Betta tank, will this work?

[Fishies4Ever]

I am planning on getting a 20 gallon long in a year or so. My first question is will it be okay to put a 20 gallon on a dresser? Most dressers I think can hold about 170 but the tank will weigh at least 225. My plan is to have one beta not sure what kind yet, 6 ember tetras, 5 panda Cory cats, and 3 or 4 kuhli loaches. Is that to much I am hoping it will work. I know the Cory’s and kuhlis will compete for food. Could I hand feed them in a way and what would I feed them? The plants I am planning on having are…
Amazon sword
Some kind of crytocoryn
Red root floaters
Some time of Anubias
Java fern
And I’ll use liquid plant fertilizer. I want to do black sand that called Galaxy black sand. Would it be ok for the kuhli’s and Cory’s. I feel like I herd somewhere that Cory’s get stressed out with really white sand and I feel like black will give it a cool look. Does this all sound good any advice is greatly appreciated!!! Last thing would I be able to mix black kuhli loaches with the striped one like get two of each and they’ll be good or do I just have to get the one color variation?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Why do you want to put a betta with tetras? They'll rip its fins to shreds. I personally won't put a betta in a community tank...seems like I'm in a minority group these days where bettas are concerned

 

[sharkweek178]

I am planning on getting a 20 gallon long in a year or so. My first question is will it be okay to put a 20 gallon on a dresser? Most dressers I think can hold about 170 but the tank will weigh at least 225.

I wouldn't. You don't know if the dresser is structurally designed to hold that kind of weight for a sustained period. Water spills are unavoidable in fishkeeping. You don't know how water will affect the material that it's made of.
Another issue is if you use the drawers, the sound is liable to scare the fish.
It's really best to keep a tank on something that is designed specifically for that purpose.

 

[Byron]

Itis not advisable to put any fish in with a male betta. I know a few say they have done it, but that doesn't mean it works or the fish are OK by doing it. And it is a two-way street. Bettas are territorial and may decide he does not want other fish in his space. Or as already mentioned, many small shoaling fish (tetras, etc) love to nip the fins of a sedate betta.

A 20g long is a good tank for nano fish, but not with a betta. Another thing I see, numbers. Shoaling fish (all tetras, rasboras, corys, loaches, etc) need a decent-sized group or they will be under stress. A minimum of 10 is best. Also, I would not combine cories and loaches, though admittedly kuhliis are not as bad as would be the botine species, but still nota good idea. You could get a good sized group of cories to let them be more relaxed, and that would be better for the fish.

I agree with others here on the stand...aquarium is heavy, very heavy, a 20g will be around 200 pounds and it needs a strong support so it does not move or wobble at all, which can cause leaks.

 

[Fishies4Ever]

Why do you want to put a betta with tetras? They'll rip its fins to shreds. I personally won't put a betta in a community tank...seems like I'm in a minority group these days where bettas are concerned

Thank you for the advice. I hadn’t realized. I have herd that schooling fish such as tetras are good with betas just as long as they are not super active and are fin nippers but I guess that info was incorrect.

 

[Fishies4Ever]

Itis not advisable to put any fish in with a male betta. I know a few say they have done it, but that doesn't mean it works or the fish are OK by doing it. And it is a two-way street. Bettas are territorial and may decide he does not want other fish in his space. Or as already mentioned, many small shoaling fish (tetras, etc) love to nip the fins of a sedate betta.

A 20g long is a good tank for nano fish, but not with a betta. Another thing I see, numbers. Shoaling fish (all tetras, rasboras, corys, loaches, etc) need a decent-sized group or they will be under stress. A minimum of 10 is best. Also, I would not combine cories and loaches, though admittedly kuhliis are not as bad as would be the botine species, but still nota good idea. You could get a good sized group of cories to let them be more relaxed, and that would be better for the fish.

I agree with others here on the stand...aquarium is heavy, very heavy, a 20g will be around 200 pounds and it needs a strong support so it does not move or wobble at all, which can cause leaks.

Thank you I have seen people test dressers to see if they can hold the weight of a fishtank by having a bunch of people sit on it and examine if it looks sturdy. I am not to worried about the water dripping I don’t usually spill and if I do I instantly wipe it up. I will also have a good lid that will keep water from flying out from filter, fish etc. I don’t really have enough room for a stand by itself because I am planning on doing a 60 gallon peacock tank. The 20 gallon was just an idea, I currently have a 10 gallon on a dresser and it seems pretty good but I’ll defiantly have to think of some solutions.

 

[GaryE]

It's hard to know when a shoaler will nip. Not all individuals within a species will, and often all it takes is one curious leader, and the fin eating festival is on.

The debate on community Bettas is never ending, and is an "either/or, yes/no" argument. Those tend to be a waste of time. Read both sides and see where you are comfortable with the reasons offered.

Kuhli loaches and Corys though - that one I hate! A 20 is a small tank, and having two species from across the planet from each other competing in one niche is a lot worse than having a grouchy Betta. Neither will be at ease - competition is to be avoided in tank set ups.

I have a dresser here that could hold a thirty. It's well built, braced inside, and old. Newer furniture makers cut corners, and I wouldn't even consider putting a solid weight on them.

 

[Fishies4Ever]

It's hard to know when a shoaler will nip. Not all individuals within a species will, and often all it takes is one curious leader, and the fin eating festival is on.

