What type of fish would you put in your 20 gallon aquarium if you had one?

Question

I'm really considering getting a 20 gallon and thought about putting some tiger barbs, but what are some ideas if you had one?

Those are some dumb *** answers.

Wow, everyone has got a thumbs down....

Where's MagicMan when ya need him?

YO F U C K YOU PUFFER MAN. I ONLY SAID THAT AFTER THE FIRST TWO ANSWER! FIRST BECAUSE I SAID WHAT TYPE OF FISH TO PUT IN NOT TURTLES AND 2ND BECAUSE THAT'S JUST CRAZY AS HELL! SO F U C K YO DUMB A S S!

HOW BOUT YOU DON'T SAY S H I T TO ME ANYMORE UNTIL YOU GET YOUR F U C K I N FACTS STAIGHT?

THIS IS MY THREAD YOU CRACK HEAD! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT NEEDS TO STOP POSTING S H I T!

Answer 1

I'm sure MM will come along, but maybe I can help you a bit in the mean time.

Thumbs down for two reasons. The first, is that they are stupid suggestions. Jack Dempsey in a 20 gallon tank? Utterly irresponsible. Convicts or Angels - pushing it, not recommended. A pair of Oscars - as stupid a suggestion as you'll ever hear. I get the feeling you already realize this.

The second is that people give thumbs down because THEY don't like them, and no other reason. Guppies was a fine suggestion, but got thumbs downs probably because those people aren't into guppies. Not a good reason for a thumbs down, but there it is. And I've found sometimes people just like to do it for the heck of it.

The truth is, small peaceful community fish are best because this is a small tank. Tiger barbs are very feisty and grow larger then most realize - you can do a group of them, but then you need to be very careful of what you put in with them because of their size and nature. Personally, I wouldn't keep them in this size of tank at all, but that doesn't mean it's impossible, just that I always play it safest. On the other hand, cherry and rosy barbs are also active, yet more easily kept with other community tank mates and in a smaller tank.

My 15 gallon is a shorter version of the standard 20 gallon. I keep a Betta, a school of cardinal tetra's, a small group of corydora catfish, a couple of amano shrimp, and a couple of oto catfish. And lots of plants. Nice variety, all peaceful fish that co-exist without issues, and none that will outgrow the tank. I highly recommend this type of community set-up.

Another option you have if you want something a little more interesting, is dwarf cichlids, like Rams, kribensis, or apistogramma. or for a different type of tank altogether, shell dwellers from lake Tanganyika.

Answer 2

I have always wanted tiger barbs too, but I never had the guts because I heard they were semi-aggressive. But they come in several colors. If you have plenty of plants (fake or real) to break up the territories and not too many barbs, you could have a barb dedicated tank. I might just try it, now that I think about it. Maybe four tiger barbs and a Mini crab with three or four mystery snail for algae cleanup. That way tiger barbs could be the only fish but not the only livestock. What do you think?

Answer 3

If you are new to fish then I would suggest getting one type of fish at first. Prove to yourself that you can keep them alive and healthy for a few months and then proceed to stock your community. This will prevent you from coming here with one of those "all my fish are dead" posts. Keep it simple while you get used to the weekly maintenance and feeding. Start off with a small school of a small fish, like rasboras or tetras. Rasboras are tougher and friendlier then tetras, so maybe look at some harlequins, for example. Then later, you can add a group of bottom dwellers, such as corydora catfish. And then you might add a centerpiece fish or two, such as a betta, or a couple of honey gouramis. And of course, creatures like nerite snails, mystery snails, and shrimp are always nice to have in a community aquarium. HOWEVER, you only got your tank yesterday, so make sure you research the "aquarium cycle". If you don't cycle your aquarium properly, things will get ugly. Fishless cycles are safest and will save fish from harm. Cycling with fish is possible, but needs to be done carefully with knowledge and foresight.

Answer 4

Wow, most of those were dumb. Betta Chris was completely right though. You can't have too many Tiger Barbs in there, they are a fairly large fish and will get stressed if you keep too many (not enough space). If you keep with the 8 Tiger Barbs idea, you could add 3-5 Yo-yo Loaches, they are always a fun fish to own and watch.

Nosoop4u

Answer 5

It depends on if you want a community fish, a semi aggressive fish, an aggressive fish, brackish water, fresh water or salt water. Do you want to invest a lot of money or just some money - If I was doing fresh water, I would get some corydoras for the bottom of the tank, some tetras and some guppies, mollies or swordfish. For brackish water it would be a semi aggressive tank and not as many fish since they are bigger, and salt water would be a huge investment with just a fish or two for the size of the tank.

Answer 6

really what i would do is look up all sorts of different fish and decide if i want the fish to be saltwater or fresh water.
then the rest is to see what breeds will get along. Black moors and fantails are my favorite. also i would put in an algae eater or two.

I hope you have fun with your decision!

Answer 7

Personally I like bright and colorful....You can do quite a bit with a 20 gal...A few tiger barbs, a couple angels, some gouramis, and maybe some different kinds of tetras, like the Serpae, or black tetra, not the skirted ones, because the barbs and angels, and gouramis come to think of it, will nip.

Answer 8

what shape, 20 long or 20 high.

i own alot of both.

Longer tanks are better, as you can stock more via the extra surface area. High tanks you cant stock as much for the lack of surface area.


tiger barbs are ok, but they are larger barbs and like to school.

So you will be limited on stocking.

for a long:
12 tigers,
5 corys.

high:
8 tigers,
5 cories.


thats a good mix.


Edit: sometimes the answers you want arent the ones yur going to get. and maybe thats for a reason.... while some of them arent right, but then again, some are....

Answer 9

If you like tiger barbs then get them But for me it would be plain old guppies, because

- there colourful
-there hardy + easy to care for
-there the easiest fish out there to breed

But it really depends on what fish you like, Just remember on the cycle process.

Good site to help you :
http://www.firsttankguide.net/steps.php

Answer 10

Since I've always wanted some clown fish, I would probably put those in there, along with some other tropical community fish. Either that, or fill it with guppies and start breeding them.