Fish people- If you were buying a 20 gallon tank, what fish would you put in it?

Question

I want to be able to put some live plants in there too.

Any fish suggestions and the quantity would be very appreciated.

THANKS!

Answer 1

i would get a fancy fantail goldfish but they are pretty expensive so if you are on a budget a 2 or 3 feeder fish(12 cents each)

Answer 2

i would get a big male swordtail and some mollies and danios.

they could breed and if some live then cool. i would also get a couple guppies and do the same.

1 male per 3 females. thats only if you want to breed them.

zebra danios are cool too.

Answer 3

20 gal is a pretty big tank.  When you ask questions on Y! answers about fish a lot of people tell you to get a very large tank, it's not always the best idea and there's a lot of uncertainty about it.

The rule of thumb is 1" of fish per gallon, now you trim it down once you add plants (consider a plant to almost be an inch of fish) so with a couple of medium java ferns in there you are looking at about fifteen small or twelve small/medium sized fish. Is that what you are after?  Seems like a lot of effort to go to if you are just getting into keeping fish.  I'll answer both your questions

12 gallon tank example:  Two java ferns on a bit of driftwood, a male crown betta, three glass catfish, three flying foxes and a sword tail.  5W heater, light, small filter.

20 gallon tank example: Two java ferns on a bit of driftwood and some najas grass on a seperate piece of wood.  A rock the size of your fist, maybe with a hole in the side.  A betta, three glass catfish, three clown loaches and three dalmatian mollies, a couple of flying foxes and a mystery snail (large enough to not become a betta or flying fox snack). 10W heater, light, medium sized filter.

Are you sure you want something as complicated as a 20 gallon tank to start off with?

Answer 4

I just got a 25 gallon so i have been looking for good fish for awhile lol some good ideas would be american flagfish, dwarf gouramis, platties, cory cats, tetras (i like neons), guppies, zebra danios, clown loach, or coolie loach. Definitely look up some pics of these as they are all quite pretty/unique (no boring fish here lol) and with a 20 gal you could prob have :

*two schools of 6 fish of the smaller ones (tetras, danios)

                      plus

*3 cory cats or 2 clowns or 3 coolies

                      plus

*two american flagfish or dwarf gouramis

                      plus

*a snail or two (be careful though they can get out of hand lol)

this may seem like a lot of fish, but the inch per gallon rule isnt true as most fish stick to a certain level of the tank. the cory cats/clowns/coolies stay at the bottom, the flagfish/dwarf gouramis stay in the middle, and the tetras/danios stay towards the top.

also make sure to get some plants but leave an open swimming place. Hope your tank goes well!!  :)

Answer 5

My 20 has a small school of cories, neon tetras and yellow guppies and is heavily planted.  Of my freshwater tanks this is probably my favorite . The yellow guppies and the neons contract each other well and really pop against the background of the green plants  

Answer 6

Well I really like Zeba Danios. They are so active. And get a couple of Glass Catfish they are cool to watch eat. ;p

Answer 7

probably a lot of guppies

Answer 8

I currently have two 20 gallon tanks. One has a school of 6 neon tetras, a school of 4 glow light tetras, and a school of 5 lemon tetras. The other tank has 6 zebra danios, 3 dwarf platies and 5 cory cats on the bottom. All of these fish are pretty easy to care for, and with some research you could figure a good mix and match of fish.