what type of fish to put in 20 gallon tank nothing smaller than 3 inches?

Answer 1

i ve had a 20g tank for along time, many of them. iput goldfish in, cause goldfish are really cheap and if they die and stuff they are only like50cents for a new one lol.

also i have put in those sharks you buy at wal mart, and guppies are good, and barbs are cool. tiger barbs are really cool.

but my favorite fish is called a convict. sometimes they are hard to find , but in pet stores you can usually find them, or like people sell them on the internet lots cause they are really easy to breed.

they are a cool fish, they are chichlid convicts, http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/convict_pair_with_fry_2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.aquariumfish.net/information/raising_baby_fish_2.htm&h=260&w=240&sz=15&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=MtrsbJFYOwh15M:&tbnh=112&tbnw=103&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dconvict%2Bfish%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B2GGFB_enCA249%26sa%3DN
go there and you will see what they look like, they can get big but if they are kept in a smaller tank, they will stay smaller, they are my favorite fish, they are active and stuff, they dont just sit around like some fish, they dont cost alot, and they look cool. allso they can have lots of babies if you know how and you can sell them and stuff.

thats my favorite fish for a small tank like that, they are friggen cool.
but also if you go here,
there is some fish you can get
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/feedingfis1/a/dietarytypes.htm
if you go there, then you will find the list of the fish names,
and if you want to know what each fish looks like,
just go to google.com
and click images, then type in each of the fish names from that list,

and the convicts can get bigger than 3 inches but i did not see that you had put nothing smaller than 3 inches, but you shouldnt have a fish that is bigger than 3 inches in a 20g tank, that is way too big a fish for a tank like that. unless maybe you have only one or tow fish.\
my brother had two 6 inch piranha in a small tank like that, but in reality it is inhumane to put them in such a small tank because in the wild they are in lakes lol.

but chiclid convicts can get big, koi fish can get big too, many sharks get big, or like you can get an oscar fish,
just type them in google image search,

sorry this was long,

Answer 2

2-3 more cories for sure. Than maybe 3-4 same sex platies and a betta. But have a back up tank in case the betta doesnt get along with the others. or about 6-8 green fire tetras or cherry barbs and a betta

Answer 3

Oscars are the worst, most irresponsible suggestion made in this thread. They grow huge, they're very messy, and just one needs at least 50 gallons for itself!

Sharks are also a very poor suggestion - any fish with this label attached to the name is automatically unsuitable to this tank. Bala sharks, which get to a foot long? I.D. sharks, which grow over two feet long? Black sharks, which get to over 6" long and are very territorial? I'd like to know just what fish people have in mind when they recommend it.

I know you don't want anything smaller then 3 inches, but keep in mind 20 gallons is a small tank and you can't go with much bigger before it comes very confining for the fish. Those who want larger fish must invest in larger tanks if they have any interest in actually providing good homes, not just containers for them to float around in.

You can squeeze in a pair of smallish cichids like firemouths or convicts - it's a bit tight but you can make it work - either type would need the whole tank to themselves, and you should research them to learn how to obtain a pair, since unpaired cichlids like these won't work for long. An even better type, if you can find them, is the Keyhole cichlid - they grow to about 5" long, and are much more mild natured, making them more suitable to the restrictions of the tank.

There is another cichlid from lake Malawi called the Electric Yellow/Yellow Lab which is pretty mild and laid back for the type of fish they are. They get to about 4-5" long and while again it is a bit of a squeeze, you can get away with a small group of 3 or 4 in this tank.

How about going with one slightly larger community fish, like a gourami (but not a giant type, but one like the Pearl gourami), as the centerpiece and choosing the rest of the fish to be smaller and more suitable?

A goldfish will work - it won't grow to its full size obviously, but in this tank, as long as you maintain it well, you can get many years out of one anyway.

Answer 4

high or long..it matters.

guess that u mean emtpy tank, then try looking into smaller but still larger than 3 inch barbs. tiger barbs are in the 3-4 inch range, blue gouramies , spanner barbs, swordtails.

theres a lot that fit in that range.

Answer 5

well here is some.Platys and mollies grow to be 2-2.5 inches.thats almost 3. and the platy fish are very colorfull to. dont get guppys they breed like CRAZY.ik there was someone else who said to get them but dont!!! and gouramis are nice fish. there 3 inches. I got pictures. the first 2 are platys and the second 2 are dwarf gouramis.
http://web.tiscali.it/acquario2000/images/platy.JPG
http://www.elacuarista.com/arcoiris/images/platy_sunset2.jpg
http://www.biol.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/users/naibunpi/Image/Gourami-photo-old.jpg
http://www.petfishtalk.com/images/gourami_neon_blue_male.jpg
good luck!

Answer 6

u can keep a pair of convicts in a 20 gallon
or some kind of dwarf cichlids they are great but most of them are pretty expensive also expecially appistogammas

Answer 7

What about an OScar? I have an oscar in a 20 gallon and just love him to bits.
Or Archer fish or puffer fish?
It really depends on what you are looking for in a fish. And what your set up for the tank is. And how many fish you want. if you want colorfulfish or otherwise.

Answer 8

Nothing smaller than 3",probably only one or two fish. Any kind.

Answer 9

as said before, oscars, they are cool but a 20 gal, whould be way to small, as they grow to be very big, i whould go with some sharks they are also a very cool fish

Answer 10

gahpy, thank god there are people like you here! its great to see that other people care about what happens to fish!