New Fish Or Old?

I have two tanks right now. My 20 gallon long tank is an established tank for quite some time with platies and tetras. I have a newer 20 gallon tall tank that has been cycled and currently is home to 2 guppies. Question is: should I move some my current platies out of the old tank or should I buy new? I am curious about what all I could put in the new tank, being as it's taller. What would be some good fish? Since I have 2 guppies in there already...any suggestions are appreciated!

 

What tetras do you have?

If you are interested in corydoras, you could move the platies to the new tank and cories for the 20L. 20L gives you more options because of the larger footprint compared to the 20 high. I'm sure other people will have more suggestions. I just love cories and I think everyone should haha.

 

I have 5 black skirt tetras and one, by accident lol, red eye tetra. I have not heard of corydoras so I will have to look those up. I assume those would be okay with 2 guppies? What would you recommend in terms of numbers, for the tall tank?

 

The platies don't need as much horizontal swimming space, so they'd be great to move from the 20 long to the 20 high. They are also fine with guppies. How many / what type of tetras are in your 20 long?

 

If you could, I would return the red eye tetra and get another black skirt. The corydoras will have to be in the 20 long tank but they will be fine with the tetras. Corydoras are shoaling fish so a minimum of 6 and I believe up to 8 would be ok but someone can correct me. Then you could move platies to the new tank.

 

In general longer tanks give you more options for fish because of the larger footprint. In the 20 long if you moved the platies to the high, you could do a pair of bolivian rams with a school of corydoras. There are plenty of other centerpiece fish that could work in the 20 long if that's what you're looking for. Of course the platies could stay in the 20 long as well I believe, you'd just have less room for other new fish in that tank. How many platies are there currently?

 

In general longer tanks give you more options for fish because of the larger footprint. In the 20 long if you moved the platies to the high, you could do a pair of bolivian rams with a school of corydoras. There are plenty of other centerpiece fish that could work in the 20 long if that's what you're looking for. Of course the platies could stay in the 20 long as well I believe, you'd just have less room for other new fish in that tank. How many platies are there currently?

 

In general longer tanks give you more options for fish because of the larger footprint. In the 20 long if you moved the platies to the high, you could do a pair of bolivian rams with a school of corydoras. There are plenty of other centerpiece fish that could work in the 20 long if that's what you're looking for. Of course the platies could stay in the 20 long as well I believe, you'd just have less room for other new fish in that tank. How many platies are there currently?

 

So sorry about that, my computer glitched out...

 

The tall tank is actually "smaller", fishwise. The base, or footprint, is a key dimension. Taller tanks have less surface, so less oxygen exchange. As well, most fish seek a level and hang around in it, so they will have a touch less space.

It's food for thought - taller tanks do have drawbacks for those of us who like numbers of fish.
Platys like grazing the glass, so they would be good in the tall.
I'd do the opposite of the poster above - get rid of the black skirts (the only tetra I really don't like), and get something colourful and nice - more red eyes maybe.

 

I don't much like the look of them either I just figured if the OP had them they did lol. Regardless of whether you do keep them or not, you definitely have the room for and should include a school of small dither fish like tetras or danios in the 20 gallon long

 

I think you answered my question before I posted my reply. I agree: re-home the red eye and get at least another black skirt (assuming you like the black skirts, but whatever you decide, just stick with one schooling fish for the upper region of this tank). You could certainly have 8 black skirts (or red eyes) in this tank. Just to give you an example of a 20 long stocking, I have the following in my 20 gal long: 15x ember tetras for the upper level (embers are pretty small), 8x kuhlI loaches for the bottom (I was deciding between kuhlis and 8-10x panda corydoras), 1x laetacara dorsigera (my "centerpiece fish" in this tank), 3x amano shrimp and 1x nerite snail.

Basically you can have a group of upper-level fish, a group of bottom-dwelling fish, and a "centerpiece" fish if you wish.

 

Great food for thought everyone, thank you! I actually like the black skirts lol guess I am weird! I think I will move the platies in the tall tank, as I've read before they do better in the taller tanks. That would leave my black skirts, the 5 of them in my long tank. If I take back the red eye, could I add more black skirts? Or would 5 be the max for a 20L?

 

Great food for thought everyone, thank you! I actually like the black skirts lol guess I am weird! I think I will move the platies in the tall tank, as I've read before they do better in the taller tanks. That would leave my black skirts, the 5 of them in my long tank. If I take back the red eye, could I add more black skirts? Or would 5 be the max for a 20L?

You could add at least 3 to make 8 black skirts.

 

I would check out corydoras and kuhlI loaches and see which you like the look of more. Both are really interesting and cute bottom feeders! Note that both would want a sand bottom, not gravel.

 

I would check out corydoras and kuhlI loaches and see which you like the look of more. Both are really interesting and cute bottom feeders! Note that both would want a sand bottom, not gravel.

One other thing you could do is search them both on youtube - that way you get to see them in action!

 

I would check out corydoras and kuhlI loaches and see which you like the look of more. Both are really interesting and cute bottom feeders! Note that both would want a sand bottom, not gravel.

Please correct me if I am wrong but I read that corydoras need a minimum of 30 gallon tanks...mine is a 20. Would they be okay in that?

 

Please correct me if I am wrong but I read that corydoras need a minimum of 30 gallon tanks...mine is a 20. Would they be okay in that?

They need a minimum of 30 inches of swimming length - that's what a 20 gal long gives you

 

They need a minimum of 30 inches of swimming length - that's what a 20 gal long gives you

Oh okay thank you! I will definitely check them out

 

I actually like the black skirts lol guess I am weird! I think I will move the platies in the tall tank, as I've read before they do better in the taller tanks. That would leave my black skirts, the 5 of them in my long tank. If I take back the red eye, could I add more black skirts? Or would 5 be the max for a 20L?

I like black skirts too and have six. They are fun to watch! At feeding time they dart to the top and eat some flake and then grab a cichlid pellet and carry it around like a ball in their mouth. So funny! I would take back the red eye and get at least one, if not two or three, more black skirts.