Trying to decide what to do with my stocking in my 20 gallon

[OliveFish05]

Hello. I have a 20 gallon tank, it is 30x12x12. The current stocking is
11 Pygmy cories
1 BN pleco
5 neon tetra
2 honey gourami
3 nerite snails

I know the neon tetras and the honey gourami need bigger groups, so I am trying to figure out what to do. I started out with 3 honey gourami and 11 neon tetras, and through a series of events explained here - https://www.fishforums.net/threads/i-am-so-beyond-frustrated.479049/
I am now in a place of having to either buy more or take them to my LFS and go a different direction with the tank. I am entirely open to either option, I want to do what is best for all the fish involved. There is some possibility that the Cories are stressed by the presence of the larger fish, so I would like to take that into consideration too. I am leaning towards taking the honeys back but want to hear some of y’alls opinions, in case I’m not thinking of something. I am also wanting to see if anyone has any fish suggestions that would be a better fit for my tank than the honeys.

The tank is a 20 gallon, water is soft with a GH of 5. Sand bottom, moderately planted. Lots of floating plants. Driftwood. I am hoping for something peaceful and small. I would love something kind of unique or uncommon, but if I don’t find anything I’ll up the school size of the Cories and the neons and take the honeys back. I am looking at Pygmy Sunfish, but having a hard time finding info on their water parameter needs and temperament. @Kolykaf

*Please note, I am just throwing this out there to start making a plan. I am going to let my tank settle and re establish before introducing any new fish*

 

[Byron]

You certainly should increase the neon tetra to a group of 10-12. This is a good match with the pygmy cories because both do better in slightly cooler water than many "tropicals" prefer, temperature in the 75-76F/24-25C range is good.

The Honey Gourami might depend upon the genders, assuming you are wondering about their compatibility. This wouldn't be my choice, but that is because of my lack of enthusiasm for this species. There are some smaller gourami that could work (but the temperature may be an issue, gourami are generally warmer water fish).

With smallish tanks as here, I prefer small-sized fish as you can have larger groups, and more species, which makes (in my eye anyway) a more interesting tank. If you decide on this approach, you now have primarily lower level fish (the pygmies do swim throughout the water column if there are branches, chunks of wood, and/or plants higher up), and surface-area fish would be good to consider (the gourami obviously provide this if you keep them).

 

[OliveFish05]

You certainly should increase the neon tetra to a group of 10-12. This is a good match with the pygmy cories because both do better in slightly cooler water than many "tropicals" prefer, temperature in the 75-76F/24-25C range is good.

The Honey Gourami might depend upon the genders, assuming you are wondering about their compatibility. This wouldn't be my choice, but that is because of my lack of enthusiasm for this species. There are some smaller gourami that could work (but the temperature may be an issue, gourami are generally warmer water fish).

With smallish tanks as here, I prefer small-sized fish as you can have larger groups, and more species, which makes (in my eye anyway) a more interesting tank. If you decide on this approach, you now have primarily lower level fish (the pygmies do swim throughout the water column if there are branches, chunks of wood, and/or plants higher up), and surface-area fish would be good to consider (the gourami obviously provide this if you keep them).

I am afraid I may have two male honeys, I have noticed one is more dominant and occasionally chases the other, who spends most of his time by the sponge filter hiding. I have honestly just found the honeys to be overall unappealing... they just look fat angry...

I love the color of the neon tetras, and I adore my Pygmy Cories. I’m thinking about upping both schools to 18.

 

[StripySnailGirl04]

MORE SNAILS!!!!!!!!!!
Mystery, rabbit, nerite, ramshorns....

 

[OliveFish05]

MORE SNAILS!!!!!!!!!!
Mystery, rabbit, nerite, ramshorns....

I would love to add a jade mystery snail and a magenta mystery snail

 

[anewbie]

Should consider the removal of the BN. Not sure what type you have but if a regular bn it can grow to 5-6 inches and will be too large for a 20 long. Some of the colour morphs like super red and lemon will stay smaller (esp if females).
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If you don't like the honey then take them back ot the LFS; everyone will be happier. Also sometime thick lips are sold as honey so it is possible they are not honey at all and that would explain the aggression.

 

[OliveFish05]

Should consider the removal of the BN. Not sure what type you have but if a regular bn it can grow to 5-6 inches and will be too large for a 20 long. Some of the colour morphs like super red and lemon will stay smaller (esp if females).
-
If you don't like the honey then take them back ot the LFS; everyone will be happier. Also sometime thick lips are sold as honey so it is possible they are not honey at all and that would explain the aggression.

My LFS sells thick lip gourami and honey gourami, the thick lips are much larger than the honeys! Interesting about the Pleco. I have the common brown color, and he’s a male. I am entirely able to take him back too, I told myself when I bought it that if it was a male I would take it back and switch it out for a different one, so I definitely could get a super red instead. I was under the impression that a 20 long was sufficient space for the pleco (especially when they utilize the sides of the tank and the large pieces of driftwood), and it the biggest thing was maintaining the water quality?

