20 gallon tank(?)

[AfternoonNarwhale]

So i was pondering the ideas of getting a 20 gallon tank… How much can go into a 20 gal? I was thinking of guppies and corydoras, would a 20 gal be big enough for, say 5 guppies, and 6 corys? If so, could a school of (small) tetras go in there too? (Also what Cory species is your favorite/ would recommend?) Sorry for all the questions, I'm still really new to the hobby.

 

[JuiceBox52]

So i was pondering the ideas of getting a 20 gallon tank… How much can go into a 20 gal? I was thinking of guppies and corydoras, would a 20 gal be big enough for, say 5 guppies, and 6 corys? If so, could a school of (small) tetras go in there too? (Also what Cory species is your favorite/ would recommend?) Sorry for all the questions, I'm still really new to the hobby.

Welcome! We can give you lots of great fish to consider but we first need to know your GH. You can usually obtain this info from your local water provider. If it is not on their website try calling them

 

[LarsB]

Water parameters are important , and learning the nitrogen cycle to a functional level. Can you find other locals that raise livebearers and see what their results have been too, always nice to know someone with a mutual interest... But yes, 5 guppys and a half doz corys would work well, but unless you have all male guppies, well ... they ARE like rabbits!! If you have male and female livebearers plan on having a plan of what to do and how to manage the offspring!

 

[Munroco]

Guppies and corries aren't an ideal mix as they prefer different water parameters.

 

[utahfish]

Guppies and livebearers need hard water where as corydora are soft water fish. Depending on your water one of them will suffer.
Having said that follow the general rule of thumb of 1 inch of fish/ gallon of water, keeping in mind that some fish belong in shoals, the maximum size of the fish not current size and the body shape of the fish. Long fish need long tanks wide bodied fish need tall tanks. Also keep in mind that a fish that get 6 to 12 inches isnt going to do well in a 20 gallon so while under the inch/ gallon rule a two 8 inch fish would be. 16 inches of fish in a 20 its silly to think a 20 is large enough for them. The rule does work well though when stocking a 20 with fish that stay around 2 to 3 inches or. Less.
Get the GH of the water used though and then we can suggest suitable fish for that water and tank

 

[PheonixKingZ]

We definitely need your water parameters, ph, GH, Kh, etc.

As @utahfish said, you can always keep guppies if your water parameters are in check. A Betta/shrimp/snail tank would be pretty cool.

 

[Retired Viking]

The tank you are planning to buy is it a 20 gallon tall or a 20 gallon long? that also makes a difference

 

[Byron]

I agree with above (post 7)...a 20g long is 30 inches (75cm) length by 12 inches (30 cm) width, whereas a standard (high) 20g is 24 X 12 inches (60 X 30cm). The former gives you more options for fish.

To go one step further, if you were to decide on the 20g long, there is another tank with the same footprint, a 29g standard. I have two of these in my fish room as I find they are very useful tanks. They are obviously a bit taller than the 20g long, so that means more weight, but worth considering.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I agree with @Byron. The 29g is a very versatile tank. (You have a lot of stocking options)

What many people don’t know about the 20g tall tank, is it has the same exact footprint of a 10g tank. Whereas the 20g long is much bigger. It gives fish a lot more actual swimming space.

 

[Byron]

Fish that need "swimming space" need longer tanks. I think I know what you meant, it just came across a bit mixed. The water volume helps the fish (the more water, the less likely there will be water quality problems). But when it comes to physical space for swimming, active fish need the length to do their "laps" as it were. More sedate fish don't really care about this. And of course tall fish like angels need vertical space, but that is another issue that is not going to occur with such small tanks.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I agree with @Byron. For example, a 38g hex tank is the perfect height for a angle fish. But not for a school of neon tetras. Does this make sense?

 

[Retired Viking]

I also agree with @Byron and @PheonixKingZ I have 3 30Gallon tanks and 1 20 gallon long the 30s are so much better.