtails and guppy bc 2 gallons is much to small for them. You could always move one of the bettas to the 2 gallon.

no you couldnt ,bettas are 5 gallon minimum,and a 10 is even better.

 

[dskidmore]

no you couldnt ,bettas are 5 gallon minimum,and a 10 is even better.

Yeah, but it might be bigger than the fish bowl he's using now.

 

[allaboutfish]

this makes me sad. let me tell you everything wrong and how to fix it.

problem-10 gallon the goldfish will need around a 30> tank for itself. fix-get rid of the goldfish or get a 30 gallon tank minimum.

problem-2 gallon way too crowded fix- move occupants to 20 gallon.

problem- bettas have too small of bowls fix-buy a 5 gallon tank put one in the and the other in the 10 gallon tank.

problem-probably never heard of cycling fix-click the link below about cycling and pick up a test kit.
once you fix these come back and we will help you stock you 20 gallon tank.

 

[Jadman]

Thank you all for the responses. I see that I need more experience before I try to get an oscar or something similar, along with a bigger tank for it. As to the advice you gave me, I think I will move all the fish to the 20 gallon tank except the bettas. It will free up the 2 gallon and the 10 gallon and once the move is complete, I will place one beta in each of those. This will give all the fish much more room and will put 4 fish in the 20 gallon, the goldfish, the 2 swordtails and the guppy. I will also give consideration to a 29 or 30 gallon tank just for the goldfish, that way I will free up much more space in the 20 gallon for community fish. Thank you all again for the advice...btw, I never meant to kill any of the fish that died.

 

[Kat1103]

Yeah, but it might be bigger than the fish bowl he's using now.

Yes, this is pretty much what I meant.
We have to think logically here cause Jadman probably isnt going to buy 5+ brand new tanks. Lol but yes I do suggest moving most of your fish to larger tanks if u can.

 

[allaboutfish]

or you could put a divider in the 10 to make 2, 5 gallons get rid of the goldfish and put the guppies and swords into the 20 with more fish.

 

[Kat1103]

I don't think any of us mean to kill fish. It's a mistake that you've learned from. Oh and if u put a betta in the 10, he can have tank mates. Some can live peacefully with neons, snails, corys etc.

 

[Kat1103]

Or do what allaboutfish said

 

[BeavisMom62]

What are you going to do with the goldfish? A 20 gal is just big enough for one goldfish. Besides, goldies are coldwater fish, your other fish are tropicals so you can't put them all in the same tank.

 

[dskidmore]

I'd worry about the goldfish being aggressive in with the community fish. Might re-think the goldfish.