i have a 20 gal and i want to no how many fish i can have in it. i like neons and i want an algea eater?

Answer 1

Well it depends on what kind of fish you want to get.

I fyou only have neons - they get I believe 1 inch - 1.5 inches. So you could prob get away with 15 neons and two octocinclid algea eaters (they only get a few inches).

However if you want neons with other tropical nonagressive fish - it depends on how big the other fish are going to get.

Like the pp said - 1 inch of fish needs 1 gallon of water.
But you have to take into account how big they will get, not thesize they are when you buy them. Most stores like Petsmart & Petco have the info posted on the tank.

For an algea eater I really suggest the Octochinclid algea eater, since they do not get big. Most people willtell you to get a plecostomus - the most popular algea eater. But he gets BIG really really fast. So stick with something that will stay small.

Also remember that if you buy schooling fish (like the Neon Tetra is) you need at least 3 of that kind of fish.

All fish do better in pairs as well,s o I do not suggest buying one fish of 5 different kinds. And no - schooling fish only school with their own kind. so you can't do 1 neon, one zebar and one glass fish and expect them to school.

Neons are a good fish - very pretty - esp when you have a lot and the are schooling.

Zebra danios are a nice schooling fish.

Answer 2

I'm not going to "totally" disagree with the other answers, but want to add something that they aren't considering (yet).

Since you're asking about neons, the inch/per gallon rule applies better than with heavier bodied fish (in other words, 12 - 1" neons do NOT have the same effect on you tank as 1 - 12" catfish). But a better way to calculate is by using the surface area of your tank. You say you have a 20 gallon, but don't say if it's a 20 "tall" or 20 "long" - the surface areas for these tanks will be different, even though the volume is the same. A "long" tank has more surface area (where water is in contact with air so that O2 and CO2 can exchange), so a "long' tank can accommodate slightly more fish. Measure the length and width of the top of your tank and divide this number by 12. Use this number as the number of "inches" of fish you can keep. A 20 "tall" will give you about 24", a 20 "long" about 30". Plan for about 1 1/2" per neon and 2" for an ottocinclus catfish (small algae eater). Another way of calculating the number of fish you can keep is grams of fish/liter of water. I like the inches of fish/square per surface area as this is the only one to take into account the tank's shape.

Also, remember to give your catfish algae pellets if you don't have a lot of algae in their tank!

http://www.firsttankguide.net/capacity.php
http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-NeonTetra.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/profiles_otocinclus.htm

Answer 3

My 20 gallon usually balances out at 14 small fish. I have 4 cory cats, 2 harlequin rasboras, a guppy, a platy, a dalmatian molly, 4 high fin serpae tetras, and a buenos aires tetra. Each time I try to put any more than that in the tank they die until Im left with that amount. A good filter, air pump, and once weekly changing out 2 gallons of water are neccessary.

Answer 4

so that the fish are not crowded it is suposed to be an inch of fish per gallon of water, so if you want big fish very few and if you want little ones you can have alot, and a algea eater depending on witch one you get is the same and they help keep your tank clean in between cleans!

Answer 5

You can have around 15-18 fish in it depending on size. If I were you I would get 9 neon tetras OR cardinal tetras, 3 panda corydoras catfish OR 3 dwarf corydoras catfish OR 3 line cories OR 3 adalfi's corydoras, and 3 otocinclus plus 2 ghost shrimp if you want. This way you have alagae eaters(otocinclus), bottom feeders (corydoras catfish), midwater fish( tertas)

Answer 6

You can have an inch of fish (at adult size) per gallon of water. So, figure how big your chosen fish will be at full size and with a 20 gal you can have 20in of fish.

Answer 7

you can have a lot of neons because they are small. there are lots of different algae eaters. try to find one that stays small or he will take over your tank. the chinese algae eater also isn't really an algae eater. they eat algae when they are young but prefer the tasty slime coat on your other fish.

Answer 8

let's put it this way, it's an inch of fish for each gallon of water. you can have 20 inches of fish, so that's about 15 or so fish.