will this group of fish work?

[SGNL_5]

hi,
im currently setting up a 20 gal long tank, I have and idea of what i would like to keep in it, but i'm pretty new to aquariums, and am not sure if they will all work together. The all seem to be in the same temp and ph range. but anyways heres what i was thinking.

around 7 Black neon tetras
2 Otto's
3 Platy's
3 Gold Barb's
then maybe a few Black mollies.

... also it will be moderately planted

-thanks

 

[chasgood]

All are peacefull fish. The gold barb is a schooling fish like the neons. Should have at least 5 of them. But you will have to do away with something else.
7 black neon's at 1.5" = 10.5 inches of fish.
3 platty's at 2" = 9 inches of fish.
2 otto's at 1.75" = 3.5 inches of fish.
Just these fish will max the 20gal tank out at 23 inches of fish. A rule of thumb says 1" of fish per gal of water. Being new at fish keeping you should stay close to the rule of thumb.

Good luck with the 20 long. I have one and love it.

 

[Lance M.]

Ya since your new you should go by the rule. Maybe keep 6 black neons, 3 platies, 2 ottos, and then maybe think of a bottom feeder- maybe three cories? You don't have to go exactly by the rule, but don't get too much in there. For my tank I almost have 3 times what the rule says, but I know what needs to be done and I keep the water conditions in check and have a filter for a tank twice the size. So as you get more experience you'll be able to add more fish to a tank.

Also If you make the tank a planted one you could probably keep what you wanted to in your post, but the gold barbs are schoolers so you'd need several and you might want to just forget about them and think of getting 3 cories instead, so they can eat stuff off the bottom.

Plants are good.

 

[SGNL_5]

thanks guys, yea i wasnt to sure about the barbs or the mollies. but the cory's were an awesome fish. I dont think i have ever really noticed them before, or having a HUGE mind blank, but they look like they would be the perfect fish.
Thanks again guys

 

[FawnN]

I personally would not do the mollies since they are a lot happier in a brackish envirnonment.

And I would not get the ottos right away. IMO, they are very sensitive to water conditions and should be put in after your conditions stablize. That's what I think.

 

[SGNL_5]

awesome thank you everybody

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

And keep in mind that 3 platy's quickly becomes 50 platy's (unless you get all females)

 

[megladonsharky]

How do you tell the sex??

 

[rubysoho]

well, you can also let nature take its course and they will mostly be eaten by other fish. Sounds cruel, but it's life, and I hate to say it, but it will be good nutrition for your other fish.

 

[FawnN]

How do you tell the sex??

Livebearers are IMO, the easiest to sex.

Here is a pic of a male guppy. Notice the gonopodium.

the male platy will have one just like it. And the female will have a round anal fin. HTH.

 

[Menagerie]

Keep in mind that females can store sperm and can produce offspring with no male around.

 

[SGNL_5]

so i got the platies today, they seem to be liking there new home exploring the whole tank. 2 ususally stay together and the other one's off by himself. I was reading about the male and females before i didnt know how to tell male female. So it turns out i have 2 male and 1 female, will this be a problem? i thought i heard that it is better to have more females then males. if so would it be better to get another female?

 

[FawnN]

For Livebearers, it's recommend that the ratio to males and females is:

For every male there should be at least 2 females.

So in your case, if your tank permits, I would add at least 3 more females to reduce the stress on the females.

The males are very persistant and will want to mate all the time, so the females will get chased constantly. With more females in the tank, it will give each female a chance to rest in between the chasings.

But also, by doing that, you are guaranteed to have tons of fry, unless of course you consider them little treats for your other fish.

 

[smallfry]

Hi Sgnl,

You could return one of the males and get another female platy.

 

[SGNL_5]

thanks again evryone, but now i got another question now thet platy's are in, what fish should i introduce next, my plan is for
Black neons, Cory's, and otto's.
i've heard the otto's are pretty fragile and shouldnt be put in for a while.
thanks

 

[rubysoho]

I'd go for the neons next just because, in my experience, cories can be pretty sensative to new tanks. However, I didn't know as much then as I do now (which still isn't a lot) so I could be wrong.

 

[SGNL_5]

awesome!!! thank you rubysoho, i always saw your name and never took anytime to see what it actually says, just asumed it was one wierd word from a game, movie, or some weird fish. but... rancid
thanks though

 

[Menagerie]

Neons, cories and ottos prefer cycled tanks. IMO, cories are probably the hardiest of them all. Ottos need an established tank (give the tank a month+).