Nano fish questions

[GodFan]

I am wanting to get several nano fish for my 20 gallon tank. I want some scarlet badiss as the main fish (my very favourite). Can I put it with gold ringed danios? Or Celestial pearl danios? And Black Kuhli Loaches? Will any of these fish hurt it or outcompete it for food?
I am considering the scarlet badis, GRD, CPD, and BKLs along with several species of shrimp especially red cherry shrimp. Would all of these work? I know almost nothing about BKLs so I dont know anything about their compatability with these fish. I also considered some of the smaller rasboras and I definetly a crocidile toothpick (I dont remember the scientific name)
So what do yall think? and can anyone provide advice on live/frozen feeding?

 

[GodFan]

Oh and some snails! And ottos

 

[absolutangel04]

I do not have experience with the other fish species, but I do have kuhlis. They tend to hide during the day, so they need plants and caves and such. Mine have a "log" decoration they hide in as well as in my amazon sword plants. The more of them you have, the more comfortable they will be and the more likely you are to see them. I first got 4, now I have 5. I do see them all at various times throughout the day. They have a fairly small bioload, so you shouldn;t have an issue keeping 4 or 5 in a 20. Is it a 20 long or 20 high? If it is a 20 high, I would just go with 4. Also, they need a well established aquarium because they can take a while to settle in once you first acclimate them, and in that time they do not handle parameter swings very well. Once established, they are pretty hardy. They are the most docile fish I have ever had and don't conflict with other fish since they stay on the bottom and are the most active at night. Mine like shrimp pellets the most. I recommend some sort of sinking food for them to make sure they get enough.

 

[GodFan]

Ok thanks! It sounds perfect for my setup! Do they clean the bottom like a corydora?

 

[absolutangel04]

Otos are also very peaceful. In a 20 gallon, you have enough space for a trio of them. They do best in a well-established aquarium because they like the real algae better than algae wafers. Some people have bad luck keeping them alive. Most otos in the trade are wild caught and its a big step from that to captivity and many fish do not make the adjustment well. They can be rather sensitive and some people have bad luck keeping them alive. However, they are fun little guys and are worth trying to keep. Many people also have no problems with them. It is best to suppliment their diet with blanched veggies and algae wafers (if they eat the wafers) especially if you do not think there is enough algae in the tank.
I have kept pond snails, ramshorn snails, nerite snails, and mystery/apple snails. I like all of them a lot. The pond and ramshorn will reproduce like mad. The mystery snails need a male and female to reproduce, so you are unlikely to be over-run by them. Nerite need salt water for their eggs to survive, so they will not multiply in a fw tank.

 

[absolutangel04]

Ok thanks! It sounds perfect for my setup! Do they clean the bottom like a corydora?

Yes they do. Just remember that they won't eat anything that has decomposed like a snail will.

 

[jetajockey]

CPDs would be fine, they are similarly sized fish.

 

[herp_mommy]

my scarlet badis would only accept live foods

 

[severum mama]

Your problem with gold ring danios and badis will be getting food to the badis IMO. Gold ring danios are much faster and much more active. As fishlady mentioned, some badis can be difficult to feed. The ones I had accepted pellets. CPDs would be fine.

 

[jetajockey]

Some other off the beaten path nano species - leptolucania ommata (pygmy killifish), heterandria formosa (least killifish), and the various pygmy sunfish species (which happen to be very similar to scarlet badis, just different color)

 

[absolutangel04]

Ember tetras are another nano fish. They are very peaceful not picky about food, and very brightly colored.

 

[severum mama]

Ember tetras are another nano fish. They are very peaceful not picky about food, and very brightly colored.

This is a good suggestion too. Embers are indeed very colorful when they settle into your tank, but most will look really washed out at the lfs. You won't see any decent color out of them until they get used to your tank.

 

[GodFan]

Thanks yall. Can you think of any nanos that are not red? And why will the gold ringed danio not work but a celestial pearl danio will?