agwats
Aquarium Advice Freak
My nephew got a 20g hex tank for his bday and I was helping set it up today. He was wondering if we could do a species tank for tiger barbs. Would this tank be big enough for tiger barbs? It's 16x16x21
20gal hex
- Thread starter agwats
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agwats
Aquarium Advice Freak
Forgot to mention it has a whisper 10-30 filter. He also likes dwarf gouramis but wasn't sure what to put with one. If the tiger barbs aren't a possibility does anyone have any suggestions for a small school or a few other fish that would complement a gourami? The biggest issue im having is trying to make sure there is activity in the whole tank with it being that tall and narrow...
agwats
Aquarium Advice Freak
librarygirl
Look It Up
I could be wrong but I don't think a shoal of Tiger Barbs would do well in a 20 gal tank, particularly a hex. You'd need a very large group of them to minimize aggression and given their adult size and the tank size and dimensions I don't think it would work.
Your nephew might like more variety too (and I doubt he'd like to see fish potentially killing each other) so you could do something like:
3-4 guppies or endler's livebearers
A shoal of 8 nano fish like ember tetra, chili rasbora or celestial pearl danio.
A DG may work as a centerpiece, not sure if it would get on with guppies though.
Also I'd increase your filtration some if possible.
Your nephew might like more variety too (and I doubt he'd like to see fish potentially killing each other) so you could do something like:
3-4 guppies or endler's livebearers
A shoal of 8 nano fish like ember tetra, chili rasbora or celestial pearl danio.
A DG may work as a centerpiece, not sure if it would get on with guppies though.
Also I'd increase your filtration some if possible.
tamtam
Aquarium Advice Addict
I really wish I could offer some new suggestions. I find hex tanks really hard to stock with the small surface area.
I second library girls suggestions. A nano tank would be a great option or the guppies. In my experience guppies are great all over swimmers and aren't just horizontal swimmers.
Maybe some shrimp for the bottom?
I second library girls suggestions. A nano tank would be a great option or the guppies. In my experience guppies are great all over swimmers and aren't just horizontal swimmers.
Maybe some shrimp for the bottom?
agwats
Aquarium Advice Freak
Yeah I figured there wasn't enough space for tiger barbs. I like the idea of doing a school of nano fish and some RCS for the bottom. You think we could do betta or DG as a centerpiece with 6 nano fish and some RCS? Or maybe a guppy centerpiece and a few more nano fish?
And I agree, hex tanks are not my favorite to stock which is why I don't own one. He got it as a b'day present and I agreed to help mainly because I love putting together new tanks
And I agree, hex tanks are not my favorite to stock which is why I don't own one. He got it as a b'day present and I agreed to help mainly because I love putting together new tanks
sally pu
Aquarium Advice Activist
I would stick with library girls suggestions. Deco looks nice, maybe throw about 6 cory's in and some oto's then a couple of guppies and and some rummynose tetras...glass catfish are also really cool and your nephew would probably enjoy being able to see through them. I think cherry barbs would be cool too!
agwats
Aquarium Advice Freak
Almost done cycling 
hooray for seed material. I was thinking white cloud minnows and RCS. Any thoughts on how many?
hooray for seed material. I was thinking white cloud minnows and RCS. Any thoughts on how many?
agwats
Aquarium Advice Freak
Got the 1st batch of fish. He really liked the white cloud minnows so we got 6 of the regular ones and 3 of the gold ones. Was going to get some flag fish (heard we should get 3) since he really liked those too. Probably just going to get cherry shrimp for the bottom. Any thoughts on this stock?
librarygirl
Look It Up
Not sure about the AFF; I've ready they can be pretty aggressive depending on what you get (mixed genders can cause aggression when mating; I've also read even a single fish becoming territorial and attacking other fish). You could try it, but be prepared to rehome if it doesn't work out. Another option would be 8-10 celestial pearl danio; they are small peaceful fish that prefer cooler waters (low-mid 70's) like the mountain minnows. They may be a bit difficult to find depending on where you are but I know a breeder I got mine from if you are in the US). You could also add 4 small corys (pygmy or dwarf; given the limited space on the bottom I'd stay with either of those smaller type of Cory which should also do well in the cooler temps). You could add your shrimp too.
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