I need a middle dweller for my 20 gallon - any suggestions??

[Bubble_B0y]

question:

should I try my luck again with another gourami ???
(maybe the gourami I had was just nasty)

also, if I kept a dwarf gourami in a group of 3 (1 male 2 female)...
would that help prevent nipping because they are in a group ??

 

[crazycat]

silver dollars can be VERY aggressive! i had a school of 3, and they completely nipped my rainbows' tails,and many of my smaller fish went missing entirely! it kind of depends on the species of silver dollar you get, however my experience has been that they can be really mean. i had to separate the 2 biggest and put them in their own special tank. they are now each about 3.5 inches. and they destroy plants!

i have praecox rainbows in my other tank, which are really beautiful--very irridescent pale blue, with bright orange fins. they don't particularly school however. they also don't get above about 3-4" inches, so they would do very nicely in your 20g. they area also middle dwellers. for some color, you could try cherry barbs, serpae tetras, or red phantom tetras--although i wouldn't call them "centerpiece" fish.

i also take every opportunity to recommend denisonii barbs. hard to find, and often expensive, but they are truly beautiful. you have 2-3 in your tank.

hth

 

[MikeW2]

i also take every opportunity to recommend denisonii barbs. hard to find, and often expensive, but they are truly beautiful. you have 2-3 in your tank.

I second this one. I don't think they mind being on their own or in a group of two, and they are a VERY nice looking fish. I've seen them in tanks with lots of other fish (even Angels, although it was a big big tank) and they never seemed too aggressive to me. But don't take my word for it, I'm a newbie.
They get to be about 6" long but I have been considering putting two in my 20 gal once I get it going nicely. If you want to look them up, you might find more information looking under "Roseline Shark".

 

[RoK]

question:

should I try my luck again with another gourami ???
(maybe the gourami I had was just nasty)

also, if I kept a dwarf gourami in a group of 3 (1 male 2 female)...
would that help prevent nipping because they are in a group ??

You could try another gourami. Some can be quite territorial, some slightly, and some completely peaceful. Depends on the individual.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I have a Bolivian Ram. He doesn't bother any of my other fish, not even the rasboras. Hengeli Rasboras are nice too, and mine school around the middle of the tank, except during feeding which they race to the top, and then back to the mid-tank level.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Another idea is a single Red Tail Shark. Mine likes the mid-tank, and sometimes the upper. Just need to have plenty of hiding places. If you have good hiding places, they will tend to stay out in the open more, as they feel more secure.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I like the Rainbow Sharks too, but they tend to stay more towards the bottom, ime. These and the red tails, should only have 1 to a tank. I've had good luck with the 4 sharks I have. With lots of hiding places, mine haven't been very aggressive towards each other. But for a 20G, either 1 red tail or 1 rainbow would look good if you like the sharks. My albino rainbow is all over the tank, and likes eating out of my hand.

 

[Aquathumb]

My vote is for 2-3 Rainbows (maybe two males and a female to keep the boy's color up) or maybe 4-6 larger Tetras such as Black Skirt, Bleeding Heart.