20 Gallon community tank setup

[miikexo]

Hey there,

Im wondering if this would be a good combination for a 20 Gallon Community tank the tank is 24x16x12.

I want to put in

2 Angelfish
2-3 Guppies
2-3 Plattys
6 tetra of some sort

the main things that i want are the guppies the angelfish if possible and the plattys everything else can change.

Let me know what you think of the combo that I said is it to much? could I put more? please let me know your thoughts if it isnt good then what could i potentially combine?

Heres an idea (obviously over crowded take some out and it will be better i guess)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBPrAf9NIQM

[ChoclateBetta]

I would say angelfish are a deal breaker.

[thekoimaiden]

You cannot have angelfish in a 20 gal tank. They simply get too tall. They are best kept in tanks larger than 40 gallons.

A 20 gal is large enough for a school of top swimming fish and bottom dwelling fish. You could do the guppies and platies (3 of each), but make sure you only get males. Having females will guarantee overpopulation. Instead of the tetra, why not look at something like cories or a bristlenose pleco to fill in the bottom and give it movement.

EDIT: If you like video look at this one. It's adult angelfish in a 55 gallon tank. Those in your video are just babies [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2md9tSFTBo"]amazon biotope aquarium - YouTube[/ame]

[miikexo]

Okay so it sounds like the angel fish are out,

What about glofish instead of the tetras? Im wanting alot of color and movement I thought about a rainbow shark or does anyone know anymore good colorful fish that I could add?

[thekoimaiden]

Trust me, the guppies and platies will offer you enough movement. You could do 5-6 guppies and then 3-4 platies. These are very active fish. Put a black background on the tank and have black substrate and their colors will really look amazing. And there are soo many different colors to choose from.

Those glofish are actually zebra danio. They are even more active and because of that, they need a larger tank. If you did a 20 gal long you could have them.

Rainbow shark is not a good fit for your tank. While they are active, they are also aggressive and need pretty big tanks (like 4 feet or longer).

If you do a black substrate, look at albino cories. In groups of more than 5 they are a really active fish on the substrate. You want to spread out the activity to all levels of the aquarium or else it looks crowded.

[homegrown terror]

am i gonna be the first to say that the first video looks very cruel to those bettas? unless that's a temporary housing for them, keeping them in those tiny unfurnished security boxes just seems horrid, worse than the 1/2g dividable "tanks" we all hate so much.

[miikexo]

Originally Posted by homegrown terror

am i gonna be the first to say that the first video looks very cruel to those bettas? unless that's a temporary housing for them, keeping them in those tiny unfurnished security boxes just seems horrid, worse than the 1/2g dividable "tanks" we all hate so much.

Wow I didn't even notice that I thought they were just staying near the top that is terrible, thats like living in the space of a postage stamp :(

[miikexo]

What about this combination?

2 guppies
6 glofish I know these are schooling fish so is 6 to much or just enough or could I go with 4?
4 Tiger barbs I seen on Stocking 5, 10 and 20 Gallon FW Aquariums that They are distinctly sociable though, so keep at least six. In smaller groups they tend to become bored and consequently nippy, attacking anything that can’t easily swim away.
2 platys
1 small pleco (I have a miniture pleco in my Goldfish tank he is living fine and wont grow very big)

Any ideas on that combination additions or subtractions? thoughts?

[homegrown terror]

guppies do best in groups of three or more, glofish (zebra danios) can be aggressive in groups of less than five. i don't have any experience with barbs or plecos but i have had platies in groups of both two and three, and the seem to do better in threes. i would pick one species to cut from the lineup, and have well proper schools of the others.

[thekoimaiden]

Originally Posted by miikexo

What about this combination?

2 guppies
6 glofish I know these are schooling fish so is 6 to much or just enough or could I go with 4?
4 Tiger barbs I seen on Stocking 5, 10 and 20 Gallon FW Aquariums that They are distinctly sociable though, so keep at least six. In smaller groups they tend to become bored and consequently nippy, attacking anything that can’t easily swim away.
2 platys
1 small pleco (I have a miniture pleco in my Goldfish tank he is living fine and wont grow very big)

Any ideas on that combination additions or subtractions? thoughts?

Guppies - I agree with homegrown terror, these fish do feel more comfortable with more around. Plus more around means more color.
Glofish - Again, homegrown terror hits the nail on the head. These fish have a reputation for being nippy in groups less than 10. You just don't have room for a proper shoal in your tank.
Tiger barbs - Known fin nipper. This will be a big problem with the guppies. They also need a 30 gal or larger tank. (info here) If you like barbs, look at the cherry barb; much more peaceful than the tigers.
Pleco - should be fine as long as he is a brushy nose or bristlenose pleco.
Platys - again, like the guppies, they like to be in trios. Either all male or one male and two females. But I don't recommend that last grouping because you will have babies.

You're headed in the right direction tho!