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Make sure you have a good lid. those suckers jump.

has anyone mentioned gold barbs yet? theyre cute little buggers.

From another suggestion, glass cats shouldn't be kept in a 20 gallon tank. They should have room to swim around. In a 20 they will probably spend most of their time hiding. (Call me a hypocrite though... I do have 3 of them in a 10... but they're waiting for the 60 to be converted to FW) They really do need the room to swim, plus they should be kept in larger groups... and they're pretty big to do that in a 20 gallon tank.

I would go on the barbs side of things. I don't know if you count them as an asian biotope fish, but Odessa barbs are great little fish. The reason you might not count them is they're a selectively bred strain bred out in the Czech Republic. But they're from an originally Asian fish (Puntius ticto, I believe).

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I think you should reconsider harlequin rasboras, I didnt like them at first (they were dumped on me by a friend) but now they are one of my favorite fish. They school very tightly and are interesting to watch, also, since I have started them on a slightly more varied diet they are a much nicer shade of pink!

why not try glass cats

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''All the clown fish and yellow tangs in the world cant save you now!''

Thanks for all the ideas. I seriously doubt that I'll find exclamtion point rasboras. I'll probably go with cherry barbs. I'm also thinking of getting ottos... so, who knows what I'll get.

I'll post back when I get some new fish.

In my Asian biotope I have honey gouramis (I believe a M/F pair, not 100% sure), sparkling gouramis, harlequins, and kuhlis. Really like the kuhlis a lot There is also a male betta coccina; I've never seen any interactive whatsoever between the betta and gouramis.

Exclamation points are small and colorful, I have them in another tank Good choice if you can find them.

Imbellis shouldn't be a problem. This is from Bettas and Gouramis, by David Alderton, one of my favorite reference books on these fish: 'As its name suggests, this species is peaceful by nature, and so it is possible to house several pairs together in the same aquarium, although it is likely to be hazardous to introduce another male into an establsihed group. Some disputes may occur close to a bubblenest created by a male but these territorial arguments do not result in serious fighting.'

Another site that deal in wild bettas says: 'Imbellis prefer heavily planted tanks with alot of hiding places, a few roots and floating plants. In large aquaria more than one male can be kept together. Peaceful against other species.'

Paradisefish will grow to the 4" range and it's iffy on keeping them in community tanks. I actually have a pair in my 29g, but others have had problems keeping one male in a community.

Keep us posted, I'm interested in what you end up choosing.


Last edited by Theresa_M at 12-Oct-2004 11:22

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Imbellis are docile fish. There shouldn't be many (if any at all) problems arising between the honies and the imbellis.

A paradise fish is a pretty hardy fish. Quite colorful, and at one time, quite popular. IIRC, the paradise fish is the species that began the interest in home aquariums.
Paradise fish also have a tendency to be agressive, and may not be the best choice for a community tank.
Paradise fish also grow to about 4 or so inches. Much larger than what it sounds you are looking for.
There are several species of botia. The species you speak of stays on the small side.
Cherry barbs would make a fine addition. They aren't exactly indigenous to asia - unless you stretch the boundaries of the region. Nothing wrong with that. A small school of zebra danios would make an active addition to the top layers. A small school of barbs - tiger or black ruby, would also make a fine addition. Particularly with tiger barbs, it is best to house about 6 of them together. Otherwise, they have an inclination to pick on the other inhabitants.
Another unusual addition for you to consider is the hillstream loach (goes by many names, such as the borneo sucker). This fish enjoys slightly cooler, fast-moving, well-oxygenated waters. But that environment is kind of contrary to what your gouramies would prefer. They come from marshy, steamy, stagnant waters.

I just bought two honey gouramis today--I love them. I've been thinking of screwing around with my 20 gallon. I want to make it an "asian biotype."

So far, the only thing that has to be in the tank are the honey gouramis. I was thinking kuhli loaches.... about three or four. Are there any other loaches that are ok in a 20 gallon? I was looking at getting cherry barbs again, or maybe exclamation point rasboras...if I can find them! If I get barbs/rasboras, I need them less than 2 inches, more like 1.25 or 1.5.

Also, more labirynth fish! I believe my LFS has betta imbellis...I just want to double-check if one would be ok with my honey gouramis.

Any ideas welcome. Thanks!

I'm not talking about regular old bettas, I was asking about Betta imbellis, or if that didn't work, another species in the Betta genus. I heard that other species in the Betta genus are more tolerant and not so aggressive.

Another question: How would a paradise fish be in this tank?

Last edited by solublefish at 11-Oct-2004 19:37

Actually, bettas can be very good community fish. Females are usually very tolerant of other fish, and males can be peaceful, depending on personality. I have a male betta in a community 29 gallon, and he is very peaceful.
The main problem with bettas is that they tend to be somewhat intolerant of other labyrinth fish, which would most likely be the case here. Again though, it really just depends on personality.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I feel that the betta and the two gouramis would compete for surface area territory. Bettas are not community fish.

Gold barbs are a good choice too.

Last edited by Troy_Mclure at 11-Oct-2004 19:29

If that was my tank, I'd have six kuhli loaches (they're shoaling fish, so they like company), and either rasboras or barbs. I personally recommend gold barbs, they get along fine with other fish, and they look really nice.
Six kuhlis, two honey gouramis, six gold barbs... Yup! That sounds like a pretty nice tank, if it suits you.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

The betta and the two gouramis may become aggressive towards each other. That is probably why troy said the betta is not a good choice. Cheers

Thanks for your response, Troy.

the betta wouldnt be a good choice.

Why not? Is there another species of betta that would be ok in the tank?

I was thinking of harlequins...but they don't interest me that much...

Any other ideas?

the betta wouldnt be a good choice.

Maybe a few harlequin rasboras? Khulies are a good idea. Not sure how many you could put in there.