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Hey there,

I have just bought a new 20gal long tank and want to decide how to stock it properly.
It will be a planted tank with fine-ish gravel (or should I get sand for the cories??)

What I think I want:

A school of small cories (I like Pandas but are they too hard to keep for someone only on her second tank??? Maybe another small variety, can someone list the small types at all??? )
A school of rasboras ( I love their colour and how they school )
Something to take care of the algae (I have a bristlenose in my other tank and would love some ottos for something different if they are compatible and it won't mean it's overstocked )

Is this already too much?
How many of each would I need for them to be happy?
What, if any, more fish could I fit in there?

Thanks in advance

Oh, and it came with both a UGF and an "Eheim Liberty 150GPH Hang on Power filter" Is this filter going to be OK if I take out the UGF? I have heard this is the best thing to do........

I don't know about the filter, but get at least 6 cories, and probably the same amount for the rasboras. Cories are such great fish, always full of energy. You should try 2-3 ottos, just be careful that you buy healthy ones. I don't think that would be too much for the 20 gal.

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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."

Cool, yes, I would like to get as many of each as possible so they will be happy and active. Most of my current tank's members scatter and hide EVERY time I go near the tank!!! I want some fishies that will love me, not be scared!

I'd love to get some ottos, I rarely see them though.....would they be OK in a group of only 2-3?

I should think so. Since your tank is only 20 gallons, (like mine!) you probably don't have enough algae to support any more than 2-3.

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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."

OK, sure. Do they eat algae wafers too? Thanks for your help sirbooks!!

Can anyone help with the filter and cory questions?

Cories are very easy fish to keep, don't worry about them unless you have salt in the water. I don't know if the ottos would eat algae wafers, but they will eat zucchini, though you should soften it first.

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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."

OK, so maybe I am being paranoid, I should be OK with Pandas, hope so! I have never fed zucchini, so thanks for the softening tip!

I won't have any salt so that should be cool.....

Can someone help me with the filter question please?

About the filter, the Liberty will give you enough turnover. IMO, you don't need the underground filter, the HOB will do the job.

That sounds like a nice setup

I've never kept rasboras (you're thinking of harlequins?) but they're supposed to be good schoolers.

I've had 3 lined, peppered, panda, and pygmy cories. I've found them to be easy, fun fish to keep. Most people will tell you to have at least 5-6.

You should make sure there is some algae established in the tank before adding the otos. You can also put some rocks in a jar of water on a window ledge that gets sunlight. Algae rocks are a good oto treat. Mine also like lettuce and fresh spinach. 2-3 will be fine, they aren't schoolers but like to have friends

[span class="edited"][Edited by Theresa_M 2004-07-27 09:05][/span]

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Yep, I second the 150 being fine for a 20 gallon, that's what I'm running on mine , well an AC but same thing .

On the pandas, I know they're ever so cute, but I've also heard they're somewhat delicate...guess the debate is still out on them . While 20 is without a doubt better than a 10, I'm still not sure I'd risk it....of course I hate it if I even lose a zebra danio *shrug* maybe it's just me.
I've heard that corydoras habrous are a bit more hardy and they do stay fairly small, check them out on Planet Catfish.

Since it's a 20 long, I bet it'd be great as a planted tank , you might want to check into some DIY lighting upgrades and get some nice easy plants to start out with. Not only are they good for the fish, but they really do seem to complete the tank .
HTH a bit .

^_^

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Hey thanks! You guys are great!

OK, so the filter is good, that's great news, I will take out the UGF then, as I have heard only negatives about them. Is this hard to do? It has gravel on top of it, which I think I will ditch and get some new substrate. For a planted tank with cories as the main focus, should I be contemplating sand? How do plants go in sand?

I really do want a school of small cories, Habrosus sound really cute too, I will look them up, thanks Babelfish. In a 20 long, do you think I could have say 15?

The tank came with a light of some sort, but I will definitely think about changing it to suit plant growth....my other tank is planted and I love my plants ALMOST as much as my fish

Theresa_M, yes I was talking about harlequin rasboras, a friend of mine has a school of 10 in a tank about the same size and they are so brightly coloured and they do school really well. I am really keen to have schooling fish in the right numbers in this new tank, as my other one was my first and although everyone is healthy (had to buy a new tank to be able to buy new fish, they're so healthy!) I wish I knew then what I know now from reading this site!

And thanks Theresa_M for the tips on the ottos, after reading everything written about them on here, do you think I would be better off with a few SAEs? They are supposed to be peaceful and do a good job on the algae.

Hmmm, just realised how long this post is sorry!!! :%)

In a tank that small, I don't think I would get an algae eater. Shrimp or snails would probably be a better choice, since it would allow you to get more colorful fish. Something like:

1 dwarf gourami (centerpiece)
6 cories (more on that below)
8 harly rasboras

For cories, there are quite a few small species other than skunks. There are C. hasbrosus, C. hastatus, C. pygmaeus, and C. arcuatus. Those are just the ones that I've actually seen in stores. I'm sure there are dozens more species that are small.

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

Thanks Janna. I hadn't thought about getting a centrepiece fish really.

Would it be possible to get 10 cories (small ones, thanks for those specias names ) and 8 harlequin rasboras?

I like the idea of shrimp, do they eat all types of algae? I have never seen them here in Australia, I am not sure if we can get them.

So is sand the substrate that cories like best? And are plants going to grow OK in sand?

If you really want otos, don't be afraid to give them a try. I have them in 2 tanks and have only had 1 loss. I firmly believe that was because I bought it from a lfs I said I'd never buy fish from again due to past bad experiences ]:|

You could also look into getting a smaller plec to deal with algae.

A centerpiece fish isn't a must but a personal choice. You could have a smaller school of rasboras and a centerpiece, or a just larger school or rasboras. Depends on what you like

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Yeah, I might see what is around when it is set up and try a few ottos, they are very cute, and I already have a bristlenose in my other tank, so I wanted to try something different.....

What other centrepiece fish are there that would fit in this tank?