Final stocking for my 20g long

[northernpangio]

I'm looking into what I can add to my tank for the "final" stocking. It's currently stocked with only kuhli loaches and nerite snails so i'd want something peaceful.

Details:
20 gallon long
Aquaclear 50, adding an Aquaclear 20/equivalent to the other end in the next several months
Fine sand with pebbles, leaf litter, branches, mopani driftwood
Planted with crypts, java ferns, floating plants, etc
Not brightly lit
Before i do weekly water changes nitrates are just shy of 5ppm

I would rather not add an entire school of fish to the tank. Ideally i'd like to add a single fish to the tank, which doesn't necessarily have to be a "centerpiece" fish. I was looking at albino bristlenose plecos and i'm not sure if one would be suitable in my tank or not as there's so much conflicting information and opinions. I'm not interested in them for their "cleaning" abilities, they're just cute.

I am, however, open to other ideas and i also like invertebrates.

 

[Evathys]

What are the water parameters? pH, kH, gH, etc... also what different things do you add/are present in your water?

 

[V227]

Why not a Bristlenose? They stay relatively small and are useful in their cleanup abilities.
I not a big "albino of anything" fan. Although I'll admit some varieties of albino fish look awesome. IMO, Albinos seem to be weaker than their normal counterparts.
Starlight and Snowball Bristlenoses are really pretty varieties.
This is a pic of one my favorite BN. As a Juvenile he had white edging on his dorsal and tail fins, much like the Starlight variety. I'm not sure exactly what type BN he is.

 

[northernpangio]

What are the water parameters? pH, kH, gH, etc... also what different things do you add/are present in your water?

My ph is around 6.8, it's so hard to tell the color but that's what it has always looked like. I don't know exact numbers for the kh/gh but apparently in my area we have hard water. I add a small amount of liquid fertilizer after every water change and use prime, those are the only "chemicals" used. I don't use chemical filtration.

Why not a Bristlenose? They stay relatively small and are useful in their cleanup abilities.
I not a big "albino of anything" fan. Although I'll admit some varieties of albino fish look awesome. IMO, Albinos seem to be weaker than their normal counterparts.
Starlight and Snowball Bristlenoses are really pretty varieties.
This is a pic of one my favorite BN. As a Juvenile he had white edging on his dorsal and tail fins, much like the Starlight variety. I'm not sure exactly what type BN he is.

Would one be okay in my tank? I'm pretty religious with my water changes and i've never had water quality issues. I do get where you're coming from with albinos, i was thinking in my head that since my tank isn't as bright as most it might look neat to have a lighter colored fish but if the non-albino versions of BN's are healthier than that is what i would get.

I quite like the Starlights (as well as regular BN), PlanetCatfish says they live in blackwater as well. I kind of have that going on in my tank, i just let the catappa leaves do what they want.

 

[V227]

One BN would do just fine in your tank. Dont alter your PH, it's also fine. BN top out between 4"
- 5" inches. All my BN' s do well in hard water w/ 8.2 PH. They are algae eating machines
and arent big waste producers like a lot of other Plecos. I think the Starlight BN are the most colorful of the species.

 

[northernpangio]

One BN would do just fine in your tank. Dont alter your PH, it's also fine. BN top out between 4"

- 5" inches. All my BN' s do well in hard water w/ 8.2 PH. They are algae eating machines

and arent big waste producers like a lot of other Plecos. I think the Starlight BN are the most colorful of the species.

Great! I've seen quite a few people say BN's produce a lot of waste compared to other fish. Is that true? It seems like it's quite a big issue for the people that have mentioned it...

Many years ago I mistakenly got a very young common pleco (lead to believe it was a BN) and I never really noticed that much waste in the tank before I returned it.

 

[V227]

Common Plecos grow fast, get big and are big time waste producers. I only keep two BN in my 120 gal. They keep the rocks bone white and I don't remember the last time I used the magnetic algae scraper on the glass.

 

[northernpangio]

Common Plecos grow fast, get big and are big time waste producers. I only keep two BN in my 120 gal. They keep the rocks bone white and I don't remember the last time I used the magnetic algae scraper on the glass.

Oooh yes, i have no intentions of getting a common. I was just confused as to why so many people say BN's produce a lot of waste when IMO, a young common didn't produce that much. My LPS has lots of little baby BN's that are 1-2".

 

[gracieguppy]

I’m slightly bias, but I love gouramis! Rainbow fish are also a lovely choice. Hope everything goes well for you! Sounds like you’re definitely on the right path!

 

[northernpangio]

I’m slightly bias, but I love gouramis! Rainbow fish are also a lovely choice. Hope everything goes well for you! Sounds like you’re definitely on the right path!

Interesting that you mention gouramis. I was looking at honey gouramis but also lots of conflicting info on if they should be housed alone or with more than 1.

Thank you.

 

[gracieguppy]

Interesting that you mention gouramis. I was looking at honey gouramis but also lots of conflicting info on if they should be housed alone or with more than 1.



Thank you.

Honey gourami! The general rule of thumb is at least 3, but 6 is recommended. You’ll need 1 Male to 2 females. They stay relatively small and probably won’t reach 2 inches. They’re top/middle dwellers. When they colour up, they’ll be brighter. A beautiful fish!!

 

[northernpangio]

Honey gourami! The general rule of thumb is at least 3, but 6 is recommended. You’ll need 1 Male to 2 females. They stay relatively small and probably won’t reach 2 inches. They’re top/middle dwellers. When they colour up, they’ll be brighter. A beautiful fish!!

Last time i looked at them at the store i was pretty confused with sexing them. One tank had grey ones with a dark line going down the middle and tank next to them were the bright yellow and orange ones but no label. Grey ones were labeled honey but yellow/orange looked like honeys to me.

 

[gracieguppy]

Last time i looked at them at the store i was pretty confused with sexing them. One tank had grey ones with a dark line going down the middle and tank next to them were the bright yellow and orange ones but no label. Grey ones were labeled honey but yellow/orange looked like honeys to me.

When in doubt, ask an employee!

 

[Toad]

I have a BN in a 30g and he poops a lot, but I also have a ton of wood in there, and sand, so I see everything sitting on top. Tbh they aren't great centerpiece fish, they prefer to hide out and do there own thing. Mine doesn't even like when I get close to the tank and will shimmy around the driftwood till he is out of view unless he's eating an algae waifer.

Have you checked into Paradise fish? They like blackwater setups, get around 4 inches but can go well in a 20g, have some personality and can be quite stunning. They are incredibly hardy (they were the original tropical fish kept) although they are jumpers so you would want a good cover

 

[northernpangio]

Why not a Bristlenose?

There's been some baby bristlenoses in my LPS for the past month or more and i picked one up today. He's maybe an inch long and i'm super happy about it. He's been wagging his tail quite a bit. He also has the white seam on his fin.

Have you checked into Paradise fish?

I actually have looked into Paradise Fish in the past and they're definitely stunning. My LPS has them so i will get one someday, maybe for another tank. I was kind of iffy on them since i can't figure out if they're aggressive or peaceful, lol.

 

[CoreySheli]

If you want gouramis you can do sparkling gouramis. I had an old 20 gallon long with 6 sparkling gouramis, 8 panda corys, and a bn pleco and it is one of my favorite tanks I've ever had, although I know you said you weren't looking into schools