Centerpiece Suggestions (20 Gal)

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librarygirl

librarygirl

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Joined
Apr 21, 2011
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Location
Rhode Island
Hi everyone! I finally finished cycling my 20 gal FW tank and added a large group of Celestial Pearl Danios (11 of them now; had 12, but one died :(), 5 Panda Corydoras (love them!), and 2 Horned Nerite Snails.

I'm thinking of adding 6 more Celestials and 3 more Pandas.

The top level needs something desperately b/c the CPDs tend to stay mid-bottom and the Corys are mostly at the bottom (except when they zip upward against the sides of the tank!).

After adding the other CPDs and Corys I should still have room for one centerpiece fish...any suggestions? (I have the tank temp set to 76 in case that comes into play while making suggestions).

Thanks in advance. :D
 
Not sure if you would be able to get away with another fish or not, but Powder Blue Gourami's are great! They are Semi-Aggressive though.:)
 
I would say a DG too, but you have to watch out for bad quality fish. A lot of people have been having problems lately with unhealthy DG's. You could do a few good ole fancy tail guppies if you just wanted upper level swimmers.
 
Does anyone have experience with a Betta being kept with CPD's and / or Corys? If it makes much difference, Librarygirl's tank is heavily planted with lots of hiding places. With her color scheme and layout I personally think a Betta would be stunning if compatible.
 
eco23 said:
Does anyone have experience with a Betta being kept with CPD's and / or Corys? If it makes much difference, Librarygirl's tank is heavily planted with lots of hiding places. With her color scheme and layout I personally think a Betta would be stunning if compatible.
Click to expand...

From what I know a betta be fine in that tank.
 
CleverBs said:
Dont go with a blue ram they are amazing fish but I would go with some type of gourami. Some nice once are pearl gourami, olpine, powder blue, sunset, honey, gold gouramis
Click to expand...

I can say the same about gouramis but I didn't. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. As you're obviously biased towards gouramis, I'm impartial towards GBR's. The GBR's are not only an amazing fish to look at, but are very interesting to watch. They have the most amazing coloration and irradecence. It's no wonder they are very popular and sell out as soon as my LFS gets them. If you like Gouramis, to each their own. I like them too, but not as much... Plus I don't really like the bubble nests they make (along with Bettas).
 
The thing with GBR's is they would make the lower third of the aquarium crowded and leave the top uninhabited. I thought about mentioning a betta, but IME they are normally not very tolerant. There are exceptions though.
 
Rams are beautiful fish, the downside is they are pretty much bottom dwellers as well. You could look into rainbow fish, but don't they need schools also? It seems like everything needs a school, lol. It is hard to find a good 'centerpiece' type fish.
 
CleverBs said:
Dont go with a blue ram they are amazing fish but I would go with some type of gourami. Some nice once are pearl gourami, olpine, powder blue, sunset, honey, gold gouramis
Click to expand...

The opaline, gold, and pearl all get too big for a twenty IMO...
 
GBR's should be pretty easy to find...they're just notoriously difficult to keep alive for unknown reasons IME. They're one of the fish I love, but also one I've given up on keeping like many other hobbyists have.

I totally agree that most Dwarf Cichlids can be ruled out since they are bottom dwellers. My Bolivian Ram doesn't venture more than a quarter of the way up the tank... except for the occasional times he thinks he's a Cory and decides to play with them, lol. I know one of Librarygirl's criteria is to fill the upper to middle area...so that should be the goal.

I've also talked with enough members recently about bad experiences with Dwarf Gouramis that I'm inclined to believe there is an issue at hand. I couldn't tell you what the cause is...but I've heard enough first hand accounts that I'd be a bit leery. That said...if you like them...give them a shot :)

My personal vote to Librarygirl has been a Betta, but that's assuming they've been shown compatible with what she currently has stocked. IME, they have the personality, appearance and tank level inhabitance that fits the criteria. I'm aware though that all fish have different personalities...but I guess that goes with virtually every species.

So, from what I know about Librarygirl and her aquarium...I think criteria should be-
- Middle to top dweller
- Personality. Not aggressive, but happy to be out in the open and interactive
- Obviously compatible with her current stocking
- Reasonably hardy. I know she's had some bad luck stating off...and a sensitive fish like a GBR isn't ideal IMO
- A single fish...not a new school
- Visually appealing (obviously since it's a "centerpiece" fish)
 
Thanks for the replies everyone! I'm appreciating them alot and the feedback on the various species is great, so thanks again!

Here are my concerns with the aforementioned species:

GBR: I know nothing about them so I Googled a bit and they are beautiful fish! My temp may be a bit too cool for them as they seem to like warmer water. I don't have a cave in the tank for it to hide it but I could provide one. But if it's a mid-dwelling fish I'd rather have something that's going to fill out the top level as the Corys are mostly bottom and the CPDs are mostly bottom although they venture upwards sometimes. I'll do some further research on these though, thank you.

Dwarf Gourami: I had initially considered this for a centerpiece a few months back while cycling and researching stocking. I've since seen a lot of people having problems with them though. They are beautiful fish (the blue sparkling ones especially, but I've seen the honey ones which are also very cute). A bubble nest wouldn't bother me at all; in fact I think it would be awesome to witness (in theory at least lol). I'm guessing I would just get one either male or female so that they don't fight?

Betta: I'm really torn on these fish. They can be very pretty from what I've seen online, but most of my exposure to them in person is seeing them in small bowls at the pet stores and they aren't very striking to look at (although in fairness they don't have room to display either :(). My concern with Bettas would be either it being nipped at by the the other fish given its long fins or/and it picking on the CPDs given how small they are.

The issue is anything I get is a gamble given that each fish has its own personality. If need be, I have an extra 5.5 gal tank that is not being used (I was considering cycling it for African Dwarf Frogs) so if I put something in the tank that doesn't go, I could potentially take out the CPDs and give them their own species tank in the 5.5 gal, or the Betta if I got one. However I'd like to avoid this if possible and I'd feel horrid if I got a fish and I had to return it due to aggression. Also the sides of my tank give reflection, so I'd be worried that the Betta would be constantly flaring at itself.

So right now, I'm still undecided. :D More feedback would be great. I'm leaning toward the Gourami first, the Betta second at this moment in time.
 
Brian_Nano12g said:
I can say the same about gouramis but I didn't. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. As you're obviously biased towards gouramis, I'm impartial towards GBR's. The GBR's are not only an amazing fish to look at, but are very interesting to watch. They have the most amazing coloration and irradecence. It's no wonder they are very popular and sell out as soon as my LFS gets them. If you like Gouramis, to each their own. I like them too, but not as much... Plus I don't really like the bubble nests they make (along with Bettas).
Click to expand...

i love rams as well, I own 6 of them, the thing is shes looking for something thats going to be from Mid to top level of the tank and rams are typiclly on the bottom. IME with gouramies mine typicly hang out from mid to top of the tank. A GBR is an amazing fish but I dont feel like shes looking for that type of fish for her aquarium is all.
 
I have Featherfin Rainbows in with my CPDs. They have TINY mouths so you do need to powder up their flakes and will also feed frozen baby brine shrimp. So far I love these fish. Mine are just starting to show color. I have a trio for now. I will add a few more later.


View attachment 53880
 
Coursair said:
I have Featherfin Rainbows in with my CPDs. They have TINY mouths so you do need to powder up their flakes and will also feed frozen baby brine shrimp. So far I love these fish. Mine are just starting to show color. I have a trio for now. I will add a few more later.

<img src="http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=53880"/>
Click to expand...

Wow, they are super beautiful. I wish I could have some.
 
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