# 20 gallon..... overstocked?



## Renee1 (Apr 4, 2005)

Hello everyone
I have a 20 gallon tank setup right now. Its been going good for a couple of months now and I wanted to add a few more bottom dwellers. This is what I have so far:
3 tiger barbs, 1 green barb
5 zebra danios
1blue gourami
1 cory skunk catfish
1 blackskirt tetra
In your opinion, is my tank already overstocked, and if not, any suggestions? thanks


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

i no genius with stocking (2 goldfish in a 10 gallon) but i can tell you cories and tetras need schools although skirt tetras are pretty hardy


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## CTFish guy (Mar 13, 2005)

I would get more tiger barbs or get rid of them all together, the more there are the less aggression they show, unless they gang up on a fish :roll: but besides that, But from the looks of it you have but from the One gallon per inch of fish your tank is overstocked. This is why I recommend you get rid of the barbs.


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## Renee1 (Apr 4, 2005)

I could never get rid of my barbs. I just luv them. They arent agressive at all. They only chase eachother around. As for the inch per gallon rule, it doesnt really apply as a rule, more of a guideline. I mean, could you put a ten inch oscar in a 10 gallon tank? Its more important to take into account the room the fish need for swimming and where they hang out in the tank. That said, my danios hang out at the top, my barbs in the middle, my gourami and the tetra hang between the middle and the top (weird, i know, but they like eachother) and my cory is the only one who really hangs at the bottom. Thats why i was wondering if I could add some more bottom dwellers.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I think it'd be fine for you to add a few more cories... as long as your keeping up with water changes. As for the barbs, I think your fine... I find their aggressiveness over rated in most cases. The only fish I'm really concerned about is your black skirt. I would maybe get rid of him, or setup a 10 gallon tank for him and some of his friends (3-4 more). Just my 2 cents...


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

The barbs aren't o.k. They may be happy now but I'm sure they are not grown yet. They need more space and as they get bigger, they will become agressive. 30 Gallons is the minimum tank size I would keep tigers in (and I love to push the limits). More cories wouldn't hurt either. Your blackskirt tetra needs a school also. If you got rid of the barbs then you could add 4-5 more and watch them truly shine.


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## Mr Aquarium (Jan 18, 2005)

I don't know why people say corys need to be in schools, I have had just one many times, 1 albino right now in my 75g and he's as happy as can be, races around the tank, cleans though the gravle, and is growing very nicely.
When I have had more then one in the past, they hardly ever was around each other in the tank.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

i agree with mr aquarium


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

People say corys need to be in a school because it's true. Your single cory is doing all it can to survive. Doesn't have much choice! In the wild, cory schools number in the thousands. Why would that happen if they were happier alone. Any schooling fish IS happer with a group of it's on kind. Us hobbyist tend to want one of these and one of those ( me too ). Have you ever seen a planted 55 gal. aquarium with 50 neon tetras? "A knockout." Renee, you like your tiger barbs. I would suggest eight tiger barbs and about 4 corys. Nothing else. I think your tank would look better and you would enjoy it more. When the barbs start getting bigger, you may need a bigger tank.


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

Get a bigger tank and the problem is solved!
Tigers grow huge, and 4 isn't enough. 50 gallons would be perfect.
The skirt tetra also needs a group, but a school of them wouldn't fit either.
The cory is lonely too, corys need a group of 6 or more.
Danios need cooler water than the gourami.
suggestion:

1 gourami(won't fit into a 20g fully grown)
6 corys
10-15 small tetras cardinals,rubys, or harlequin rasboras


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

You have done it again Mr A.  Corys do need to be kept in groups to feel safer and to exhibit their typical behavior. I would never tell anybody it is OK to keep corys in singles for more than a short while.


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## Renee1 (Apr 4, 2005)

Ok, 
I'm not sure where people are getting their information, but this is what i have found from doing research:
First of all, my gourami will reach a size of about 4 1/2 inches. He is almost full grown now. Therefore, he will not outgrow the tank.
Also, my tiger barbs are almost full grown. They should get to about 3 inches. And since they are almost full grown and not showing a lot of agression, i am fairly confident in saying that the four that I have are fine as a small school.
Finally, i've been doing some research and am not completely sure that I have a skunk catfish. It has the same colourings but is much thinner in his body and his head. Also, his eyes are very small. He looks more like a sand corydora but i'm having trouble tracking down information on this breed. If anyone has some, let me know if they prefer schools.


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

But still in my opinion fishkeepers responsibilty is to give their pets the best possible conditions. the fish seem happy, but actually can't behave naturally.
Don't you think that 4½ and even 3 inches is awfully too much for a 20g?


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Renee, you have researched and you have heard several opinions here. You know enough to make an educated decision. Much of this hobby is trial and error and what works for you may not work for me. The fact that you are trying to learn as much as you can will take you far. Do whatever you think is best, watch your fish and enjoy.


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## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Do me a favor and explain just exactly a "happy" fish looks like versus one whos social structure has been sledgehammered. Or a "happy" school for that matter, when there isn't enough fish to begin with to make one.

If you "want" to do something, then by all means do so. However there is a very large and clear difference between what you "want" to do, and what's right. So please, don't come looking for advice, get some from some very knowledgeable people and then promptly shoot it down and call into question the accuracy of thier statements.

Especially when you are wrong.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Thunder, sometimes that's a hard question to answer. One cory in a tank seems happy????? But is it really? I'm not sure I know. BUT, it is a fact that they are not found alone in the wild. Seems to me that we should try as closely as possible, to recreate wild conditions. Schools for schooling fish, plants for plant loving fish. We should try to keep water parameters ( PH, hardness, etc.) as close as possible. Appropriate tankmates. Enough smimming room. We should research all these things and then do as much as we can. To me that will make our fish as happy as possible and that is the responsibility of us as hobbyist.


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## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Exactly ron.


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## Renee1 (Apr 4, 2005)

Hey Ron,
Thanks for the advice. 
And for the record Thunderkiss, it sure is easier to consider someones opinion and use their advice when they're nice about it and not condescending.
I look forward to reading other advice you give in other posts ron


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## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

For the record, it's easier to be nice when you don't feel like someone is rejecting sound advice, or that someone is mistreating thier fish. 

I see it a lot.

It's frustrating.

It was not my intent to be condescending. Sarcastic maybe, but not condescending.


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## Renee1 (Apr 4, 2005)

Yeah,
I guess I get your point....... i dont want to mistreat my fish though. I didn't know about the schooling thing before I bought them and I dont really have anyone to give them to. My lfs doesnt take fish back. 
Sorry if i was rude to u.... i guess i cant distinguish between sarcasm and rudeness when its only in typing haha.
I'm gonna try to find somene to take the bs tetra and the gourami and get some more barbs and catfish that way theyll all hopefully be happy.. oops, there I go giving human emotions to animals again.. :wink: I better work on that haha


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## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Agreed. I was harsh. Probably harsher than was warrented.
Like i said i see it alot. I should not have taken it out on you however.


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