What fish to add if I can?

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jakester334

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Messages
58
I was wondering if I could add any fish to my tank. My fish tank has been set up and running smoothly for 5 1/2 months now. Its a 20 gallon long. Right now in it I have 2 opaline gouramis( beautiful fish in my opinion ), 1 bristlenose pleco and next week I will be adding in 1 clown pleco. Was wondering what kind of fish if I can add any would go well with my current setup?


Also looking to upgrade in size here within a month or 2 to at least a 40gallon breeder. If that makes any difference.lol.
 
:welcome: to AA! :)

IMO I would upgrade all those fish to the 40B. They will be a lot more happier in there and there will be more space for the bioload to build up more steadily from the pleco.

And then, that will give you some opportunities to mess with your stock and research :D
 
Thanks and yeah would of had a bigger tank sooner but my car took a dump so had to get that fixed. Like I said in a month or two i'll have the money again for a bigger tank.

Quick question. All these fish I have ive done research on and everywhere I went it all said that they could survive well in a 20 gallon long tank. Is that true in your opinion? Or am I doing this wrong?( Just trying to make sure im not hurting the fish etc....) I know the opaline gouramis should get around 6" and the bristlenose and clown pleco should get up to 5" is that current?
 
I believe you're going by the "Inch Per Gallon" rule. All I have to say is that using the inch-per-gallon rule is like using your toy car on a NASCAR track.

While they all will fit, that doesn't necessarily mean they belong in there. Opaline gouramis get aggressive when fully grown, and a twenty gallon does not have a lot of floor space for both to establish territory, so they will be aggressive.

While the BN and clown plecs FIT in there, their bioload is huge. Plecos poop a lot, and with two in such a small tank the bioload will build up pretty quick. Bigger tanks mean there is more room for the bioload to build up slower.
 
I would consider 29 gals the minimum for the dwarf plecos. Personally, I wouldn't stock opaline gouramis in anything shorter than a 55 gal.

Clown plecos are wood eaters, so make sure there is plenty of wood available for them to munch on. ;)
 
Thanks for the advice. Once I get a bigger tank and let it cycle ill transfer over the fish and use the 20 gallon long as a quarantine tank.

Overall im learning not to believe everything you read on other websites because alot of places and people say the current fish I have should do well and you guys are basically telling me no they wont.
 
With proper filtration, the plecos are less of an issue. But the gouramis are definitely too big. ;)
 
Filtration should'nt be an issue. I got 2 quietflow 10s on the back right now. And ive already purchased a quietflow 30 and 55 for when I get a bigger tank.

So I get the gouramis are to big for the tank. Do you think I should take them back or will they be fine for a couple months in the 20 gallon long until I can upgrade? I do roughly a 25% water change weekly. I really dont wanna take them back because personally I like them and there personalities are pretty cool. But I really dont want to hurt them by keeping them if I can't ya know?
 
Actually to AQ10's would be more like bare minimum filtration on a 20. Still, it should be fine if the gouramis and the plecos are all that's in there.

I know you said you've already purchased larger AQ's, but if they are returnable, you may want to look into AquaClears. I have many of both type of filters in my home and I feel like the AC's deliver much better results than the AQ's. An AC 110 is less than $60 on amazon and would do a wonderful job on your 40B.

I feel like a 40B is still a little small for opalines, but otherwise I think you're fine until you upgrade. ;)
 
Found an awesome deal for a 30 gallon tank with 2 ac 55s on craigslist 35$. So I decided to go on a different route. I ended up giving the gouramis to a friend of mine who has two 55 gallon tanks. Once the 30 gallon im picking up tomorrow is done cycling and I transfer over the bristlenose and the clown pleco. What fish would you guys/gals suggest adding?

I really want to do some more research before adding fish again and get some peoples opinions on here before I go and get some more fish. Ive looked at some and would like to possibly add either of these fish. Barbs/ dwarf cichlids like GBRs/ angels/ shark possibly. What would you guys think would do best in a 30 gallon?
 
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