# Will it blend... in a 20 gallon tank?



## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

1 common pleco, 1 convict cichlid, 1 Austrailian Red Claw Crayfish, 1 BNP

If not what should I remove.....


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi, Edarion

Have you tried the stocking calculator? There's a sticky here for it. AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

I have never had convict cichlids, but I think a common pleco might grow too big for a 20 gallon.

I could be wrong, though. I have never had a big pleco.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

ya i have. I'm looking at more fish compatibility more than bioload. as I'm already aware that plecos are notorious for emitting a lot of waste and stuff


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

The common pleco gets well over a foot, and I've seen ones at almost 2 feet. The convict + BNP should be ok, altho I'm not sure how well the cray would fare. Generally, I don't mix crays with fish; it's never turned out well for me.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

The cray is fairly aggressive runs around trying to aggro everything oddly enough no one's gotten hurt yet


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

But Can a Cray actually kill a pleco which has armor and stuff. 
Cray is about 5 inches


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

Kill? probably not. Severely injure? Most likely. The BNP isn't all that armoured anyways, compared to the larger plecos, so more than likely the cray will demolish it. At least that's been the case IME with crays over 2 inches.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

Didn't mean the BNP. I meant the sailfin pleco. P. gibbiceps


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

Well u had 2 plecos listed, so I thought I'd cover both


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

Dunno. well i got both plecos the crayfish and a convict cichlid in there now... No one's really getting hurt tho the pleco's fin is fairly torn and stuff


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

It's not so much the territorial problems as opposed to the biological filtration and the lack of room for growth; 1 pleco produces enough waste as it is, 2 is even worse. I wouldn't put a common pleco in a 90g, let alone a 20. Plus, considering its max size of over 2 feet, a 2 foot tank is hardly adequate for it.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

yah, I know that's why i'm looking to give it a good home


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

BNP does have armour all over its body.It plates sit one on top another,theres mulitiple sharp cheek spines(odontodes) used for combat.BNP have strong facial features(Head/Jaw).I had a 4' female that killed several other plecos,not to be under estimated!



BelieveInBlue said:


> Kill? probably not. Severely injure? Most likely. The BNP isn't all that armoured anyways, compared to the larger plecos, so more than likely the cray will demolish it. At least that's been the case IME with crays over 2 inches.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

BNP Vs a convict of similar size? winner?


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## cichlid (Jul 30, 2010)

Is this now a fish fighting ring... The point is to keep fish alive? No


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## IceBlue (Mar 17, 2011)

I think there's a possible cross breeding issue here.


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## Keri (Aug 2, 2010)

This grouping of species is definitely not good long term and likely not good short term either. Someone is going to get injured or eaten and most will be stressed. I think the slower plecos will go first, (armoured or not you gotta sleep sometime) the convict may have a chance but eventually there are only so many places you can hide in a 24" tank with a 12" monster hunting you in your sleep. 

It would not make me feel good to be the cause of another beings' suffering, I look at my tank to relax, not watch a dogfight. (Or actually, have fish dissapear at night)


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## cichlid (Jul 30, 2010)

Edarion you have some questions to ask yourself, what the hell do I actually want should be the first one. You obviously have the internet so use it and stop wasting our time. 

Stop speaking and listen. You dont need to justify your actions, just take our suggestions and let the point you and guide you! Every fish keeper has made mistakes, thats part of the hobby, but learning from those mistakes is another part. I have spent the last month researching salt water and getting a handle before I dive in. It wont stop me from making mistakes, it will lesser the chances!


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

I think the biggest problem here is that you bought the tank before considering the fish; a 20g by any standard is small, and you seem to be interested in large and/or aggressive fish. For future references, know what fish you want first, then buy a tank that will properly house them, and add a bit more room for good measure. For now, since you're looking for things to stock in the 20, I'd suggest the following; they're small, mostly peaceful, colourful, and quite interesting to watch.


