Stocking opinions

[bennyblee]

Hi everyone,


I am so psyched to be at the stocking stage of my tank. It is 20 gallons and I completed a fishless cycle, it will cycle out 3.5 ppm pure ammonia completely to nitrate in 24 hours. I exchanged water to get nitrate down to 5 ppm, with 0 ppm ammonia and nitrite, and started my stocking yesterday! pH is ~7.5, temp at 74.



My original plan was for 6 neon tetras, 8 celestial pearl danios, and 3 female guppies (don't want to deal with fry...)


I stocked the 3 guppies and neon tetras yesterday, today they seem to be pretty happy, although one guppy is very pokey. She's been that way all along, I wonder if she's just more zen than the others. She looks like she's in beautiful shape, perfect fins and all, doubt she's sick but will keep a close eye.


Unfortunately, they were out of the celestial pearl danios, and I'm not sure when they will be available again.



So, I'm debating between just adding another guppy and a few more neon tetras to fill out the tank, waiting on the celestials, or perhaps something different, like a single male dwarf gourami or maybe a small school of harlequin rasporas, although not sure if there is room for either of the latter 2 choices. I wouldn't mind cory catfish but for some reason they freak out my kids and they don't want corys.



Any opinions? If I can't get the celestials I'm leaning towards a dwarf gourami, but I've heard so many differing opinions on keeping a single male, especially with other long-finned fish (like guppies), so not sure what to think. Anyone else wanna chime in and make it even more confusing for me to decide?



Thanks!

 

[jake37]

You didn't indicate the number of neon tetra you currently have. Also is this a 20 long or a 20 high ? I'd avoid the dwarf gourami in either case - they are nice looking fishes but their behavior can be unpredictable - sometime they work out but sometime they become bullies and given it is much larger than your other fishes it could end badly if you get a bully.

 

[bennyblee]

Thanks Jake, sorry I forgot to mention I got all 6 neons, although unfortunately one didn't survive the stocking so there are now 5. She was *tiny*, I didn't realize how little she was, if I had noticed at the store I probably would have asked for a slightly more mature fish.



It is a 20 high.


In any event, my LFS received the celestial pearl danios I have been pining for, so added 6 yesterday!

 

[jake37]

You could consider borelli apistogramma or 3 honey gourami if you want but a 20 high doesn't have a lot of swimming room. It wouldn't hurt to add 3 more neon.