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Ok.. right now i have a 20 gal with various fish that I will be giving away soon. I know it's a little overstocked but i'm taking good care of them..and the ph is around 6.8 to 7.0 and the nitrite is a 0ppm.. so I know the water parameters are ok.. it's just that the water is a browny cloudy colour.. i did have a piece of driftwood in there.... but i used a bigger chunk of the same piece in my 60 gal. and the water in that tank didn't turn funny colours.

I've taken the wood out and i do 1/3 water changes weekly to try to get rid of it.....yet to no avail. The gravel is of a beige/brown/white colour mixed..and i have some flat slate rocks and 2 little fake plants.. i also have a midnight blue background.....which you can't see. I do think lighting is partly the reason I'm disliking it so much because I have the hallogen bulbs in my 60....so looking at anything else is kind of a bummer. Anyway.. That aside.. once i do give the other fish away.. I'd like to put something interesting in there.. something that I will absolutely love. I've just gotten into cichlids..and I think it's their personality that really interests me.

Now .. just as discussion for the moment... what cichlid (or any interesting, beautiful, easy to find fish) would easily go into this tank? and.. with the fish....what is the best aquascape to use. If the gravel colour is different then mine.. i'll just put that gravel in with my 60.. they'll mix well.. I only used 2 20lbs bags in my 60 so more gravel wouldn't hurt it.. I'd like a fish that i can have a small school of.. perhaps parrot cichlid? one that grows to 5" max..how many of those could fit comfortably? but any other suggestions welcomed!

Thanx in advance

parrots are too big for a 20g (8in) and they are aggressive. some better choices would be rams, curviceps, or keyholes.

what if i stayed with the barbs.. what would be the most beautiful aquascape and tank mates for them..currently i own 9..

oh....and i've never had real plants in an aquarium..but what plants are easy to take care of and don't need much light? (this tank was my moms when she was my age... (20) and so the lighting isn't the best..and i don't have the funds to buy another hood)

i've seen beautiful pictures of espeis (i think that's what they're called) in little_fish's log..would they be compatible with the barbs?

acorus, anubias, african water fern,hornwort, parlour palm, pongol sword, some species of crypto, java fern, spatterdock, aluminum plant, spathiphyllum, ivy leaf, tape grass, and java moss all dont need much light, but why not just get a new light?

now that i think about it, you NEED to get a new light, as lights lose much of their power within a year, so imagine how weak the light is now

i forgot to answer your question about the rasboras and the barbs- they should be fine together, but what species of barb are you putting in your tank?

Ohh.. Tiger barbs.. and to get a new light would mean to spend money..something of which i don't have much of right now. Once i'm done my semester and I start working again then I might be able too.. but with a car and the hopes of buying a new computer.. i'm not sure if I should... anyway it was just a question for later on...

you have 9, correct? them alone would fully stock your 20.

thats not true, 9 barbs are not the total number you can have in your tank.20 - 22 is around how many you can have.

IMO 20-22 is way too many for a 20g tank. 9 would be fine...maybe even 12.

If you are going by the inch per gallon rule, it isn't very good.

Plant your tank with the low light plants zach suggested, they will be easy to care for, and have 10-12 tiger barbs and 4 kuhli loaches. I am not sure how the loaches would do with the barbs, I know barbs can sometimes harrass cories. That would make you fully stocked.

*Kristin*

im not doing the inch per gallon rule, but if you think about it, theyre tall-bodied, grow to 2.25in, and very active, so thats why i didnt think it was such a great idea.

I agree with you zach...(I wasn't talking about you )

9 is a good number for that tank.

You have a point though. They are more than an inch, so I don't know why someone would suggest 20 of them in a 20g tank. Maybe because they are about an inch when you get them (most of the time).

*Kristin*

Ya they're still small.. so if I keep the 9.. or maybe bump the school up to 10-12.. and khuly loaches.... not sure if I can find those here.. I've never seen them around...so IN CASE i can't have those is there anything similar I can have in there? and is just normal gravel enough for live plants?

Small gravel is best for plants...2-3mm. But if it is a little bigger, it will be fine.

If not Kuhlis...then maybe just some ottos. You could put 6-8 Habrosus, Pygmy, or maybe even Panda cories. I wouldn't get any other type though because most get too big.
I am not sure how the smaller cories hold up to barbs though. Might want to get a second opinion on that.

The barbs may be fine though, since the group is large. Their aggression should be pretty displaced (is that the right word?? ). Hopefully someone else will have some input, just in case I am wrong.

*Kristin*