20 Gallon stocking ideas.

[skenny]

Im looking for ideas to stock a well established 20 gallon tank. I want to do a community tank maybe with slightly aggressive fish. some ideas i had were, cories, danios, tetras, and some sort of centerpiece fish. I also want to plant the tank, i have never dealt with plants before so any advice is welcome.

[bruinsbro1997]

No danios in the tank unless it's a long, then you can try zebra danios. Centerpieces that would do well in there are possibly a GBR, a dwarf cichlid, a dwarf gourami, or there are some oddballs if you want like a pencilfish and/or breeding pair of some of the smaller killies. Almost any of the smaller tetras will do, and cories almost any as well. Plants I would suggest those that are easy like java fern, anubias, hornwort, anacharis, and some crypts.

[Galligak]

I would do cories, but maybe the smaller kind such as they dwarf ones. I think that a tank of like 5-6 cories, one maybe two schools of tetra (if doing to make sure that the fish are smaller) and perhaps a dwarf gourami for a centerpiece. Another option instead of one of the schools of tetra you could do like 6 endlers livebearers.
Plants for easy ones there are mosses, ferns, and a few others but I'm still a newbie with plants seeing that I only have xmas moss, guppy grass, amazon fern, and Aponogetons...

[absolutangel04]

+1.
Corys would be good. You could also do a betta as a centerpiece fish.

[skenny]

I was thinking of celestial pearl danios.

[bruinsbro1997]

CPD's are fine in there

[skenny]

what type of dwarf cichlid could i do?

[Galligak]

german blue rams, double red apistos I think... (thats not spelled right but... yeah)

[skenny]

Ive tried GBRs before, too hard to keep. i do like the look of the double reds.
so would this work? 5 corie cats, 10 CPDs, 8 glowlight tetras (already own) and 2? DR?

[bruinsbro1997]

I think that would be just fine Just one DR Apisto though

[skenny]

ok what about plants, any other tank ideas are welcome.

[bruinsbro1997]

It depends on your lighting. I'm not very good with determining that, so you should wait for someone else to chime in. However any of the plants I listed would be fine in your tank if you had a decent lighting fixture

[mfdrookie516]

I don't know that I'd recommend putting a bottom dwelling dwarf cichlid in such a small tank with cories. I'd pick one or the other.

[skenny]

ok well what other center piece fish could i do? that doesnt dwell on the bottom? i want a very active tank.

[bruinsbro1997]

You could try a dwarf gourami, they are commonly available.

[skenny]

only one? dwarf gourami.

[Galligak]

They don't really get along with each other so yes only 1

[bruinsbro1997]

Yes, just one in a twenty gallon, there's no risks at all with that

[skenny]

ok so now, 5 cories, 10 CPD's, 8 glowlight tetras, dwarf quarami.?

[bruinsbro1997]

Yep that should be good to go.