What To Add To A 55 Gallon Community Tank?

[Noobie]

Getting a new 55 gallon long tank and I am trying to decide what to add.

So far I have figured:

4 Corydoras (Corydoras trilineatus) (4 * 2.5" = 10")
12 Cardinal Tetras (12 * 1.5" = 18")
4 Oto Catfish (4 * 1.5" = 6")
4 Bumblebee Gobys (4 * 1.75"= 7")
Maybe some Bamboo Shrimp?

That leaves me with 14" of fish using the 1" per gallon rule.

What else would be nice to add to the tank? I would like something that is calmer and somewhat colorful. I enjoy the oddball type fish. The tank will be kept around 78 deg and be very well planted. It will have dark substrate with a river of white sand going threw the middle sectioned off by rock.

My 42 gallon tall tank consists of:

3 Veil Tail Angelfish
2 Silver Hatchetfish
2 Oto Catfish
2 Blue Rams
1 Gold Ram
1 Armored Catfish
1 Peacock Eel
1 Rubber Lip Pleco

Here are a couple pictures of my 42 gallon:

 

[GeraldTheMouse]

Inch per gallon rule = BS. I'm pretty sure that bumblebee gobies are brakish water fish, but I am not sure. You can up the cardinal tetras to around 15-20, and add a few more corys. You will probably also want a centerpiece fish like a few gouramis, angels, or possibly a school of rainbow fish.

 

[Lotus]

I'd bump up the cory school to 6 or 8. They're much more fun in a larger group.

Some kind of dwarf pleco would be nice in there (bristlenose, rubbernose, clown, etc.)

 

[Big Vine]

Welcome to the forum, Noobie.
Can't really suggest anything suitable for the 55 gal., because my recommendations would all pretty much involve things that would eat everything you've listed in your stocking plan so far.

But I did wanna chime in and say that I really dig the pics of your current setup---especially the darker angelfish. *thumbsups

BV

 

[Lonewolfblue]

some more cory cats and maybe some Rainbowfish of some kind. There's several different kinds and colors. And they are very active.

 

[ColoFishGuy]

if you can find one, go for the vampire shrimp (aka: giant african filter shrimp,
african fan shrimp, atya gabonensis) instead of the bamboo shrimp. I love 'em... look, there's one in my avatar. Mine's name is Bubba.

 

[MissFishy]

I don't believe bumblebee's are a good community fish. I also think they are brackish water? They are very picky eaters and since they are lower level, it will be difficult to feed them in a 55g. I would cross those off the list. Also keep in mind that if you add the otos to the tank before it has any algae, you will have to feed them algae tabs. The inch per gallon rule is a good guideline to go by, add your fish slowly (after cycling of course!) and see how your bio load is handling it with regular water tests. If you're willing to do the extra work for extra water changes, you can push the stocking limits of your tank, but to start, why would you want to? It's far more fun to add new fish every weekend than just run out and buy a ton of fish to start with!

 

[drake53]

they dont but they do need a little salt in there tank.

 

[IDunnoWhy]

Well I agree with much thats been said.

I would add a couple more cories (total of 6-7? they are a hoot to watch in large numbers).

The cardinals are pretty, and more hardy that the usual neons, however I would still expect to lose a few. They do add a nice splash of color to the tank though, so go for it.

As Lotus said, a lil' Dwarf Plec, would add some fun to the lower waters too.

You don't have a "Centerpiece" fish listed, and all the other ones are on the smaller side. I see you have Angels already so I won't suggest them (unless of course you want them in both tanks ) Also the Cardinals may end up as angel food when they grow large enough.

There are a handful of Gourami that get large enough to be a good centerpiece fish, and many of them do well in a community setting.

There is also Discus of course, but I'm not sure if all the fish listed can handle the tank temps required for Discus. Not to mention the price tag associated with a quality Discus

Or as BV implied...scrap the whole idea, and go with an aggressive Cichlid tank *thumbsups there are so many single fish/multi fish options there, however not too many community ones.

