20g Tall - New Fish Suggestions

[ccmd00d]

Hi All,

I have a 20g tall tank that has been running for about 6 months now. This has been my first attempt at a fish tank and after a few set backs during the beginning all has gone well. In the tank I currently have the following...

5 Platy
2 Albino Cory
2 Red Serpae Tetra
1 Dwarf Gourami
1 Dalmation Molly
1 Glass Cat

The tank is generally peaceful and again has been running for 6 months. I want to either add a few more fish (if OK) or eliminate the platy though i am not sure what to do with them yet and dont want to kill them.

1) What other fish can i add to this tank but still not have it crowded.
2) If i eliminate the platy what other fish will go good with what is left in my tank. (would like colorful and active).

Thanks for your help!

 

[theotheragentm]

The issue with tall tanks is that they don't allow a lot of surface area for oxygen to dissolve across. It looks like you have quite a mixture of fish there, some of which prefer to be in groups of their own kind. What are the dimensions on the tank? I could see some more bottom dwellers there if you kept up with water changes and had an air pump to circulate the water and break the water's surface.

 

[ccmd00d]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I do water changes every 2 or 3 weeks and I happen to have an air pump in the tank as well. Let me know what your thinking for both senerios (with or without the platy) if you would.

Thanks again.

 

[theotheragentm]

With your current load, you should be doing more frequent water changes. Do you have plants in the tank? I'm thinking the bioload would be too high for that infrequency of water changes. You should get yourself a test kit to measure your bioload to make sure the water is optimal for your fish to thrive. If you do remove the Platies, you could put other fish in, but I would recommend doing water changes every 1-1.5 weeks. I've said this so many times, but Harlequinn Rasboras are great. They stay relatively small and they school together.

 

[ccmd00d]

I will take that suggestion and get a test kit. I will also try to do more frequent water changes. If I do decide to keep the platies, would it be ok to add a few more cories of the smae species since it is a tall tank and they are the only bottom feeders? Any other bottom feeders i could use instead again if keeping the platies.

thanks again for your help!

 

[black hills tj]

Glass cats are neat but I've heard they'd much rather be in a group than alone. Same with the albino cories...i've heard no less than 3 otherwise they'll be a little unhappy.

 

[ccmd00d]

Do you think that getting another 1 or 2 albino cory will still not overcrowd the tank?