Community tank

[omni024]

I'm looking for a good cichlid to add to my tropical community tank that preferably isn't going to eat everyone (well he can eat my danios because reasons)

The tank is a 20 gallon high
3 peppered Corey's
2 longfin leopard danios
1 Garra rufa
1 flame dwarf gourami

I don't mind overstocking my tank a bit but I'm just looking for a good fish to wrap up the tank

Thanks in advance


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[LayzorBeams]

Well, there is a few issues here. Mainly that they tank is simply too small to house most CA/SA Cichlids at all, and the smaller ones are aggressive. If it was a 20 long i would say a Rainbow or Firemouth.

But its not. It has a small footprint, so i think the only Cichlids that would work would be an Angel, or an Apisto/Ram, or a Keyhole.

There could be some Africans, but most small Africans are still aggressive as well as different water parameters..


Like, seriously Mom... Not a hobby, its my life!

 

[LayzorBeams]

I would work on filling out the schools instead... Cories need to have at least 5 of the species, and same for Danios. If you don't want the Danios see if the LFS will take them for free, or just find someone who has a bugger fish to feed them to.


Like, seriously Mom... Not a hobby, its my life!

 

[Freakgecko91]

Well, there is a few issues here. Mainly that they tank is simply too small to house most CA/SA Cichlids at all, and the smaller ones are aggressive. If it was a 20 long i would say a Rainbow or Firemouth.

But its not. It has a small footprint, so i think the only Cichlids that would work would be an Angel, or an Apisto/Ram, or a Keyhole.

There could be some Africans, but most small Africans are still aggressive as well as different water parameters..


Like, seriously Mom... Not a hobby, its my life!

Angels and keyholes would be a poor choice for a 20 gallon in general, let alone a 20 high with other tank mates. Both ahold have a minimum of 29-30 gallons


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[LayzorBeams]

Angels and keyholes would be a poor choice for a 20 gallon in general, let alone a 20 high with other tank mates. Both ahold have a minimum of 29-30 gallons


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I wasn't saying to have them together, and i disagree with the minimums. Some breeders keep adult pairs alone in 10/15 gallon tanks.

I was just listing the Cichlids that could live in a 20 without getting to big or killing everything.


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[sinibotia]

A community 20 gallon is a bad place for angels and keyholes. Breeding situations are a whole different animal.

Apistos are awesome! I recommend a pair or trio.

 

[Freakgecko91]

I wasn't saying to have them together, and i disagree with the minimums. Some breeders keep adult pairs alone in 10/15 gallon tanks.

I was just listing the Cichlids that could live in a 20 without getting to big or killing everything.


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As someone who has kept almost a dozen keyholes at one point, keyholes will outgrow a 20 pretty easily...they are not a dwarf cichlid, reaching over 4" generally. They typically are a very active species and will move all over the tank, so space is important for these.


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[LayzorBeams]

As someone who has kept almost a dozen keyholes at one point, keyholes will outgrow a 20 pretty easily...they are not a dwarf cichlid, reaching over 4" generally. They typically are a very active species and will move all over the tank, so space is important for these.


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Ok, experience wins...


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[LayzorBeams]

A community 20 gallon is a bad place for angels and keyholes. Breeding situations are a whole different animal.

Apistos are awesome! I recommend a pair or trio.

I think a 20 would be fine and i will stand by that.

But i also think Apistos are a good size combined with being hardy and colorful, a good option for this tank.


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[sinibotia]

I think a 20 would be fine and i will stand by that.

But i also think Apistos are a good size combined with being hardy and colorful, a good option for this tank.


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In a 29 gallon, our angelfish was a little testy with his tankmates, and that was just a handful of platys in the water column with him; and he's comparatively docile. Even for the short time I kept two quarter-sized angelfish in a 20 gallon community, they terrorized the other inhabitants. I stand by a 20 gallon community being too small for angelfish, from experience.

 

[Gillie]

You really can't do a trio of most available apistos in a standard 20, the females will claim roughly 1 sq foot of territory which leaves no safe place for some tankmates.

 

[LayzorBeams]

In a 29 gallon, our angelfish was a little testy with his tankmates, and that was just a handful of platys in the water column with him; and he's comparatively docile. Even for the short time I kept two quarter-sized angelfish in a 20 gallon community, they terrorized the other inhabitants. I stand by a 20 gallon community being too small for angelfish, from experience.

I can say that it would work, from experience. A full grown Angel lived in a 10 with a pair of GBR on survival rations (aka me panicking hardcore at the time, a bunch if stuff in the 75 had just gone down) and they were fine. Ive also kept them with Tetras, Firemouths(young ones), Bettas, Guppies, Loaches, and young Synos in a 29 at different times. This was a fully grown Black Veil who had the slight forehead hump which could possibly indicate a male.

I say they work. We all have our opinions. And the fish all have their own attitudes.


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[sinibotia]

I mean, it can work sometimes, but some people also successfully keep multiple male betta fish in the same tank. There's a reason why people don't go around suggesting that as an option.

 

[LayzorBeams]

I can see that i guess.

But i think an Angel working in a 20 is 100x more likely that a group of male Betta...


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[sinibotia]

I can see that i guess.

But i think an Angel working in a 20 is 100x more likely that a group of male Betta...


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Yeah it's not the same for sure. But the point stands- something working once doesn't make it a great idea. Typical angelfish with typical 20 gallon community fish is typically going to work out badly.

 

[Brookster123]

Here I go... no cichlids in the tank as it sits. Re stock and get a pair of apistos with some mid level shoalers. You could do a single bolivian ram as it sits but that's no fun..
Layzor... you're all over the place man..

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[LayzorBeams]

Here I go... no cichlids in the tank as it sits. Re stock and get a pair of apistos with some mid level shoalers. You could do a single bolivian ram as it sits but that's no fun..
Layzor... you're all over the place man..

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Ive gone crazy...

Not sure what you mean by all over the place, but i agree...


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[omni024]

Thanks for the info guys but since I've posted this my danios died my Garra ruffa decided that the bucket next to my tank (a good 2 feet away) would be a better place to live (btw there is no water in said bucket) so I went with some mollies instead cause well I'm boring lol.
And for some reason my dwarf gourami has gone nuts and is swimming around diving down and slamming himself into the gravel.... Yeah.... My tank is cursed I've decided.


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[PNWaquarist]

If you want to do cichlids in a 20 high, I'd suggest getting rehousing the contents of your tank and going with a breeding pair of Apisto cacatuoides and a shoal of top-dwelling fish such as Hatchets or Pencilfish.



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[keegster803]

1+ on all apistos, they are amazing!!


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