Best Starter for Daughter

as mentioned in other forums here, i own a Chinese Water Dragon. currently still pretty little but my daughter who turns 6 in dec absoultly LOVES lizards and wants her own. she currently has a betta fish wich she has done VERY well with in cleaning feeding, etc. i dont want to really risk a larger lizard with her yet, but i was wondering what would be a good starter lizard for her? it should be something that won't get overly big, but still he handleable and wont be impossible to catch if it escapes. (i've seen pet store employees chasing escaped anoles around, and those little guys are FAST - so they are out). something simaler to my Chinese Water Dragon in behaviour would be awsome, but small enough that it can do ok in a 20 gall fish tank. (because thats what i have, and im not building a custom enclosure for it untill i know she can handle taking care of a lizard)

Is it a 20 gallon long fish tank or 20 gallon high, what are the dimensions?

I'm thinking a Leopard Gecko, or Crested Gecko!

I think a leopard gecko fits the bill perfectly! They stay small but are very handleable and come in plenty of pretty colours. I don't know if they're very speedy but they don't look it! They are also very content to live in small enclosures and that 20 gal sounds perfect for an adult gecko. They grow 7-10 inches depending on the sex, females are smaller. They are also very hardy creatures! I've never had one of my own but I did some research on them because my friend was thinking of getting one.

Check out this link!
LEOPARDGECKO.COM | Leopard Gecko Care

Mhmm I agree- Leopard Gecko's are great starters. Just make sure your daughter is gentle with it- too much stress will cause their tails to drop off XD;;

But yes- Leo's would be the best choice~ Crested Geckos are beutiful, but they dont always like to be held, and for me personally, its a problem (I love holding and playing with my herps ^^)

To be quite honest, there isn't much that would live in a 20 gallon tank that would be suitable for a 6 year old.
The issue is...Leopard Geckos are nocturnal. It would hardly ever be seen and most 6 year olds aren't very patient.
Also 6 year olds aren't known for their dexterity. A bit of rough handling and, at best you have a gecko with no tail and at worst a dead gecko.
It would take a lot bigger enclosure but an adult bearded dragon would be more able to tolerate the handling as well as being active by day.

Can the 20 gal hold water? My first lizards where fire belly newts. They are so cute, docile and you can hold them. I had 4 as a kid and loved them very much. They ate frozen blood worms and freeze dried tubifix worms so no live food to worry about. That might work for her. She can hold them as long as they don't dry out.

its a 20 gallon fish tank. dimensions are about 2ft side to side, 16" high and 12" front to back.

my intial idea was something like a bearded... problem being where i live they are VERY expensive, costing close to 100$ or more each. if we go the bearded dragon route though, can it handle living in this size tank? if not what size would be needed?

No, that tank is too small for a bearded dragon. They need a 40 gallon breeder minimum.

I have a hatchling Bearded Dragon in a 30 gallon tank, Spikey is 7.5 inches and the 30 gallon is really too small for him imo. I gave my fish away this week so I can move him into my 50 gallon tank until I build him something bigger.

A Bearded Dragon could be started out in that size tank as a hatchling but will soon need a bigger enclosure. A 40 gallon breeder tank (36" x 18" x 16") is about the minumum size for an adult. But a box about 4ft x 2ft x 1.5ft tall would do even better. And it would not be that difficult to build.