Help Redoing my 20g

[mandi]

Well I sold my platys back to the LFS and I'm slowly selling all of the fry back as they get large enough as well.

I'll be left with:
- 3 otos
- 5 zebra danios (which I'm considdering trading in also)
- 1 julii cory (my other two just died a couple days ago & I need to get more so this guy won't be lonely, but the LFS was out )

Anyway, I'd like to try something new in my tank (20 gallon long). The only fish I *definately* want to keep are my otos (I love those lil guys haha) and I want some more corys. Other than that I'm open to suggestions. No more livebearers though (or anything else that produces fry like crazy).

Ideas that have passed through my head (not getting ALL of these, but one or the other):
- gourami's (dwarf ones maybe?)
- some neon or cardinal tetras
- some type of small cichlids (german ram maybe? -- I know NOTHING about cichlids, so I need to do some research on them).

Can you all suggest some specific fish to research? (Or a couple new types that would get along well in my tank?)

 

[Dwarfs]

Get a few more cories, definately Even a different species would cheer your single fella up I would avoid dwarf gouramis, as they usually carry disease do to inbreeding and other problems with how they get their colors. Honey gouramis get about the same size but are healthier. Rams would be good, as would other dwarf cichlids (like apistos, nannacara or laetecara), and tetras would be ok also. Otos are good for algae problems and rubbernose plecos are too, these would also make cool inhabitants to the tank

 

[mandi]

Oh! I'll have to look up all those cichlid names you just mentioned. Like I said, I know NOTHING about that type of fish, so maybe it would be a nice change & a challenge

As for corys ... I'd like to get 2 more julii (so I'd have 3) and 3 panda ... unless you think 6 corys in a 20g would be too much? Though with 6 corys & 3 otos ... I wouldn't be able to add much before I'd be overstocked. Hmmm.

Ah well, this is why I think things over for weeks before I go buy anything haha.

 

[Dwarfs]

Oh! I'll have to look up all those cichlid names you just mentioned. Like I said, I know NOTHING about that type of fish, so maybe it would be a nice change & a challenge

As for corys ... I'd like to get 2 more julii (so I'd have 3) and 3 panda ... unless you think 6 corys in a 20g would be too much?

The laetecara and nannacara may be hard to find, and the Apistogrammas can be pretty expensive, but if you can find some that fit your budget it would work out pretty well

 

[maestro]

German rams or Gold rams

I love my rams, there the prettiest tropical fish imo and have great character, they gently attacked my hand when i was cleaning algae because they were lookign after there eggs.

There also try and fight of the gravel cleaner not in an overly agressive way though

 

[Dwarfs]

Blue/golden/German rams are pretty cool, I don't usually like to recommend them because mine always died within a week or 2 Bolivian rams are pretty hardy but mine had camallanus nematodes which are nearly impossible to kill, so I officially don't like them either

 

[maestro]

It depends what stock you get, i searched round for ages and got nice fat ones, not the skinny ones you see at most fish shops, they wont last long

 

[MXPX4318]

I love my german blue ram, he is full of character, he likes to attack my fingers through the glass, and flares at me anytime I come near the tank or clean, do water changes, etc. They are beautiful fish and he's doing great, I've had him since the end of october so about a month now with no problems.

edit: mine is in a 20g reg. with 5 gold barbs, 6 raspora espre, 3 "julii" cories (a bit overstocked but I do 20% water changes twice a week so never see any problems with chemistry and none of the fish ever bump into each other, if I decide to get my male a female friend or two I might be moving either the rasporas or barbs out, as I think then it will be a bit crowded).

 

[sylvia]

What about a pearl gourami (the most beautiful gourami and very peaceful too)? Or a thick-lipped gourami (colisa labiosa) or a banded/striped/giant/indian gourami (colisa fasciata)? These last two are very similar in appearance to the dwarf gourami and resemble some of its color morphs but are larger, healthier and stil just as peaceful. If you got a thick-lipped gourami ( the smallest of those I mentioned) you could still get a couple of rams and keep those danios too.