Stocking a Planted 20 Gal. Long

[Sauroposeidon]

I'm a bit OCD, so I did some research on how to stock, and now I dream of fish. I currently have an albino bristlenose pleco in another tank, which is a definite, and have my heart set on about 10 pygmy corydoras and a honey gourami. I feel as if I am slightly under stocked, which is where I want to be, but housing requirements for a bristlenose are still bothering me - some say 20 gal., some say 30. Since Ms. Whiskey is afraid of heights, and I want the thing to look like Fish Wonderland, I figured a 20 long would be the way to go. A 29 is getting too big for my apartment, and the top would get no use anyways, because I apparently have a thing against top level swimmers. The tank is heavily planted with a large piece of driftwood on one side and some rad dinosaur skull-caves on the other - plenty of nooks and crannies for both Ms. Whiskey and the cories. Ms. Whiskey is not a 6" monster going in with 1" babies by the way. She measures in a 2" right now, so the cories get to know her before she gets big, ugly, and cool.

So how does that sound? Also, I'm planning for a 6" pleco to be safe but have heard albino versions are considerably smaller. Any weigh-ins on that?

20 gal. long, heavily planted
AquaClear 30
T5 light fixture with Colormax and 6.7K lamp
Caribsea Tahitian Moon Sand
1 albino bristlenose pleco
10 pygmy corydoras
1 honey gourami

 

[Mcgolg76]

Why not get a school of something. Think celestial pearl danios are beautiful. Plus they are pretty small. Just think your mid tank will be so empty.

 

[Sauroposeidon]

Pygmy cories do not stay on the bottom like the other cories. They are mid level swimmers. Look a lot like a shoal of tetras until you get close up.

 

[Mcgolg76]

I got 7 of them and mine rarely leave the bottom. Occasionally coming up to surface for a breath. Don't know why mine are so timid. Besides an Otto they are biggest fish in tank v

 

[Sauroposeidon]

I was hoping a shoal of 10 would be ballsy enough to swim up in the gourami's space, but even if they don't, I think I would still be happy with them. Besides, almost half of the top is covered with plants, and with only 10" of water, I feel like some fish would feel crowded.

 

[Bullnugget]

Why not just get 5 corys and 5 of something else like a tetra?

 

[Sillyfishies]

Your stocking is fine. Pygmy and panda cories usually spend a lot of the time off the bottom. Plus a 20 long is only like 12" high.

 

[Coursair]

I was hoping a shoal of 10 would be ballsy enough to swim up in the gourami's space, but even if they don't, I think I would still be happy with them. Besides, almost half of the top is covered with plants, and with only 10" of water, I feel like some fish would feel crowded.

10 is a great number. They might even breed. What species ?
C pygmaeus ? They do tend to rest on plant leaves and swim all over the tank.
C habrosus is the only tiny Cory that stays mostly on the bottom. They are shaped more like the bigger Cories. Pygmaeus and hastatus are more fish shaped not so flat bottomed

 

[Sauroposeidon]

I like having a shoaling fish, but I'm just not digging tetras right now. I like these weird little guys so badly.

And yes, Corydoras pygmaeus. They're all over the tank. It's like they have ADHD.

 

[Mcgolg76]

Sigh i don't know what is up with my pygmies. Always hiding. Not as active as my pandas in my other tank

 

[Sauroposeidon]

I have a feeling they become very upset if another fish looks at them wrong. What's in your mid-level?

 

[Mcgolg76]

Got some celestial pearl danios, neon tetras and an Otto. Huge colony of red cherry shrimp. All tiny fish. Nothing that should scare a pygmy. Maybe the skittishness of the cpds rubbed off on them

 

[Sauroposeidon]

7 is a large enough group, so I'm thinking maybe competition for the mid level from the danios is making them not so active. I've never kept them before though. How big is the tank?