20 Gallon Tank What could I add to this?

[Rafisunn]

Hello! Today I set up my 20 gallon tall tank so that I could begin the cycle. It currently only has the sand and equipment because I won't be able to go to my lfs until sunday and I need the wash the ornament I have.

My plan for the tank is 1 betta, at least 8 pygmy corries, and possible a nerite snail. While I do like the idea, it seems pretty spaced out to me so I was curious what other kind of fish I could keep and how many? This is assuming the future betta Isn't super aggressive. I'm hoping on getting a female betta and she would be added last. I know female bettas aren't necessarily less aggressive than males.

On sunday I'm hoping to buy some Anubias, Java fern, and Anacharis or hornwort (I can't remember which my lfs has). I will be buying a sword plant once I buy some root tabs and in the future I would also like some other plants as well.

Would a few platies be okay? If so, female or male? I know should have at least 2-3 females per male but I would probably just get one gender. Also, would platy do okay if they were put through a fish-in cycle? I'm considering doing a fish-in cycle once I get my plants though I'm not set on doing one. I might do an all platy (+ pygmy cory) tank if I decide not to get a betta.

There's also a chance I won't be able to get the pygmys if my lfs doesn't have them, so I'm trying to decide on other potential fish I could add before a betta. It would be awesome to just have one very spoiled betta in the 20 gal but since I can only have one aquarium at the moment, I'd like to have some other fish as well.

 

[Anders247]

I wouldn't recommend keeping other fish with a betta, as it is always a risk. However if you do, bottom dwellers only. Things like green or albino cories are good, as are kuhlI loaches.

If it were me, I'd get a 10 gallon for the betta and have a small fish community in the 20g.

 

[Rafisunn]

I wouldn't recommend keeping other fish with a betta, as it is always a risk. However if you do, bottom dwellers only. Things like green or albino cories are good, as are kuhlI loaches.

If it were me, I'd get a 10 gallon for the betta and have a small fish community in the 20 gallon.

I've successfully kept a male betta in a community tank with mollies and a few female couples a couple of years ago in a 20 gallon. He wasn't aggressive to either (would eat fry but there were a lot anyway), but I know I got lucky with getting a relatively peaceful betta. I know it would be difficult to get a betta that wouldn't kill/pick at her tank mates but I just want to know if I managed to get one that wouldn't go after the other fish, what kind (besides bottom dwellers) could I get?

If a betta is out of the question, are there any fish you'd recommend? I'm always looking for advice

I can only get one tank at the moment so a separate tank for a betta is out of the question sadly.

(Also, I'm pretty sure that my mollies should have had a bigger tank but I didn't know much about them at the initial time I got them!)

 

[Anders247]

Have you thought of a honey gourami or dwarf gourami as a centerpiece? Peacock gudgeons are really cute as well.

 

[Rafisunn]

Have you thought of a honey gourami or dwarf gourami as a centerpiece? Peacock gudgeons are really cute as well.

I considered dwarf gouramis but I decided against them because of dwarf gourami disease :/

I think I've heard of peacock gudgeons before, but I don't think I would be able get one if I decided on it and did the proper research. I'm not sure if my lfs would have them and the nearby petsmart is very small (there's also a petco but the past few times i've been there, the tanks have been covered with ich).

 

[Rev]

I wouldn't run gouramis with the betta. You could do gouramis instead of the betta. But bettas can absolutely be community fish. It just depends a lot on their temperament. Also I would stock the tank with everything else before the betta that way the betta (even if it's a female) doesn't have established territory the other fish are intruding on. I'd bump up the pygmy corry's a bit to 12. Then pick a schooling fish like ember tetras or harlequin rasboras or something. Get action in all of the tank.

 

[Rafisunn]

I wouldn't run gouramis with the betta. You could do gouramis instead of the betta. But bettas can absolutely be community fish. It just depends a lot on their temperament. Also I would stock the tank with everything else before the betta that way the betta (even if it's a female) doesn't have established territory the other fish are intruding on. I'd bump up the pygmy corry's a bit to 12. Then pick a schooling fish like ember tetras or harlequin rasboras or something. Get action in all of the tank.

