Stocking a 20 gal...and hope I'm not going to kill my new Pleco

[BldrArch]

Hi ya'll. I hope I can ask for stocking advice as well!

My 20 gal completed its cycle so I went to the LFS yesterday to get some fish. However, they were SUPER busy (of course) and the only fish I knew I wanted for sure was a pleco so that's the only thing I got LOL! I was worried he wouldn't have anything to eat yet so I was going to buy some algea wafers but the LFS guy said I could put some lettuce (not iceberg) or cucumber in the tank to start. Anyone? Am I going to kill the poor thing? Also, I made sure I got a pleco that stayed small and the LFS picked one out for me that doesn't grow big and would be fine for my 20 gal...

Anyhoo. My DH used to have a 55 gal eons ago and is keen on getting a dwarf gourami. Are these solitary fish and are they too big for my tank? Is it possible to get a gourami as an "accent" fish and then get a schooling fish? I'd love to fill out all levels (obviously) with some schools and know nothing about the fishies yet.

I also think it would be fun to get some shrimpies and I think I saw the LFS had some red somethings or other?? Any fish I should steer clear of with those (please don't say plecos LOL!)? The other fish I'd like to get is an Oto and the LFS gets those in this Wednesday. Is that too heavy on the algea eaters? And would an Oto be happy just being the sole oto? I do have what appers to be brown diatomes at the mo with my newly cycled tank.

Is that enough rambling? Back in college when I really didn't know what I was doing I had a school of lamp eye tetras, 2 platys which I liked that were red with black tails (that ended up giving me a gazillion platys) and some albino sucker things...and I think I also had some neon tetras...cannot remember now.

Just to throw something else into the works, this all started with me wanting to get a 5 gal for a betta. So, I know there's lots of talk about bettas in community tanks...so....just throwing that out there. I'm thinking a gourami wouldn't be a good idea with a betta? How about platys?

Thanks ya'll and I hope I didn't scare anyone away with my rambling.

 

[BldrArch]

Just saw another thread...what about danios? They school?

 

[siva]

Hi ya'll. I hope I can ask for stocking advice as well!

My 20 gal completed its cycle so I went to the LFS yesterday to get some fish. However, they were SUPER busy (of course) and the only fish I knew I wanted for sure was a pleco so that's the only thing I got LOL! I was worried he wouldn't have anything to eat yet so I was going to buy some algea wafers but the LFS guy said I could put some lettuce (not iceberg) or cucumber in the tank to start. Anyone? Am I going to kill the poor thing? Also, I made sure I got a pleco that stayed small and the LFS picked one out for me that doesn't grow big and would be fine for my 20 gal...

Anyhoo. My DH used to have a 55 gal eons ago and is keen on getting a dwarf gourami. Are these solitary fish and are they too big for my tank? Is it possible to get a gourami as an "accent" fish and then get a schooling fish? I'd love to fill out all levels (obviously) with some schools and know nothing about the fishies yet.

I also think it would be fun to get some shrimpies and I think I saw the LFS had some red somethings or other?? Any fish I should steer clear of with those (please don't say plecos LOL!)? The other fish I'd like to get is an Oto and the LFS gets those in this Wednesday. Is that too heavy on the algea eaters? And would an Oto be happy just being the sole oto? I do have what appers to be brown diatomes at the mo with my newly cycled tank.

Is that enough rambling? Back in college when I really didn't know what I was doing I had a school of lamp eye tetras, 2 platys which I liked that were red with black tails (that ended up giving me a gazillion platys) and some albino sucker things...and I think I also had some neon tetras...cannot remember now.

Just to throw something else into the works, this all started with me wanting to get a 5 gal for a betta. So, I know there's lots of talk about bettas in community tanks...so....just throwing that out there. I'm thinking a gourami wouldn't be a good idea with a betta? How about platys?

Thanks ya'll and I hope I didn't scare anyone away with my rambling.

I wouldn't keep any pleco in a 20 gallon personally, I suppose if you got something like a bristlenose that stays 4" or under that should be OK. I would skip the Oto's if you have the pleco. If you were going to add oto's, they need to be added to a well established tank, wait 6 months, and then add atleast 3, they would not be happy solo. Supplement either of these fish with a good quality algae wafer like hikari, and get a vegetable clip from the lfs for veggies, zucchini and cucumber are the most popular. Oto's often won't eat supplemented food and in that scenario if your tank does not produce enough algae for them you would need to grow them some..this can be done easily by putting some tank water in a bowl, adding rocks, and sitting in the window.

