Active, colorful and peaceful...
 

That is my goal for my new 20G tank. So far I have the two platys
that came from the 3 gallon tank. Since this is my first foray into
fishkeeping I also want easy and hardy guys, preferably on the smaller
side. After a lot of reading I am considering some combination of the
following:

1 or 2 more platys - I like all the colors they come in, but they do
seem to be kind of lazy and spend a lot
of time just sitting around,
golden barbs
cherry barbs
cardinal tetras
or possibly...
dwarf neon rainbows
harlequin rasboras.

Any suggestions on a good combination choosing from that list?
And which would be best to add first?
Teri

teri wrote:
That is my goal for my new 20G tank. So far I have the two platys
that came from the 3 gallon tank. Since this is my first foray into
fishkeeping I also want easy and hardy guys, preferably on the smaller
side. After a lot of reading I am considering some combination of the
following:

1 or 2 more platys - I like all the colors they come in, but they do
seem to be kind of lazy and spend a lot
of time just sitting around,
golden barbs
cherry barbs
cardinal tetras
or possibly...
dwarf neon rainbows
harlequin rasboras.

Any suggestions on a good combination choosing from that list?
And which would be best to add first?
Teri
Hi,
I've really enjoyed cherry barbs, harlequins and dwarf neon rainbowfish.
Suggestion: get a school of 5, 6 of one of the smaller types of fish
(harlequins or cherry barbs) and see how things go.

Also, is the aquarium pretty well cycled? Perhaps get 2 or 3 cherry
barbs now, and 3 or 4 more in 3-4 weeks?

I think the golden barbs may be more like rosy barbs, active and on the
large side. Could be tough, though. As to cardinals, I had no success
with them the last time I tried, about 1974!

I currently do have some "dwarf" neon rainbow fish, and they're not that
small, perhaps 2.5 to 3 inches. A school of 3 or 4 would be nice in a 20
gallon. Again, build up the population slowly if possible.

I'm a bit envious that you're setting up a new aquarium. You're
considering some very nice fish; good luck!
Steve

In article ,
says...

teri wrote:
That is my goal for my new 20G tank. So far I have the two platys
that came from the 3 gallon tank. Since this is my first foray into
fishkeeping I also want easy and hardy guys, preferably on the smaller
side. After a lot of reading I am considering some combination of the
following:

1 or 2 more platys - I like all the colors they come in, but they do
seem to be kind of lazy and spend a lot
of time just sitting around,
golden barbs
cherry barbs
cardinal tetras
or possibly...
dwarf neon rainbows
harlequin rasboras.

Any suggestions on a good combination choosing from that list?
And which would be best to add first?
Teri
Hi,
I've really enjoyed cherry barbs, harlequins and dwarf neon rainbowfish.
Suggestion: get a school of 5, 6 of one of the smaller types of fish
(harlequins or cherry barbs) and see how things go.

Also, is the aquarium pretty well cycled? Perhaps get 2 or 3 cherry
barbs now, and 3 or 4 more in 3-4 weeks?

I think the golden barbs may be more like rosy barbs, active and on the
large side. Could be tough, though. As to cardinals, I had no success
with them the last time I tried, about 1974!

I currently do have some "dwarf" neon rainbow fish, and they're not that
small, perhaps 2.5 to 3 inches. A school of 3 or 4 would be nice in a 20
gallon. Again, build up the population slowly if possible.

I'm a bit envious that you're setting up a new aquarium. You're
considering some very nice fish; good luck!
Steve


A 20Gal is way too small (IMHO) for Neon dwarf rainbows, my 6 are very
active swimmers and I saw some at the aquarium show at 4 inches (I think
they won a ribbon for bigger then they should be).

Cardinal Tetras can be kinda testy when mating and require very soft
acidic water to do their best.

A good contrast fish for the Barbs listed would be Lemon Tetras, they
grow to about 2 inches and if kept properly, mine got very bright
yellow, if they are stressed they are the washed out lemonade color you
see in the LFS.

--
Jim Anderson
( 8(|) To email me just pull my_finger

On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 01:11:42 GMT, teri wrote:

That is my goal for my new 20G tank. So far I have the two platys
that came from the 3 gallon tank. Since this is my first foray into
fishkeeping I also want easy and hardy guys, preferably on the smaller
side. After a lot of reading I am considering some combination of the
following:

1 or 2 more platys - I like all the colors they come in, but they do
seem to be kind of lazy and spend a lot
of time just sitting around,
golden barbs
cherry barbs
cardinal tetras
or possibly...
dwarf neon rainbows
harlequin rasboras.

Any suggestions on a good combination choosing from that list?
And which would be best to add first?
Teri

Congratulations on your new tank Teri.

I would caution you to not over stock and choose fish which will not
grow too large. In addition I would suggest you include in that mix
one or two scavengers. My 3 Juli Cory Catfish have been healthy and
are less than 2 inches in length, (closer to 1 inch). They are fun to
watch and stay mostly on the gravel.

dick

In article ,
says...

