# New empty 20 gallon STOCKING! Guppies and....?



## Jexx (Feb 2, 2013)

so I FINALLY got my 20 gallon today. Its a 20 gallon high so 24 inch length, 12 inches deep, 16 inches high. I have hard water with a high ph. I will definitely have guppies in there as I already have one. I was considering a guppy only tank however I am curious as to what would work well with this footprint and hard water?


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

Livebearers like hard water, so i think that's a good idea.


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## Jexx (Feb 2, 2013)

Now, are all live bearers compatible with one another? Or are there some that should not be placed together? I love the guppies, I like Endlers and Platies as well. I don't really know of any others.


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

Well the thing about livebearers is that some can interbreed with one another. certain ones need larger tanks as well.

as far as i know, endlers and guppies can interbreed, not sure about platies/guppies or platies/endlers. i also believe mollies can breed with guppies and platies with swordtails. other species may cross as well, but i don't do much with livebearing fish. i have a pair of swordtails but they haven't bred much at all.

mollies may be too large for 20 gallons though. I don't remember 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Backlash (Jan 9, 2012)

You could look at the livebearer section of the parent forum, Tropical Fish Keeping for some ideas.. http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/livebearers/

I keep both Platies and Guppies, but not in the same tank, but I do plan to have Platy/Guppy show tank in my 100 gal when the fry get older..

I understand that Guppies and Endlers are quite similar in genus, and will cross breed making guppy/endler hybrids.. I have also read of guppies and molly's being bred together as well..

Platy's are of a different genus, so wont cross breed with guppies..

Platy's and Swordtails are of the same genus and will cross breed..

This probably covers the more "common" livebearers and are the ones that I have kept at one time or another over the years.. There are many other less common or "exotic" if you like, livebearers, that are quite beautiful fish as well..

Cheers.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Guppies will definitely interbreed with Endlers, which is a massive shame because both are very beautiful fish in their own right. Of course, they are also easy to sex, so you could have a beautiful display if you chose only males.


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## Jexx (Feb 2, 2013)

Well, crossbreeding will not be an issue as I intend to keep the tank gender specific. I have one guppy currently and it looks as though it is a female. When I am 100% certain that it is in fact female, I will stock the tank accordingly. So if I do a mix of live bearers they will all be females. I really like red wagtail platies. I also love the look of endlers. Swordtails are beautiful but I believe 20 gallons is too small for them. I really want to have some catfish but I have a ph of 7.8-8.0 and very hard water  I know there are some catfish that can withstand higher levels but I want my fish to be happy.

are there any non live bearers that can withstand high ph and hard water and would be compatible with guppies?


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

If you are going to do all females, go with just guppies - female Endlers are basically female guppies, but grey all over, no colour at all. 

How do you feel about pygmy hatchetfish? They are hardwater, and pretty unique.  A lot of Australian/Papua New Guinea natives are also hardwater, like blue eyes.


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## Jexx (Feb 2, 2013)

blue eyes? I've never heard of those! I have heard that pygmy hatchet fish are hard to keep.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You can have Amano shrimp in those parameters...plus they don't breed in freshwater and will keep your tank free of algae.

pH 6.5-8
temperature-68-84
hardness 8-15 dkh


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