20 gallon amazon tank stocking

[Fishstuff45]

Hi, I have a 20 gallon tank which I'm trying to make an amazon tank. Right now it has six glow light tetras in it and that's it. I'm not really sure what else to add. I'd like two get a centerpiece fish like maybe a pair of rams but what else is out there. Plus two rams wouldn't fill the tank so what would be a cool bottom dweller I could get? Thanks.

 

[librarygirl]

Well, you could do 6-8 pencilfish. You could try a bristlenose pleco too. Just be aware that Rams generally stay at the bottom levels of the tank and if you get a breeding pair they will get very aggressive toward other bottom-dwelling fish when they spawn. It might be safer just to get one Ram.

 

[Rivercats]

You could also do any of the Apistogramma's instead of rams. If you want to do GBR's then your tank needs to be at least 6 months old because GBR's don't do well in new tank set ups. They are also very sensitive to nitrates so large weekly WC's are necessary. You could go with Bolivian Rams as they are much hardier fish. You could also go another small school of 6 Cardinal, Rummynose, or Lemon tetras. Or for a different look Marbled hatchet fish work well as a top schooler. Pencil fish are good and if you only go for 1 Ram you could do a group of small cory cats like Pandas, possibly Julii's, or Dwarf or Pygmy Cory's. If it were my tank I'd do the tetra's you already have, the marbled hatchets, 1male ram or apisto, and the cory cats. You'd have fish that inhabit all areas of your tank and it would look really nice.

 

[Fishstuff45]

I like cockatoo cichlids a lot. If I got those should i keep a pair or a trio?