Lemon tetras: get a nice school of 10 and they'll create a hierarchy amongest themselves - any other similar shaped tetras will work, just make sure you get only a single species; other possibilities include serpae, black phantom, bleeding heart, pristella, colombian, and blackskirt tetras

SA dwarves of the genera Apistogramma and Microgeophagus: these small cichlids are similar to the Convicts of Central America, but they're not nearly as aggressive, and there is a much bigger market for their young; they're also considerably more colourful, and will tolerate other species, even when breeding. A pair of any species is a great addition to any peaceful community tank, as they become very tame, making them great centerpiece fish.

Corydoras catfish: a small school of 5-6 will do a great job scavenging left over foods; they're also fascinating to watch as they constantly search the substrate for food, and they come in quite a variety of colours and paterns; they're also quite peaceful and stay small enough that a group of 6 won't push the bioload of your tank too much. 

Catfish of the genus Otocinclus: these little suckers (pun intended ) are very diligent algae grazers, and do a much better job than most plecos; they also max out at about 2 inches, so a small school won't cause a spike in a mature tank.

Bristle/bushynose pleco: members of the Genus Ancistrus tend to reach a smaller max size than most other plecos, and the bristlenose in particular is a good choice for algae eating, if one doesn't mind the seemingly endless stream of feces that results from constant grazing. These fish also max out at 6 inches, which isn't horrible for a 20g, provided the tank is mature, the filtration is adept, and you only have one or two of them.


Note that most of the fish i am suggesting max out at around 2 inches, and those that get bigger are kept in low numbers. There are, of course, plenty of other viable choices, such as the danios and rasboras of Asia, various rainbowfish of Australia and Madagascar, the seemingly endless species of livebearers of Central America, and even kilifish from the USA. I'm a South America type of guy though, so I know most about fish from there, especially the Amazon. Any combination of the fish I mentioned will work, but try not to complicate things too much. A lot of people like having two of this and two of that, and two of everything else, but in the end, a little bit of everything is just a lot of nothing.


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## cichlid (Jul 30, 2010)

I agree, also neon tetras, zebra danios look great, guppies stay small 

As was said above. I suggest you do some research. Google image search 20 gallon tanks! Get an idea, also look up planted tanks! It brings you great color at a good price!


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

I look at my tank to watch skirmishes... not dog fights. I'm sure that you've all seen pictures of my tank now. 
Given that I will get rid of the Sailfin Pleco ASAP.
Is my current filtration adequate?.( Aquaball and Hydrosponge)


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Sigh 

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/freshwater-chat-9/replacing-gravel-sand-23032/index3.html

More than one person already told you your pleco worth nothing. Post it FF if you want to get rid of it ASAP.


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

Edarion said:


> I look at my tank to watch skirmishes... not dog fights. I'm sure that you've all seen pictures of my tank now.
> Given that I will get rid of the Sailfin Pleco ASAP.
> Is my current filtration adequate?.( Aquaball and Hydrosponge)


No offense, but the way things are going now, I wouldn't be surprised if your tank erupted in all out war. If you like watching fish flare and fight over territory, go for some dwarf cichlids; they're territorial enough that there will be plenty of "skirmishes", but nothing serious usually results. As for the pleco, he's worthless. Bring him in to a store that takes in fish and be done with it. That is, if they'll accept the thing. Filtration wise, if the filters combined rates for at least double the tank size, then you should be fine. For example, if you have enough filters to supposedly filter a 40g, then that should be enough for the 20g.


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

On second thought, after reading the other thread, DON'T get dwarf cichlids... I'd rather not send them to their deaths. In all honesty, they would not last a week in a tank like yours. Dwarf cichlids are very sensitive to nitrogenous wastes, and if you can't even do a proper water change by yourself, then they're not the fish for you. A betta might work though...


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## taureandragon76 (Apr 21, 2010)

thread closed


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