Sorry, I meant gourami instead of bettas, not with! If I had a community tank with a betta, she'd absolutely be added last I want to get more than 8 pygmy cory, but I was hoping to start a little smaller at first. I'm wary of getting another schooling fish because I don't want to overstock the tank. I do think harlequin rasboras look awesome so if I were to get a schooling fish I think I'd probably get some of those.

Would some sort of livebearer be okay? Like platy or (female) guppies?

 

[Rev]

Sorry, I meant gourami instead of bettas, not with! If I had a community tank with a betta, she'd absolutely be added last I want to get more than 8 pygmy cory, but I was hoping to start a little smaller at first. I'm wary of getting another schooling fish because I don't want to overstock the tank. I do think harlequin rasboras look awesome so if I were to get a schooling fish I think I'd probably get some of those.

Would some sort of livebearer be okay? Like platy or (female) guppies?

Haha okay that makes more sense. It's late my brain is slowly shutting down

No shame starting with a smaller school of them first. MissNoodle has 10 in a 10 gallon plus a school of rasboras. So you can definitely bump it up to more safely in a 20g. With ample filtration of course. Imo can't go wrong with schooling fish they look awesome.

And yeah livebearers are fine. You could centerpiece a bunch of male guppies. Females you'll probably end up with fry over the next year since odds are they'll be pre-hit. Also the males are just prettier. I don't know a whole lot about platys so I won't speak to stocking of them.

 

[TLCF1]

I have successfully kept a female betta with no problems in a 20 gal planted tank with shrimp, snails, 3 black skirts, 3 white skirt tetras, a pleco and some neon tetras. For a while there was a male betta in there too, and he did not bother anybody except the female betta. I put him in a separate tank with 2 african dwarf frogs because he was always chasing and nipping her. Keep in mind that when you buy a betta fish, you never know what kind of personality it has. The fish store that I go to sometimes has female bettas in peaceful community tanks, but I've never really taken note on what the other species are. Tetras are schooling fish so if you're going to buy any kind of tetra, buy at least 3 of the same species.

If you can't find a specific fish that you want at the store, you can always ask them to order it for you. If its not a fish store, and its a chain pet supply store like petco or petsmart, you would have to ask the fish department person to order it for you. Don't limit your tank to what they have on display in the store

 

[Rafisunn]

Haha okay that makes more sense. It's late my brain is slowly shutting down

No shame starting with a smaller school of them first. MissNoodle has 10 in a 10 gallon plus a school of rasboras. So you can definitely bump it up to more safely in a 20 gallon. With ample filtration of course. Imo can't go wrong with schooling fish they look awesome.

And yeah livebearers are fine. You could centerpiece a bunch of male guppies. Females you'll probably end up with fry over the next year since odds are they'll be pre-hit. Also the males are just prettier. I don't know a whole lot about platys so I won't speak to stocking of them.

It's pretty late for me right now too (I should probably go to bed soon lol). I think I will look more into harlequin rasboras

So female guppies would do okay with a betta? I want to make sure I'm reading stuff correctly, sorry! I've also considered having a bunch of male guppies as a center piece, but settles on a betta instead so maybe if the betta idea doesn't work out, I'll get some of those instead

I have successfully kept a female betta with no problems in a 20 gal planted tank with shrimp, snails, 3 black skirts, 3 white skirt tetras, a pleco and some neon tetras. For a while there was a male betta in there too, and he did not bother anybody except the female betta. I put him in a separate tank with 2 african dwarf frogs because he was always chasing and nipping her. Keep in mind that when you buy a betta fish, you never know what kind of personality it has. The fish store that I go to sometimes has female bettas in peaceful community tanks, but I've never really taken note on what the other species are. Tetras are schooling fish so if you're going to buy any kind of tetra, buy at least 3 of the same species.

If you can't find a specific fish that you want at the store, you can always ask them to order it for you. If its not a fish store, and its a chain pet supply store like petco or petsmart, you would have to ask the fish department person to order it for you. Don't limit your tank to what they have on display in the store

That tank sounds awesome!

I will take that into consideration! Hopefully they have them because I'm not sure if I could build up the courage to ask about them if they didn't (curse anxiety).