Dwarf gourami make an excellent centerpeice fish for a 20 gal tank. Get only 1, 2 will fight. A betta would also be a great option. I wouldn't mix a male betta and a gourami. I do keep a gourami and a female betta in a 29 gal with tons of plants and hiding spots and they have never fought, but they avoid eachother in general, so I wouldn't try it with a male. Platties would mix well with either of these fish. Just keep in mind they are livebearers so they will reproduce if you have males and females.

They were probably red cherry shrimp, the perfect shrimp for beginners. Dwarf gourami may eat them, but mine doesn't. Male bettas usually eat them. If they are pricey, you can test out your tank with cheaper ghost shrmp first, if you would like.

Danios are highly active schooling fish. They need a long tank, not a tall one. I would keep them in minimum of 29 gal, but a 20 long should be OK. If you have a 20 high, I wouldn't choose the danios.

 

[mommytron]

I wouldn't keep any pleco in a 20 gallon personally, I suppose if you got something like a bristlenose that stays 4" or under that should be OK.

I agree with siva on everything except for the above part. There are very few plecos that are acceptable for a 20g tank, but I have one of them. I have a pitbull pleco (Parotocinclus jumbo) in my 20g tall tank, and she is wonderful. She is only about 3 inches long and is fully grown. She is perfect for a 20g tank. And although I would not necessarily recommend it, but I keep her with otos (moved them in after a recent tank crash) and since she doesn't pay too much attention to the algae in the tank, there is plenty for the otos. She also started to come out more since we put them in, as pitbull plecos are known to be a social pleco, and likes to be in groups. We had planned on getting 3 of them originally (in which case the otos would NOT be in there lol) but they are super hard to find.

 

[BldrArch]

Well, here's my fella:

I don't think there's anything to suggest he's bristlenose I'll have to double check what they gave me when I go back and ask to return him if it's not right.

Thanks for the info on the danios. I would never have thought about the long vs high. Sounds like not good for us then. Looks like a dwarf gourami it is and then?? We'll see!

 

[siva]

I agree mommytron, that's why I said personally because I don't feel strongly that they are unacceptable for a 20, it's more a preference thing. Even dwarf plecos can create a fair bit of waste so I'm hesitant to add them to smaller tanks. Oh I forgot about pitbulls..I might keep one of those in a 20. I've wanted one forever but I can never find one. Also some types of plecos eat algae more than others, so that does make sense some would compete with oto's less than others.

Oto's are a sensitive fish and I often hear of difficulties with them so although I'm not saying it can't be done, I wouldn't recommend keeping a pleco and oto's together in a 20 gal for the newer hobbyist.

 

[siva]

It's coloring is so faint but I think it's a clown pleco...
I'm no pleco expert though.

 

[siva]

How much did it cost? Clown's are usually a bit more expensive. They shouldn't get much longer than 4".

 

[siva]

Good tankmates for your pleco and dwarf gourami would be platties (atleast 2), guppies (atleast 3), neon tetra (7), glowlight tetra (7), harlequin or pork chop rasbora (6), julii or panda cory cats (4-6), kuhli loaches if your substrate is smooth (5+) to name a few

 

[BldrArch]

Sweet! S/he was $10...the guy did say it won't get bigger than a few inches...but I'm suspicious now.

 

[BldrArch]

I know you were just dieing to know whether or not I had a clown Pleco. LOL! Went to the LFS today and sure enough it is. They'll get about 4". Which I think is still kind of big for a 20 gal but I guess we'll see!

I picked up 3 platy today. 2 male and 1 female (as far as they could tell). I expect my tank to go through a mini cycle so I'll wait to add the next group. Any tetra recommendations? I was thinking a school of tetra and then one dwarf guorami. I saw they had ghost shrimp for 30 cents...worth it? What do they munch on?

 

[siva]

Yes worth it! They are alot of fun to watch. They'll eat whatever they can get ahold of. More colorful shrimp like red cherry shrimp are great too.

What are your plans for the platy babies? For a 20 gal go with a smaller tetra..glowlights would be a great choice