Almost time for new fish, suggestions?

[pachuco2k]

Almost three weeks into my new tank and its almost time for some new additions. After having tested my water almost every day I'm pretty much working a 20 Gal with 75 degree water with a higher PH of 7.8. Right now I have 4 seemingly happy Zebra Danios (3 females and one very happy male). I'm wondering, what are good fishes that are compatible with the type of water I have? I wanted a Clown Loach at first but I probably have only about 10 inches of fish left so I want to keep it small. I was thinking perhaps a smaller catfish would be cool? Any ideas? I was also thinking about some midwater swimmers like Black Skirt Tetras but I don't know what kind of water PH they like. That's pretty important isn't it? Any ideas folks?

 

[ADCISCO]

I have a 29 gallon and I also have 5 zebra danio. If you want some color and some activity to watch serphea tetra are nice. I also have some gold dust mollies that I really like. I like neons but there seems to be a problem with keeping them around very long. They are beautiful in color and are nice schooling fish. Velvet swords are a good one too but to be kept in schools of 3 or more like the other fish mentioned. And if you just want to go for something way out there and different I also have a hatchet fish that is pretty funky to look at! I just bought him because he was so ugly he was cute! I have a horrible time when it comes to buying fish......I like them all and I really like them if they are colorful and active! Good luck and let us know what you get.....I'm about ready to go buy some new ones in a few days....I cant wait!!!!!

 

[LondonGman]

The clown loach is out of the question because unfortunately they grow too big for your tank.

Zebra Danios are very active and hardy fishes so I will avoid fishes that like a bit of peace and quiet. Bearing in mind your tank size I suggest mollies, guppies, dwarf gouramis, bristlenose pleco (for the algae) peppered corydoras (or similar as a scavenger).

I have no experience with platies but I believe they should be ok. If you are feeling adventourous you may try some tetras but the danios may be too active. Your watet temp and PH is suitable for most tropical freshwater fishes of these types.

I do not know how more inches of fishes you can have in your tank but do not add them all to the tank at once. This will create too much biological waste to your tank at once. Add 2 to 3 fishes then wait around 2 maybe 3 week before adding more. What do others think?

 

[AJ]

I highly recommend the platies to you. They love the higher pH.

I have 20 gal as well, they tell me 24 inches of fish for this size. But I think you can actually have a bit more than that if you have something like neons that are small and school tightly to decrease space requirements

 

[Allivymar]

Just a FYI:

That whole 1 inch = 1 gallon thing is a myth. It does not take into account temperament, swimming space needs and waste production. Figure it this way: you might be able to have 10 inches of neon in a 10g tank with good water husbandry, but you don't want a 10 inch oscar in a 10g tank. You wouldn't want 2 red tailed sharks in a tank unless it was VERY large as you'll wind up with WW3; even more then one male dwarf gourami can be an issue.

 

[pachuco2k]

I was thinking about guppies and platies myself both of those are top level swimmers right? Most sites say that I need at least 3-5 of them for them to be happy. But I can probably get away with just two guppies as long as one is male and the other female. Those Cory Cats sound good. At this point I'm thinking 2 guppies and two of those Cats. I'm still looking for those midwater swimmers though. Thanks so far. This has been great to force me to research all of these great fish. I want them all!!!

 

[pachuco2k]

Allivymar, thanks for the info. Plus I only have about 17 gallons of water in there. I was thinking about scooping some if my gravel out to have as close to 20 gallons as possible. Those Pet Fish Talk guys recommend 1/4 inch of gravel. I don't really like that idea because then I probably wouldn't be able to anchor my fake plants down as well. But I'm thinking I have about 22 lbs of gravel in there. Of course I wouldn't take any out until my tank finished its cycle. As far as you know is there anything to that 1/4 inch of gravel thing? But I know about the space issue. I'm trying to keep my fish max sizes to 3" and lower. Maybe one red tailed shark or one swordtail for my last fish.
You know, I went to this site diveintofish.com and they recommend a whole dang zoo just about for a 20 gallon tank. They have a group of 15 fish of 6 diff types in one 20 gallon tank!! Somehow that just doesn't seem right. Anyhow, thanks for the input so far. Peace!!

 

[Allivymar]

*starts laffin*

I went n checked out that site pachuco; oi! They recommend a pleco for a 20g?? Not as if they specify what type; I can see someone getting a common plec and discovering its going to be 2 feet long when mature. Then again, the site is "an industry driven national marketing campaign designed to increase tropical fish and aquarium accessories sales and to educate consumers on the exciting world of aquariums. "

Personally I think someone needs to wake their butts up. Not me tho; I just finished building a tank stand n I'm tired *grin*

Have a coupla kudos for REALLY doing your research instead of stopping at the first site pachuco

 

[pachuco2k]

LOL, thanks. I'm trying to be just a bit more serious about this than I was when I was but a wee lad that didn't know better. Thanks for the ideas all!!!

 

[BrianNY]

Correct me if I'm wrong but, I think the tank capacity has more to do with surface area than gallons. As far as gravel, I would just keep as much as you need or want. I run a bare bottom tank (no gravel), for my discus, and my community tank has 3 to 4 inches of gravel.

Platys, swordtails, mollies, guppies and that cory cat would be excellent additions to your tank.

 

[allan]

As brianNY says it is not the capacity of the tank but the surface area you need to take into consideration.

If you are looking at platies, I do not believe that an extra one would make much difference especially if you have an air stone in the tank. as it is the oxygen content of the water that governs the quantity of fish in your tank.

LOL

 

[pachuco2k]

That's true. Surface area dictates the quantity of fish you can have. THanks all for your input. As I go into week four I'm still waiting for signs of Nitrites and Nitrates. So far nothing is registering but my Ammonia was almost 0 yesterday. It might almost be time for new fish! Patience, patience. THanks for the input all.

 

[pachuco2k]

Thanks for the suggestions

Its been 1 month and two days since this whole project got started. Saturday I added two new members to the tank. Thanks all for your suggestions. I went with 2 of what the LFS called "Long Red-finned Tetras." You can see them exploring the ruins in my tank in my photo gallery. Now I got some color going in my tank!! Its been two days and so far they are doing great. The Danios seem a lot more excitable but they are sticking around to the top of the tank so they don't bother the Tetras all that much, or so it seems. Tonight I'll be doing my first feed with live food. This morning I saw baby brine shrimp swimming around in the top part of my little hatchery. Tonight I'm hoping for a good amount of them so I can toss them in my tank and see what happens. Supposedly the Danios and the tetras eat them so I'm happy to oblige and add some variety to their diet. In two more weeks I'll add some bottom-feeders but for now I am at peace. Thanks all!

 

[pachuco2k]

BTW, would it be adviseable to add two guppies to the tank somewhere down the line? I read somewhere that they might not be compatible with Tetras. Is that true?