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I am starting to free up space in my 20 gallon so I can add the fish I really want. The only permanent residents that I have now are a BN and an ADF. I will eventually re-home the Mollies and Guppies that are occupying the tank. I was wondering what you think would be an appropriate stocking for this tank. I will have the one BN, the frog, a pair of Rams and some Neon or Cardinal Tetras. I'm not sure how many Tetras to add. I was thinking 6-8, does that sound about right? I will probably upgrade to a Penguin Bio-Wheel filter, forgot what model, the one that pumps 200 gallons per hour. The tank will be heavily planted with medium to low-light plants.

Also, I want to get a breeding pair of GBR. I will be getting juvies so I won't be able to sex them. Should I get 2 and wait to see if I get a M/F pair, or should I get 3 and remove 1 if a pair develops? Any input would be appreciated.

The 20 gallon H is like a 15 gallon with some extra inches on top. 6-8 small tetras should work in there with the BN and frog (provided it's an African Dwarf and not an African Clawed, which grow to different sizes). I think you may be able to squeeze in a pair of rams as well.

If you really want a pair of rams I think people recommend getting 6. It's all about probability; with 6 fish you have about a 3% chance all of your fish are the same sex. If you only get 3, you have a 25% chance all your fish might be the same sex. With only two fish you have a 50% chance your fish will be the same sex. Of course, 6 rams in a tank that size may be unmanageable, so you may have to see how lucky you are and take a gamble.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Depends on how 'juvie' the rams are. They can be sexed at a size of one inch reliably if you know what to look for provided that the fish were properly cared for.

Well, I know the tank isn't big, but the dimensions are 2ftx1ftx16in. It's a little wider and longer than a 15 gallon. I guess that would be a standard 20, sorry for the mix up.

Do you think I could fit 4 small Rams in there for a few months until they, hopefully, pair off? I could get rid of everything but the BN and the ADF (yes, it's a dwarf frog).

P.S. What is the most reliable way to tell the sex of a Ram? I believe it's the belly for females and the dorsal fin for the male, is this right? Thanks for helping me with all my questions.

Given those dimensions, you were right the first time: you have a 20 gallon high. A standard 20 AKA 20 long is about 30"x12"x12", which gives 4" extra inches of length and thus 48 square inches more surface area over the 20 high. It's not huge, but I believe it's worth noting, which is why I'm being a little nitpicky. Confusion with the 15 gallon arises from the fact that there is a 15 tall, a 15 standard, and a 15 show, all with different dimensions.

I can't comment on the rams, though, as I have no experience with them. Feel free to be annoyed I posted to be nitpicky and simultaneously not give you any answers to your question.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

With German Blue Rams, the sexes are easy to tell apart by the employees of the LFS.

But from what I know, the male is usually more bigger, more colorful.

http://www.wetpetz.com/images/cichlids/blueramfem.jpg
Female

http://www.geocities.com/steertom/male_ram.jpg
Male

Also by the way, it is 15X, not 15 Show. X stands for extra high or something like that. Standard is 15L, L for long and tall is 15H, H for high. Look any brand new empty aquarium on the label it should say that.

Haha, looks I'm confused too. Whoops! Honestly haven't looked at any brand new aquariums in a while, I'm not allowed to get anymore, lol.

Okay, that's enough of me derailing the topic.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

4 rams in a 20G should be fine, provided the water is not totally off (very hard) and fed nicely as they like meaty food and not just flakes, you should see pair formation within short time. BTW, I think that it is actually the female that is more colorful ... it has a pink stomach and otherwise exactly the same coloration as the male.

I have bred Blue Rams successfully in 10G tanks with otos as company without any problems. The tetras and the BM will be fine, the frog concerns me, though.

4 rams in a 20G should be fine, provided the water is not totally off (very hard) and fed nicely as they like meaty food and not just flakes, you should see pair formation within short time.

I'm guessing you mean 4 will be fine until a pair forms, right?

You don't think the BN will eat the eggs? I've heard that if they want them the parents can't do anything about it since the BN is like a small tank. I think I'll remove the frog once I try to breed them, he/she has already gotten about 10+ of my Molly/Guppy fry, which is a good thing for me as they were filling the tank too fast.