1 or 2 more platys - I like all the colors they come in, but they do
seem to be kind of lazy and spend a lot
of time just sitting around,
golden barbs
cherry barbs
cardinal tetras
or possibly...
dwarf neon rainbows
harlequin rasboras.


Seems to me that 5 or 6 dwarf rainbows, 3 or 4 cory cats, and maybe an
SAE or two would be enough for that tank.

If you must have platys, either make sure they're all the same sex or
find a friend who needs feeders for his/her carnivores :-).

Are you going to use live plants?

--
BNSF = Build Now, Seep Forever

I've really enjoyed cherry barbs, harlequins and dwarf neon rainbowfish.
Suggestion: get a school of 5, 6 of one of the smaller types of fish
(harlequins or cherry barbs) and see how things go.

Also, is the aquarium pretty well cycled? Perhaps get 2 or 3 cherry
barbs now, and 3 or 4 more in 3-4 weeks?
Thanks for the well wishes. I am filing everyone's suggestions and
thoughts.
I will see how the tank cycles for a couple of weeks. I took the blue
filter pad from my cycled penguin mini and put it in the extra space
in the penguin 100, and I am floating the biowheel from the mini in
the tank. So I guess I will know if that is successful over the next
week or so. If so I will then hit the store again.
Right now my thoughts are.... well, actually they change every 15
minutes on what I "think I will get". Leaning towards cherry barbs
and harlequins, but by the time I am done typing it may be something
else from that list. Then, once I get up to That Fish Place in
Lancaster, who knows what the heck will happen :-)
Teri

Corys and cardinal tetras makes perfect match. If I were you, I'll keep 3
corys with 8 cardinals.


Dick wrote:

On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 01:11:42 GMT, teri wrote:

That is my goal for my new 20G tank. So far I have the two platys
that came from the 3 gallon tank. Since this is my first foray into
fishkeeping I also want easy and hardy guys, preferably on the smaller
side. After a lot of reading I am considering some combination of the
following:

1 or 2 more platys - I like all the colors they come in, but they do
seem to be kind of lazy and spend a lot
of time just sitting around,
golden barbs
cherry barbs
cardinal tetras
or possibly...
dwarf neon rainbows
harlequin rasboras.

Any suggestions on a good combination choosing from that list?
And which would be best to add first?
Teri

Congratulations on your new tank Teri.

I would caution you to not over stock and choose fish which will not
grow too large. In addition I would suggest you include in that mix
one or two scavengers. My 3 Juli Cory Catfish have been healthy and
are less than 2 inches in length, (closer to 1 inch). They are fun to
watch and stay mostly on the gravel.

dick

On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 09:10:00 -0700, lgb wrote:

In article ,
says...

1 or 2 more platys - I like all the colors they come in, but they do
seem to be kind of lazy and spend a lot
of time just sitting around,
golden barbs
cherry barbs
cardinal tetras
or possibly...
dwarf neon rainbows
harlequin rasboras.


Seems to me that 5 or 6 dwarf rainbows, 3 or 4 cory cats, and maybe an
SAE or two would be enough for that tank.

If you must have platys, either make sure they're all the same sex or
find a friend who needs feeders for his/her carnivores :-).

Are you going to use live plants?

One caution about adding SAEs in a 20 gallon tank. They get big! I am
worried about mine in 29 and 75 gallon tanks. After only 2 years they
are now larger than my Clown Loaches and seem to be still growing. The
larger ones are over 5 inches and they live long lives. I bought a
total of 15 because I found them so attractive. They were only a
couple of inches in length 2 years ago. I agree with the sentiment,
they are fun fish, but they can become large.

dick

On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 04:31:17 -0500, Dick
wrote:

One caution about adding SAEs in a 20 gallon tank. They get big! I am
worried about mine in 29 and 75 gallon tanks. After only 2 years they
are now larger than my Clown Loaches and seem to be still growing. The
larger ones are over 5 inches and they live long lives. I bought a
total of 15 because I found them so attractive. They were only a
couple of inches in length 2 years ago. I agree with the sentiment,
they are fun fish, but they can become large.

dick

How many SAEs should one have at a minimum? I'm not thinking about how
much algae they can eat but if they are a fish which should be kept in
groups? Is 2 or 3 two few for them to do okay behaviourally or
socially?

-Derek

In article ,
says...

How many SAEs should one have at a minimum? I'm not thinking about how
much algae they can eat but if they are a fish which should be kept in
groups? Is 2 or 3 two few for them to do okay behaviourally or
socially?

I understand that they do like company, but I have one in each of two
tanks and they seem to be thriving without other SAEs. The one does
sometimes hang out with the cory cats.

--
BNSF = Build Now, Seep Forever