 

[anewbie]

My LFS sells thick lip gourami and honey gourami, the thick lips are much larger than the honeys! Interesting about the Pleco. I have the common brown color, and he’s a male. I am entirely able to take him back too, I told myself when I bought it that if it was a male I would take it back and switch it out for a different one, so I definitely could get a super red instead. I was under the impression that a 20 long was sufficient space for the pleco (especially when they utilize the sides of the tank and the large pieces of driftwood), and it the biggest thing was maintaining the water quality?

Well a few comment; a male will demand a cave; and if he doesn't like the ones you provide he will dig up everything in site until he is comfortable he has made one. My experience with plain brown is the male will grow to full size - it isn't that they are 5-6 inch long but they are a *big* 5-6 inch long. They have a high bio load and take a lot of space. To be honest in a 20 long i wouldln't keep anything larger than a clown pleco (if you must have a pleco). A clown pleco is not just shorter but also thinner and generally smaller. Of course you won't see him for months at a time if he finds a nice hiding spot.

The choice is yours but my first hand experience is that bn (and generally speaking pleco) don't work well in a 20 long. In my 29 i had to get rid of a lovely full size male lemon bn that i raised from 1/2 inch because he was just too big. I now have a 1 inch lemon bn in the 29 (was sort of a rescue from another tank; he hatched and escaped the dreaded nannacara); and when he gets around 3 inches or so i will likely have to dump him (give him away). I do have a 2 year old super red in a 29 but she is only 3ish inch and is a very deep red ( as read as my swordtails are red).

For a 20 long i'd stick with nerite snails (even if they make a mess with those annoying eggs) or otto (otto are wonderful but require a well seasoned tank); they can be a bit like pygmy cory but not really because they are larger and spend a lot of time sticking to things.

 

[OliveFish05]

Well a few comment; a male will demand a cave; and if he doesn't like the ones you provide he will dig up everything in site until he is comfortable he has made one. My experience with plain brown is the male will grow to full size - it isn't that they are 5-6 inch long but they are a *big* 5-6 inch long. They have a high bio load and take a lot of space. To be honest in a 20 long i wouldln't keep anything larger than a clown pleco (if you must have a pleco). A clown pleco is not just shorter but also thinner and generally smaller. Of course you won't see him for months at a time if he finds a nice hiding spot.

The choice is yours but my first hand experience is that bn (and generally speaking pleco) don't work well in a 20 long. In my 29 i had to get rid of a lovely full size male lemon bn that i raised from 1/2 inch because he was just too big. I now have a 1 inch lemon bn in the 29 (was sort of a rescue from another tank; he hatched and escaped the dreaded nannacara); and when he gets around 3 inches or so i will likely have to dump him (give him away). I do have a 2 year old super red in a 29 but she is only 3ish inch and is a very deep red ( as read as my swordtails are red).

For a 20 long i'd stick with nerite snails (even if they make a mess with those annoying eggs) or otto (otto are wonderful but require a well seasoned tank); they can be a bit like pygmy cory but not really because they are larger and spend a lot of time sticking to things.

Ah. That breaks my heart, I love plecos. A family member is considering setting up a 150 gallon tank for her goldfish, so I may see if she wants him in there. I’ll look into ottos. How many nerites could I have? Would Mystery snails be an option?

 

[OliveFish05]

@PheonixKingZ how does your pleco do in your 20 gallon? Is yours a male or a female?

 

[OliveFish05]

Ok, whelp I’m down to 10 Pygmy Cories. Found this little guy laying on the substrate like this this morning. I am testing the water now and doing a water change today. Could it have been bullied by the honey gourami? I have never once seen the honeys go after a cory, but if this was caused by one of the honeys I will take them back to the LFS today if I can!

 

[anewbie]

There are a lot of factors as to why it died; including age; water condition; how long you had them; if it was tank raised or wild caught, ... I have 8 or 10 pymgy - but the first group i purchased didn't do so well (they were tank raised); the second group none of them died in 2 years (they were wild caught). My water isn't great for pygmy (kh 3 ph 7); but it isn't too bad.

 

[Essjay]

And there's the fallout from uncle's koi as well.

 

[OliveFish05]

There are a lot of factors as to why it died; including age; water condition; how long you had them; if it was tank raised or wild caught, ... I have 8 or 10 pymgy - but the first group i purchased didn't do so well (they were tank raised); the second group none of them died in 2 years (they were wild caught). My water isn't great for pygmy (kh 3 ph 7); but it isn't too bad.

The GH is 5, ph is 7.5, Kh is 4 I think. I have had these Pygmy Cories less than a year. Do you see the red damage at the base of its stomach? I can get a better photo if that’s too dark

 

[OliveFish05]

And there's the fallout from uncle's koi as well.

Yes. Ughhhh. I am about to go test the water