Nano · 20 L
Best fish, plants & shrimp for a 20 litre tank
What actually fits a 20 litre aquarium: the best fish, shrimp and plants scaled to the space, matched from the catalogue so you can stock it without overcrowding.
By Mike Elmira
TL;DR, stocking a 20 litre tank
A 20 litre tank suits a small shoal of nano fish or a shrimp colony. There isn't much room, so stocking has to stay light and every choice counts. From the catalogue, 1 fish fit a tank this size, and the best of them are below alongside shrimp and plants scaled to the space. Everything here stays inside what 20 litres can handle for swimming room and bioload, so you can mix picks without tipping into overstocked. Run the exact combination through the planner before you buy.
Best fish
1 fit this sizeShrimp
- Black Rose ShrimpNeocaridina davidi 'Black Rose'algae 4/5
- Blue Dream ShrimpNeocaridina davidi 'Blue Dream'algae 4/5
- Green Jade ShrimpNeocaridina davidi 'Green Jade'algae 4/5
- Red Cherry ShrimpNeocaridina davidialgae 4/5
- Snowball ShrimpNeocaridina palmata var.algae 4/5
- Yellow NeocaridinaNeocaridina davidi 'Yellow'algae 4/5
Plants
- Needle HairgrassEleocharis acicularisto 20 cm
- Anubias Barteri NanaAnubias barteri var. nanato 15 cm
- Anubias Barteri 'Petite'Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite'to 7 cm
- Bucephalandra (mixed)Bucephalandra sp.to 20 cm
- Dwarf HairgrassEleocharis parvulato 10 cm
- Four-Leaf CloverMarsilea hirsutato 20 cm
- Hydrocotyle Tripartita 'Japan'Hydrocotyle tripartita 'Japan'to 10 cm
- Staurogyne RepensStaurogyne repensto 10 cm
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.
How many fish can you keep in a 20 litre tank?
As a rough guide, aim for around 20 cm of adult fish across the whole tank for a comfortable load, less if the fish are chunky. In practice that's a small shoal of nano fish or a shrimp colony. The planner adds up the real bioload for any mix so you don't have to guess.
What are the best fish for a 20 litre tank?
Peaceful species that fit the space. Good starting points from the catalogue are Siamese Fighting Fish, with the full ranked list above. Pick one schooling group as the backbone, then build around it.
Can you keep shrimp in a 20 litre tank?
Yes. Dwarf shrimp thrive at this size and add a clean-up crew without much bioload. The shrimp picks above all suit a 20 litre tank, and they get along with the peaceful fish listed here.
What plants suit a 20 litre tank?
Needle Hairgrass and Anubias Barteri Nana are easy, well-scaled choices for 20 litres. The list above leans to species that won't outgrow the tank or need constant trimming.