The debate on community Bettas is never ending, and is an "either/or, yes/no" argument. Those tend to be a waste of time. Read both sides and see where you are comfortable with the reasons offered.

Kuhli loaches and Corys though - that one I hate! A 20 is a small tank, and having two species from across the planet from each other competing in one niche is a lot worse than having a grouchy Betta. Neither will be at ease - competition is to be avoided in tank set ups.

I have a dresser here that could hold a thirty. It's well built, braced inside, and old. Newer furniture makers cut corners, and I wouldn't even consider putting a solid weight on them.

Thank so much for this advice!! I do feel pretty good about the ember tetras and the beta. I will introduce the beta after the embers so that way he doesn’t take the whole tank for himself and then the embers will be forced into his territory if you know what I mean. It definitely has a good chance of success but also failure but I am willing to try and if it doesn’t work I will have an extra 10 gallon I could use if it gets that bad. The advice with kuhli’s and Cory’s is quite true. I just didn’t know which to choose and I have wanted to have both of them before in the past but never got them. I knew that it probably wouldn’t work out but I wanted to have the idea up there. Do you have a recommendation on which to choose?

 

[Byron]

I remember sitting in front of my 20 g many years ago and seeing the Betta swallow a neon tetra with ease. If you want to risk fish, that's your call. The chance of it working are far on the side of negative. And what will you do when it fails, and you need to separate the fish to save the poor things? Long-time aquarists like Gary and myself can see what inexperienced members cannot, and with a fishroom of several tanks we have back-up plans. I still would never experiment with something as risky as this, it is inhumane to both fish.

 

[Fishies4Ever]

I remember sitting in front of my 20 g many years ago and seeing the Betta swallow a neon tetra with ease. If you want to risk fish, that's your call. The chance of it working are far on the side of negative. And what will you do when it fails, and you need to separate the fish to save the poor things? Long-time aquarists like Gary and myself can see what inexperienced members cannot, and with a fishroom of several tanks we have back-up plans. I still would never experiment with something as risky as this, it is inhumane to both fish.

I do have a back up plan of a 10 gallon. Which I would put the beta in if there was any aggression. Since the betas are usually kept in a 5-10 gallon.

 

[Lcc86]

I do have a back up plan of a 10 gallon. Which I would put the beta in if there was any aggression. Since the betas are usually kept in a 5-10 gallon.

This may be a silly question but why ot keep the 20g as a community tank and the just set up the 10g for the betta from the start? Would save you from any issues between the tetras and the betta.

 

[Fishies4Ever]

This may be a silly question but why ot keep the 20g as a community tank and the just set up the 10g for the betta from the start? Would save you from any issues between the tetras and the betta.

I only have room for the 20 which seams weird since the 10 is smaller. I can only keep fishtanks in my room and it’s a small bedroom so I wouldn’t be able to have the 20,10, and 60 gallon. The 60 gallon will go on a stand across from my bed and the 20 will go on the dresser but I don’t have another place to put a tank. I also kind of like the look with a beta and the schooling fish and I know plenty of people have had success.

 

[sharkweek178]

I only have room for the 20 which seams weird since the 10 is smaller. I can only keep fishtanks in my room and it’s a small bedroom so I wouldn’t be able to have the 20,10, and 60 gallon. The 60 gallon will go on a stand across from my bed and the 20 will go on the dresser but I don’t have another place to put a tank. I also kind of like the look with a beta and the schooling fish and I know plenty of people have had success.

A betta might live with and tolerate (if only momentarily) other fish, but neither are happy. Bettas don't like the company. They are naturally territorial and have been bred to be even more aggressive. The other fish will live in fear of the predator they are being forced to live in the same space wiith and can't get away from.
So a fish keeper might feel successful. But if we could communicate with fish, what would the loner who hates others in it's territory and the smaller fish afraid of being killed at any moment say?
I don't think fish actually have emotions. I'm using terms like happy or hate as a frame of reference for their instincts. The metric we have to work with is actually pretty binary: stressed or not stressed. We want not stressed. That should be our goal. Because we choose to take responsibility for the welfare of these living creatures. And a more pragmatic reason, stress is the number one cause of health problems in fish. Stress weakens their immune system and makes them vulnerable to health problems that they wouldn't necessarily have otherwise.

 

[Fishies4Ever]

Thank you for everyone’s input. I am going to have to brainstorm what I am going to do. I realize that the beta with the schooling fish might not be a very good idea so I might think of some different options for the 20 gallon. Does anyone have any other completely different ideas I could do that are maybe less common?

 

[sharkweek178]

Thank you for everyone’s input. I am going to have to brainstorm what I am going to do. I realize that the beta with the schooling fish might not be a very good idea so I might think of some different options for the 20 gallon. Does anyone have any other completely different ideas I could do that are maybe less common?

One of the things I've learned is that a tank doesn't necessarily need a centerpiece fish. A larger group of the same species can make for some interesting dynamics to watch. Early in the day is when my neon tetras do their dance. They'll chase each other around trying to establish dominance. It's a healthy behavior and they settle into schooling shortly after. Not saying you need to get neons. That's just an example.
If you're looking for a cory for a 20 gallon, I highly recommend pygmy corys. They would go well in a 20 and are a lot of fun to watch. You need at least a dozen or so. They'll be emboldened but the presence of that many conspecifics and you'll see them more.