New 20 Gallon Long and Stocking Advice

[RunSMK]

Hello all. I have recently purchased a 20 gallon long tank and I am in the process of running a fish less cycle. While that is running I have been looking at what to stock the tank with when it is ready. Since I am totally new to this, I need some advice. When I run this "plan" through AqAdvisor, the numbers work, but I know that is not always reality. I am thinking of stocking with the following:

8X Neon Tetras
6X Zebra Danios
2X Dwarf Gourami
3X Cory Catfish
2X Amano Shrimp

AqAdvisor says that gives me an 85% stock level, which i believe is ok. Please tell me if not.

Also, I would introduce the fish slowly to the tank, but does that mean that I add 2 neons at a time and then 2 danios at a time etc.?

Do I need to wait to add the "cleanup crew" until there is something to clean up?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Toad]

Ok, so what I've heard with fishless cycling is that you should be able to add a decent amount of stock at once depending on the amount of ammonia you've been dosing. That being said, I usually always start with whatever is the least sensitive to new tanks, so I'd go

Danios
Cories
Gourami
Neons
Shrimp

Gouramis in general aren't thrilled to be with other gouramis so I'd say go down to one and up your cories by at least 2. What kind of cories are you looking at? And please remember cories need to be fed, not just relying on picking up scraps.

Also, danios can be very very active so not sure if that would disturb the gourami or not (never really kept gouramis) so someone else would have answer that on.

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[Florian97]

Agreed with the above.

here's some ideas.

1)1Bolivian ram (dwarf gourami)
8 neon tetras
6 corydoras sterbai
8 cherry shrimp

2)1 German blue ram
6 cardinal tetras
6 corydoras aeneus
5 amano shrimp

 

[Jesstaylor17]

I'd be cautious with the gouramis with the other small fish because of their aggression.. BUT with that being said normally having a school of fish with lots of hiding places (decorations/plants) you *shouldn't* have problems. Also when I started my fish tank I lost a lot of fish trying to figure things out, I recommend try out a feeder fish for a few days and if nothing happens (fins start to stick close to the body, not moving as much and starts to become skinny. Take it back and a majority od pet stores do test your water for you. At least before you go out and buy all these fish. $0.5 is worth it, cheap easy way to make sure your tanks ready. And rise EVERYTHING you get for your tank including gravel, fish are extremely sensitive and you should float your fish for about 5 min so they adjust to the temp.

 

[Toad]

I wouldn't recommend german blue rams to a newbie, they tend to be very sensitive even for pros. If you have your heart set on dwarf gouramis, go for it, just go for one. What drew you to danios, maybe we can find a similar fish that would fit slightly better?

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[RunSMK]

I have no allegiance to danios. Just liked the idea of having two groups of schooling fish with Danios and tetras, and liked the way they look. I am certainly open to any suggestions for a replacement that may work better.

 

[Toad]

Well, neons tend more towards the middle to bottom of the tank, if you something more towards the top marble hatchet fish are nice, just make sure you have a tight lid as they can be startled and jump. As to other similar fish, harlequin rasboras, gold tetras, rummy nose, glowlights are all possibilities.

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[Fresh2o]

Perhaps another group of tetras instead of the danios.
I had a group of 6 longfin zebra danios in a 20 long. A pecking order was established with a large female occupying the central third of the tank and each time another danio swam near, she would chase it relentlessly. They are a little too spastic for my taste. I think they would do better in a larger school in a larger tank.


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[RunSMK]

Thank you for your input everyone. Back to research!

 

[Florian97]

I wouldn't recommend german blue rams to a newbie, they tend to be very sensitive even for pros. If you have your heart set on dwarf gouramis, go for it, just go for one.

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That's because of inbreeding issues and as well as other things, if one can get some from a reputable breeder, they can be just as hardy as BRs.
Ime, they really aren't AS fragile as you put it.