New 20G Tank - Beginner

[AquaFresh]

Hello, I am fairly new to the hobby but I am already hooked. I am getting a new 20G tank going and cycling but I want to share my idea and see what everyone thinks.

The plan is to add 5 Harlequin Raspboras, 3-4 Blue Dwarf Gourami and 3 Otocinclus to the tank. This is slightly over the 1" to 1 gal rule of thumb, and I have heard a lot of mixed advice on number of Gourami I can have in a tank at once.

My first major question is, will these fish survive together and thrive, or will they fight and cause chaos?

My second question is, should this tank be heavily planted, or will light plants work? I am thinking some Micro swords as a carpet, Amazon Swords in the back as my broad leaf plants and a couple floaters for the Gourami? Thanks for the advice!! (and sorry for the book)

 

[Jackamo]

All of those fish are pretty peaceful you should be fine.

The more plants in a tank the better. It helps to keep your nitrates under control however most Aqaurium plants don’t eat much of the nitrates very quickly.

A fun idea to try is to go to your local Plant shop and get a small pepper plant like bell peppers or hot peppers and plant the roots in your tank. You need to find a way to purch the plant so that only the roots are submerged and the top of the plant comes out of the top of the tank. Put a small compact fluorescent light on it and it Will eat all of your nitrates and phosphates.

Also do not add that many fish at once, especially with that small a tank. One to two fish every 2-4 weeks is the max amount of fish you can add to that system without putting them in serious danger. With a new tank fish need to be added very slowly. If you have an ammonia spike by adding the fish too quickly there’s nothing you can do that will save them. Make sure to get a test kit so you can test the ammonia and nitrate levels

 

[AquaFresh]

All of those fish are pretty peaceful you should be fine.

The more plants in a tank the better. It helps to keep your nitrates under control however most Aqaurium plants don’t eat much of the nitrates very quickly.

A fun idea to try is to go to your local Plant shop and get a small pepper plant like bell peppers or hot peppers and plant the roots in your tank. You need to find a way to purch the plant so that only the roots are submerged and the top of the plant comes out of the top of the tank. Put a small compact fluorescent light on it and it Will eat all of your nitrates and phosphates.

Also do not add that many fish at once, especially with that small a tank. One to two fish every 2-4 weeks is the max amount of fish you can add to that system without putting them in serious danger. With a new tank fish need to be added very slowly. If you have an ammonia spike by adding the fish too quickly there’s nothing you can do that will save them. Make sure to get a test kit so you can test the ammonia and nitrate levels

Thanks! I have the tank planted and want to give it a little bit for everything to even out before I add fish. I had no idea about adding them slowly so I appreciate the advice.

As for the pepper idea, does this really work? Unfortunately due to location in my home this isn't possible for this tank, however I WILL be trying this on a future tank. I am facinated by the idea!!