20 gallon setup...whats the limit?

[italianxmna89]

20 gallon

7 zebras
2 ottos
1 red platy

can i add another school? i was thinkin maybe a school of serpae tetras or cherry barbs. after the school can i add a centerpiece? traditionally i know a dwarf gourami is popular but what about an upside down catfish or a dalmatian sailfin molly?

[James77]

I have 6 Zebra's 5 Tiger's and 3 Cherries in my 20. No problem's

[italianxmna89]

can i add an african dwarf frog? descriptions say they can escape easily if there are openings in the cover?

[James77]

Don't know about frog's. Someone will come along that can answere your frog question.

[lowlight]

The Upside-down catfish needs calm water at the top of the tank so that would depend on your filtration or water movement and it can grow to 4" in size. Zebra Danios I believe can be nippy fish so the Upside-down catfish may not fair to good with them. When adding fish to your tank think of how big they will get. Do some homework on the fish you would like to have and that would give you a good idea of what and how many you could keep in your tank. Again it also depends on what type of filter you are running on the tank. Research and set up is the fun part for me and watching a tank full of happy healthy fish is my reward. Have fun and feel free to continue asking questions so hopefully we can get you going in the right direction and we could all learn something along the way.

[Oscar_freak12321]

7 zebra what? Danios?

[annageckos]

A sailfin molly and a couple of dwarf frogs would be ok. You may also want to add more ottos. If you get the frogs make sure that they are eating in your tank as they can be slow about getting food sometimes. You want to have plenty of hiding spots for them and keep the water a little low, maybe an inch or two below the rim so that they can get the air they need. If you want more color you can alway add some of the different color morphs of the zebra danio(I am assuming that is what you have) like the blue, leopard, longfin or glofish.

[italianxmna89]

yes 7 zebra danios..idk if i like the idea of the frog on second thought...i would go for glofish if it wasnt for their pricetag and also because i only see small ones at the store and my danios are btn 1.5 and 2 inches long

could i go with green tiger barbs? i dont believe they would have a problem with my danios, platty, or ottos (right?) and question...i always read that they need to be kept in odd numbers to avoid pairing...whats pairing? i suppose i would have to get 5 right? i would love to get away with 3 but i dont wanna stress out the little guys

[annageckos]

Tiger barbs are nippy and do best in larger numbers, like 8 or more. I have never heard of keeping tiger barbs in odd numbers to keep from pairing. Pairing off is when a male and female form a pair. But barbs do not do this, they spread thier eggs in plants and leave them, or eat them. But I don't think tiger barbs are a good choise for your 20. Tiger barbs are alittle too large for a 20. You could add a couple more platies or increase you danio population. You may be able to get away with a school of cherry barbs, but that will also depend on your filtration.

[italianxmna89]

i have a 35 gallon hob filter...i just want a variety of color in my tank...would the big danios pick on the little gofish? i dont see many large glofish for sale at my lfs..

[bearweasel]

Why are you so concerned about maximum stocking? Why not go a little bit less, but perhaps with something a bit more exotic?

[italianxmna89]

whats considered "exotic"...what about serpae tetras

[italianxmna89]

if i were to purchase glofish 1 or 2 at a time would they be subject to stress or would they school immediately with my regular zebra danios? and would them being much smaller have any affect on how my other danios respond to their presence?...i just pictured my zebra danios at their size in bright colors and i think thats what i may be looking for