Need advice for stocking my 20 gallon tall

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Pawtrekker

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Well, long story short, I've finally got my 20 gallon tank moved to my new apartment and I'm starting to think about getting new fish. I could use some creative ideas and advice from you guys.

My tank is a 20 gallon tall. It has some Java fern as well as a few fake plants. River rock gravel and driftwood and a fake stump.
After several very sad fish passings I am down to only 4. :(

1 long-finned Albino BN Pleco
2 Endler's Livebarers
and 1 Green Cory

Before you say anything, I do understand corys should be in groups of 6 or more. I originally had several more in the tank but that was before I realized that a 20 gallon tall shouldn't really have that many corys. I really don't feel comfortable putting 6 cory cats in there.

Other than possibly getting 2 more cories to keep my one guy company, I don't really want any more bottom dwellers. My BN pleco likes his space.

I know I should probably get more Endler's to but I'm unsure of how many. I hope I can find some more because the LFS I bought the ones I have from don't usually have them.

I've had a Ram before and he got sort of aggressive towards my BN pleco so I'm not sure I want another. Could you guys give me some stocking list ideas? I may not get more fish for a while as I have just started back to school but I want to have a good idea of what to put in there. I also plan on getting an assassin snail because I have dozens of little snails (I believe they are Melanoides Tuberculata) in my tank.

I've always wanted to do a Betta sorority but I'm afraid of them eating the beautiful fins of my precious pleco so I figure that probably won't work.

Any stocking advice would be helpful. I'd really like active fish but I know my options are limited.

Thanks!
 
Okay, after doing some research, I was thinking about possibly doing this.

adding 4-6 more Endler's
2 more corys
assassin snail
6 CPDs
and possibly a sparkling gourami

Can anyone tell me if CPDs are a good idea? AQ advisor said their temperature requirements were different than the other fish. I believe my temp tends to stay in the 75 - 80F range but it may be slightly lower than that. Would that be a problem? I've never had CPDs. I don't even know if my LFS carries them but hopefully I can find some. :D
 
I'd take the pleco back, they get to bug for that footprint, they also get territorial, that's prob why the ram was going after him.. up the corys to 5, that's the bottom. Add some endless and forget the cpds, they won't do well in the 80's, check out green neon s or ember tetras, you could do 10 of each.. a dwarf gourami would be a nice centerpiece. Stock slowly and change that water;)

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I'd take the pleco back, they get to bug for that footprint, they also get territorial, that's prob why the ram was going after him.. up the corys to 5, that's the bottom. Add some endless and forget the cpds, they won't do well in the 80's, check out green neon s or ember tetras, you could do 10 of each.. a dwarf gourami would be a nice centerpiece. Stock slowly and change that water;)

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Thanks, I wasn't sure the CPD's were a good idea but I had heard of several people keeping them with Dwarf Gourami so I thought maybe they could be in the same temperature. I'll probably go with some tetra as you said. Although, if I understand you correctly, you are saying that I can put 3 groups of schooling fish in my tank (10 per group), plus 5 cories and a centerpiece? That seems a bit excessive.
 
One idea that I don't see floated often is to get a school of White Cloud Mountain Minnows. I just got some for my 29 gallon and they are great. Maybe not as flashy as neons but still shiny and about 100 times hardier. They are definitely upper and middle tank dwellers.


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One idea that I don't see floated often is to get a school of White Cloud Mountain Minnows. I just got some for my 29 gallon and they are great. Maybe not as flashy as neons but still shiny and about 100 times hardier. They are definitely upper and middle tank dwellers.


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Thanks, I was looking at the white clouds as a possibility but I thought they had the same temperature requirements as the CPDs?
 
Thanks, I was looking at the white clouds as a possibility but I thought they had the same temperature requirements as the CPDs?


They definitely would prefer cooler temps, but they are very adaptable and so far are doing fine in my tank that I keep around 77-78. The guy at my LFS says he keeps them in his tank at 80 and they've been fine. They may not live quite as long in the long run, but they can handle tropical temps.


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Thanks, I wasn't sure the CPD's were a good idea but I had heard of several people keeping them with Dwarf Gourami so I thought maybe they could be in the same temperature. I'll probably go with some tetra as you said. Although, if I understand you correctly, you are saying that I can put 3 groups of schooling fish in my tank (10 per group), plus 5 cories and a centerpiece? That seems a bit excessive.

No , I meant one group of 10 haha, 30 fish schooling would look ridiculous in a 20tall.. i have 8 rn tetras with 6 neons and it's almost to much..

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