20 gallon long stocking ideas

[afterwinter]

I hope it is ok that I opened a new thread here since I thought maybe this was a better place for stocking ideas.

Setup: 20 gallon long, Fluval C2 filter, Lights: one T8 bulb with plans for a Finnex Planted 24/7 fixture in the future.

Plants: 2 types of crypts, ludwigia, hornwort, 2 types of anubias, 2 types of java fern, a tiny bit of java moss and 3 moss balls. I also have a few pieces of driftwood, rocks, and sand substrate. I use Excel about 2 times a week and that is all besides Prime or Stress Coat.

Current temp is 78, levels are: Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5-10, PH is 7.8
I currently have an active sponge filter helping add more BB to my tank after using medicine. I was thinking of keeping it in the tank during stocking to help keep the levels as stable as possible.

So I currently have: 1 male betta, 1 zebra nerite snail, 2 ghost shrimp and 7 pygmy cories

This was my original plan:
7 pygmy cory
7-9 green neons
1 male betta
1 snail
2 ghost shrimp

My betta seems a stressed by the new tank and filter so I was considering moving him to an empty 6.6 gallon long that I have with a gentle filter and no other fish. If so I have more options.

Some of my ideas, trying to get contrast of color :
7 pygmy cory
7-9 green neons
7-9 ruby tetra
maybe a dwarf gourami?

7 pygmy cory
7-9 strawberry rasbora
5 emperor tetra
some colorful shrimp

7 pygmy cory
7-9 ember tetra
7 purple harlequin rasbora
maybe a very small centerpiece fish

I wasn't sure if dwarf cichlids or peacock grudgeons would be mean to my cories but if not I would consider adding those instead of schooling fish to the tank.

AqAdvisor says all of my ideas are fine stocking wise but I am hoping for advice or ideas just to be safe since I will have to order some online. Thanks

[Delapool]

I think I like the last stocking. Idk, not a fan of cories for some reason. And I'll have to look up some of those as not available here.

[Barliman]

I like all those lists, though I've never heard of strawberry rasboras.

[afterwinter]

I lucked out and found the purple harlequins at a chain of all places and the tanks were really clean and the fish there all looked healthy so I felt good buying them. So that was an easy choice. I am not sure what other small fish I want to add, but something with color.

The strawberry rasboras I found out about through watching msjinkzd on youtube. I have come to really love the small tetras and rasboras.

I am trying to figure out what in the world to do with my betta. I thought he had fin rot and would get better once in cycled water, or when I medicated my catfish, but his fins look terrible. I think it is actually a combination of blowing out and tail biting. They say it is usually boredom or stress from other betta nearby. That doesn't fit his situation. I baffled my filter but he is still looking bad. I added almond leaves, stress coat and even tried bettafix. I wonder if a small tank by himself would help, or if moving to a small tank would also stress him out. I definitely can't afford to give him his own 20 gallon. Hrm, what to do with him...

[Delapool]

I found bare bottom tank (with some ornaments/plants for aesthetics), very large water changes and clean water helped but yeah, those long fins are hard to keep healthy.

[afterwinter]

Yeah, my poor little betta; he is just a mess. I am going to move him this week because I am almost positive it is fin biting from stress. I think he is actually scared of the other fish. He has been hiding in the plants and comes out only for food. I really hope once he gets his own place he will recover quickly. My last betta was a rescue and he did so well with just clean, cycled water and a nice tank for himself.

I was going to add something like ember tetra or chili rasbora as my last addition to the tank. My family is saying that I keep getting little fish that just blend in :P So they want something bigger and more colorful for the last fish.

So I am debating going with something more like guppies or platies. AqAdvisor says I could add 3 platies, or 3 guppies, or 9 green neon tetra. Are guppies really that messy that I could only do 3? I admit I have not had them since I was a kid because I was trying to avoid babies. I was also considering a betta sorority but I am too worried how that would go after my poor male betta has been so stressed. Too many nice fish to choose!