what are some good starter fish that are neat for a 20 gallon tank??

Question

i thought about getting some clown loaches but i dont kno if they would outgrow that tank

Answer 1

Yup, clownloaches will outgrow your tank.
What's your budget? If you're working on a low budget, how about a school of 12 tetras
Some nice fish are (choose one of the following):
neon tetras http://img225.exs.cx/img225/3290/neontetra6mc.jpg
cardinal tetra http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/Fishpics/cardinals.jpg
lemon tetra http://www.aqua-fish.net/imgs/fish/034.jpg
harlequin rasbora http://tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/templates/BMan1Blue/images/profile_pics/fish_profiles_heteromorpha1.jpg
glowlight tetra http://www.solodvds.com/images/fish/Hemigrammus_erythrozonus_s.jpg
zebra danio http://www.winternet.com/~mchristi/fish/zebradanio.jpg
... the list goes on and on and on.

You'll want a centrepiece fish, I suggest either a pair of kribensis cichlids:
http://www.cichlids.dk/thumb/28887.jpg

Or a pair of bolivian rams:
http://www.azgardens.com/images/Ram-Bolivian.gif

Or a pair of apistogramma:
http://www.c-u-w.net/jpg/ad_konigs/apistogramma_agassizii_(ad_konigs).jpg

Or ONE dwarf gourami:
http://www.biol.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/users/naibunpi/Image/Gourami-photo-old.jpg


And the bottom is usually where your cleanup crew is. That's algae eaters, plecos, cories, etc.
A school of at least 6 corydoras julii or sterbai is great:
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/People/h-Cory-julii.jpg - you should have at least a 20 gallon tank to get a school of these.
or you can get a school of oto cats: http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/oto_cat.jpg
Get a school of at least 5 of these (tank minimum: 15 gallons). They eat algae.
I would suggest that you DON'T get a plecostomous. Most of them grow to 18-24" and are poop machines. They will dirty your water very quickly. If you MUST get a pleco, get a bristle-nose, they only get 4-5".
If you get any of these fish, be sure to supplement their diet with zucchini slices, spirulina pellets, and shrimp pellets, as they will not get enough food otherwise.


If your budget is a little higher and you're looking for something a little unusual, easy to breed (but that isn't just a guppy) how about some shelldwelling cichlids?
You could have two breeding pairs of Neolamprologus Brevis
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/n_brevis.php
Or one pair of N. Leleupi
http://www.gcca.net/fom/Neolamprologus_leleupi.htm
They are little cichlids, that live in shells :) Do your research before getting these guys.

Answer 2

Aren't those saltwater fish? If you only have a 20 gallon tank, I'm assuming that it's freshwater since saltwatr tanks are usually considerably bigger. I would start with Angelfish. They are so bekinautiful and graceful. They come in a wide array of colors, patterns, and sizes. I would get about 4. The only thing about Angelfish is that they are delicate and gentle, many other species can attack them. I'm not sure what gets along well with them. I would consult someone at a good aquarium store. Guppies are also neat because they have live babies. The males can be quite colorful. Believe it or not, Goldfish can also be cool. There are so many varities and colors besides the plain ones we used to win at the fair. Just don't get the kind with the bubble eyes, 'cause their eyes pop easily and that's so gross! Also, get one of those tiny albino frogs that lives totally in the water. They are so cute and are easy to care for and the fish don't bother them and vice versa. Also, you must get some fish to clean the scum on the sides of the tank and debris. They are not always the prettiest fish but they are helpful and they get along with all fish and frogs. If you do have a saltwater tank, you have alot more options as far as colors go. Saltwater fish are the most brillant colors! At 20 gallons, you can probably only get 1 or 2 fish though and they must be small. Make sure they get along well because they can be quite expensive. You can also get some live plants or coral which can be lovely. Your best bet is to research on the computer, buy some books at Barnes and Nobel and go to a GOOD pet store that has a large assortment of fish that takes excellent care of them and has knowledgeable staff!

Answer 3

Clown loaches are hard to take care of. They are scale-less fish. A good starter fish is a guppy. They are very preety and easy to take care of. They do however, tend to multiply quickly. Tetras are good also.

Answer 4

Ok there's some good suggestions earlier, but if you're starting a new tank that hasn't cycled yet then zebra or leopard danios are very hardy and tolerant of new water. However they do wizz around the tank so consider this if you are planning to get other fish that like things slow and quiet.
good luck

Answer 5

serpae and black skirt tetra's are excellent starter fish. they can handle poor water quality (most beginners end up loosing fish to poor water quality). Once you have gotten over the growing pains of keeping fish i would suggest some of the more sensitive tetra's (neon and cardinal) along with a pair of rams or kribs.

Answer 6

betta fish. They are very colourful. i prefer getting a male and a female or a couple of females because if you put a male and a male in the same tank, they rip each others fins off until one of them cant swim to the top to get air anymore and it dies. Its really not a pretty sight. You will feel guilty for the rest of your life. Some people MAKE them fight for the fun of watching them die!!! SO SAD!!!!!!!

Answer 7

Usually they will stop growing once they reach a certain size in a 20gal.

I like guppies.

Answer 8

we have a loach and he/she hasn't outgrown our 20 gal tank and we've had it for over a year now,
we also have an anglefish, betta shark, plates and snails

Answer 9

tetras..rasboras...glass catfish.....if your gonna get clown loaches avoid getting ornaments that have holes or crevices...they like to hide..bumblebees...

Answer 10

guppies, before you know it you will have several.