Looking to see what other people have done with their 20 gallons, not sure what species i can get away with putting together or how populated i can make it

Hi Chris...

Don't have small tanks any more, but a few years back when I did, I had Fancy Guppies and Corydoras. If you have good filtration and aeration, then you can safely keep 20 small fish. Don't forget to do your 25 to 30 percent water change regularly.

I always have quite a few plants in my tanks too. I like the fast growing stems, like Penny wort, Water wisteria, Rotala and Ludwigia. Toss in a nice foreground plant like Cryptocoryne and you've got a nice looking tank.

Sometimes, I just like to grow the plants to see what works. Here's pic or two.

B

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Low Tech Water Building Keeper

Small fish for a small tank...

No goldfish because they create a lot of waste.

If you want something exotic, you can get a South American Bumblebee Catfish, but you need a few little caves for it. It's very shy, chances are you will barely see it. Make sure you're getting the South American one though, there is another species that gets extremely big and aggressive.

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If you are new to fishkeeping, don't go with 20 fish by any means. Start with 8-10 and learn what it takes to keep them safe and happy, and then maybe push the limit a little. Better to have a understocked tank while you learn.

I housed Betta Albimarginata in my 20 gallon long at one time.Then another time I had a male short fin betta,four head and tail light tetras and six glolight tetras.

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http://bountifulbettas.blogspot.com/

"Come to the dark side....we have cookies...and filters/heaters/and water changes!"

Barbs, tiger or cherry are very active, small and are fun to watch. For a 20 gal you can start with 4 or 5, they do better in small schools.