GouramiGuy

Hello! this is my first post. I just finished my nitrogen cycle a couple weeks ago on my 20 gallon tank and I have just finished stocking it with 5 dwarf gouramis, 2 barbs, and 1 cory catfish. I know that the 1 inch of fish per gallon of water rule, is just an estimate, and this leaves me with 25inches of fish and I am wondering if my filtration will keep up??

I have one aquaclear 20 gallon power filter and a undergravel filter

Butterfly

The 1 inch per gallon rule is really just a guideline but you are just a bit over stocked. I'm afraid that many Dwarf Gouramis in that size tank will prove to be an aggression problem. I hope not. They are such beautiful fish.
The GPH(gallons per hour) on the Aquaclear 20 is 100 gph. You really want to shoot for 10 x your gallons to get your correct gph. for example; 20gallons x 10 =200 gph. This means your filter will circulate 200gallons of water through in an hour.
With the tank this overstocked, more filtration would be a definate plus
hope this helps.
carol

Butters

Well, I would say going by the sorta-kinda-maybe guidelines of inch per rule thing you are good to go, BUT! if those are all male dwarf gouramis, there will most likley be a war in your tank with the barbs and cory being switzerland.

my advice to you is this: take back 4 of the dwarf gouramis, get 4 more barbs and 2 or 3 more cories. Trust me, I'm sure your fish (and you!) will be much happier.

I gotta ask though, what kind of barbs? just realized you just said barbs and not cherry barbs.

sirdarksol

Got to agree with Butterfly and Butters. Gourami can be territorial, and that many in a relatively small space will likely not do well with each other.
Labyrinth fish can be pretty vicious to each other.

pinkfloydpuffer

Butters-
from his aquarium info it looks like they're probably tiger barbs.

GouramiGuy-
I agree with what's been said. Gouramis can be pretty territorial. Cories are absoluely adorable, and so much fun. They'd love to have a few more friends

sirdarksol

Hmmm... Tiger barbs. More reason to take most of the gouramis back.
If they aren't given a proper school, tiger barbs get nippy. They usually need five or six of them to spread their aggression out. Otherwise, they can turn on each other, or worse, on the other tankmates.

Butters

I probably should have looked at that before I asked the question

But, if you do want to keep the barbs, get at least 4 more so they dont nip like crazy.

GouramiGuy

Its too late the one tiger barb died from the stress or something, and the other one looks like he's on the way out.
My gouramis have been very docile to each other and they are different species: I have 2 flame red dwarfs and 2 regular dwarfs along with a pearl dwarf. The flame red ones are definently a pair of male and female, as well as the regular ones

GouramiGirl1221

Pearls are not dwarf gouramis, they are a different breed and will get to be about 4". Caution will need to be taken with your male dwarfs, but if they are alright as of yet then I would use a watch and wait method if you don't want to get rid of them. Another option could be that you take back one of your males and get another female, which would be the safest option. I understand the obsession...when I'm done stocking my 55 gal I will have 5 dwarf gouramis, but only one will be male as the powder blue that I have is very territorial towards other gouramis.

GouramiGuy

Gourami Girl,

You are right about the obsession the Gouramis are soo beautiful Iknew that the pearl was not a dwarf but he is a comparable size with the dwarfs and I tend to classify him as one. My barb is getting used to being a loner and has been eating an exploring the tank. However my female Gourami has been laying in the planted corner of my tank for the last 3 days, somewhat concerning.

pinkfloydpuffer

I'm sorry, but I find it humorous for some reason that Gourami Guy and Gourami Girl are having a little convo here. How precious lol

GouramiGirl1221

Which female gourami? Is she eating? My little guy loves to hang out in the plants quite a but as well, but he's taken to the floating water sprite I got for him now so he's more visible.

GouramiGuy

the flame red dwarf female It is eating and looks normal.

Lucy

I agree, Pink!

GouramiGuy

I was also wondering if anybody knew the gallon per hour rating of a penguin mini power filter, I got mine from somebody else and i think it is a older version of it because it does not have a bio-wheel. If this filter has a higher gph rate I will interchange it with my aquaclear filter.

MissMTS

lol. I was thinking the same thing

GouramiGuy

If nobody will answer my filter/stocking question, because there too busy laughing I will post it somewhere else!!

Butters

The gph should be on the box you got it in, at least thats where all mine showd it.

GouramiGuy

Did I forget to mention that I got it used??

sirdarksol

Sorry. I checked on DrsFoster and Smith, and I can't find any Penguins that don't have the wheel. You're probably right, it's probably pretty old. All of my filters are Tetra brand, so I have no idea what the rating would be on yours.

Beeker

I agree with butters, butterfly, and sirdarksol that you should take one of your males and your pearl gouramis back. You have too many gouramis which is an aggression issue waiting to happen, and you have only one or two fish that are species that like to school. Your best bet would be to take back a male and the pearl and get more cories and barbs instead. That will solve your stocking problem and your awaiting aggression problem.

Or you can get a 75 gallon tank, fill it with plants and then keep your gouramis and also get more of your schoolers. Hehe, that's what I would do. Oh, sorry. My MTS is showing through.

BTW, Butters answered your filter question in the very first reply. And my guess about the missing biowheel is that it was simply misplaced. If you bought it used, it sounds like the person you bought it from lost the biowheel.

Lucy

I'm sorry, we weren't laughing at you. It was just cute.

It took members while to get to the filter question because of the title of your thread.
It's ok to start a new thread for a new question.

GouramiGuy

I did start a new thread under filtration.

Torez

that is ironic.




banana mafia

GouramiGuy

okay torez how did you get thet banana mafia thing?? Thats so cool!!!