Stocking my 20 gallon planted tank

[Sebsauce]

Hey everyone! I am new to the hobby and was just needing some help on how to stock my fish tank. I currently have 5 Zebra danios. I am planning on putting a few shrimp on there as well to help clean up a little, but for fish, I really like the dwarf gourami especially the orange with different colored ones and the dalmatian molly. If I were to add one gourami and maybe 3 dalmatian mollies do you think that would be okay?

If not I would love suggestions on stocking the fish tank
Thanks in advance for your time!

 

[Angelfish owner]

I'd be careful with shrimp and gouramis. They kinda have a reputation with eating them as a snack Mollies tend to breed like crazy. Also dalmatian mollies don't stay white and black most of the time. I have before and after pictures of my dalmatian who used to be white and turned solid black but other than those things it sounds like a happy little tank. You could even get 2 gouramis. Just keep up with the water changes

 

[fearlessfisch]

I would not recommend a second gourami. My experience is that one gourami will almost always bully another in a tank of that size. If you are sensitive to one of your fish being unhappy and stressed all the time, you might not like the result with two gouramis.

 

[Sebsauce]

Would you maybe recommend getting a few more zebras and one dwarf gourami? I would also like shrimp in the tank and I do not mind if the gourami eats some of the small ones. I also would like juli cory, but I do have a bit for a rougher gravel

 

[charliebankston]

I would not recommend a second gourami. My experience is that one gourami will almost always bully another in a tank of that size. If you are sensitive to one of your fish being unhappy and stressed all the time, you might not like the result with two gouramis.

I agree. Since the betta is a gourami, you can see the problem. Ev1 is familiar with the betta and conspecific aggression

 

[Angelfish owner]

I don't know. All the gouramis I have get along fine. I've had 5 in a 40 gallon before. Maybe I'm just lucky Definitely more zebra danios.

 

[charliebankston]

Well, that's the old adage... every fish is different. Like i told someone on here in a different post about compatibility. You'll read a dozen ppl say it's not/ never/ shouldn't work, then a dozen more say they've done it with no problems. You just don't know until you try. One thing I've learned from keeping so many cichlids, is its good to have a back up plan, lol