BTW, your 42g is beautiful, nice work!

 

[big54bob]

1 inch per gallon= A pile of ****.
Heres a fine stocking that I might do with a 55gal.
A pair of Appistogramma Caucatoides AKA Dwarf Cockatoo Cichlids.
1 Blue gourami.
15 Cardinals
8 Pygmy or Panda cories
7 Cherry Shrimp.
And Maybe a Vampire shrimp.
And you could put a Rubberlip Pleco in.

 

[Kandoom]

Just take a gander at my sig- I'd recommend some Congo Tetras- very peaceful with a wonderful crystal blue color. I have Australian Dwarf rainbows as well, and those are really fantastic to look at.

 

[FreshwaterJeff]

Kandoom -

Not to step on your toes or anything, but you do realize that the 55 definitely isn't going to work long term for the clown loaches, the iridescent shark, and the bala sharks, and probably won't work for the silver dollars (prefer groups of 6 or more), and the Synodontis ocellifer, right?

So I don't hijack the thread, here's what I currently have in my 55 gallon:

8 Columbian Tetras
9 Beckfordi Pencilfish
7 Zebra Loaches
2 M. trifasciata Coen River Rainbowfish
3 M. herbertaxelrodi Yellow Rainbowfish
1 Marbled Angel
1 Apistogramma maciliensis
2 Checkerboard Cichlids (Dicrossus filamentosis)
1 L204 Flash Pleco
3 LDA08 Gold Marble Bristlenose Plecos

I'm thinking about adding another angel or two, a pair of Barbatus cories (one of the few species that prefers to be in pairs/is territorial), maybe another small pleco (depending on what I come across)...

If I had an open 55 gallon tank, though, I'd go pick up a pair of blue acaras from a new LFS I found -- the first I've seen in Chicago...

 

[Kandoom]

Oops, serves me right for dropping in, giving a few comments and dropping back out.

Yep, guilty as charged Jeff, and as others have pointed out. But as nobody's going to buy anything I'll have to find somebody local starting a larger tank down the line and see if they want the iridescent or perhaps some of the other fish. As much research as I did there's more than a few pet stores that still go through the exersise of misinformation for new tank owners- if I had it to do over again I wouldn't bother with the irridescent at least.

I've had the ones you've mentioned for about a year now (except for the Sydontis)- very healthy & from what I can see of their behaviour, happy. I just replaced my tank after the prior sprung a leak and I had attempted to go for a larger, perhaps a 60 or 65, but it was an emergency situation and unfortunately the only thing available was another 55 of the same make and model. The base I have would not have accomodated a 75.

I still have time and the fish don't appear to be warping or deforming- I keep a close eye on everyone and do my best to see the fish have a good environment.

Also the Silver Dollars actually school with the congo tetras- its the damndest thing- but nice.

 

[FreshwaterJeff]

Fair enough. Good luck.

 

[Seleya]

Getting a new 55 gallon long tank and I am trying to decide what to add.

So far I have figured:

4 Corydoras (Corydoras trilineatus) (4 * 2.5" = 10")
12 Cardinal Tetras (12 * 1.5" = 18")
4 Oto Catfish (4 * 1.5" = 6")
4 Bumblebee Gobys (4 * 1.75"= 7")
Maybe some Bamboo Shrimp?

That leaves me with 14" of fish using the 1" per gallon rule.

What else would be nice to add to the tank? I would like something that is calmer and somewhat colorful. I enjoy the oddball type fish. The tank will be kept around 78 deg and be very well planted. It will have dark substrate with a river of white sand going threw the middle sectioned off by rock.

My 42 gallon tall tank consists of:

3 Veil Tail Angelfish
2 Silver Hatchetfish
2 Oto Catfish
2 Blue Rams
1 Gold Ram
1 Armored Catfish
1 Peacock Eel
1 Rubber Lip Pleco

With a new, larger tank to work with and the fish you have currently, I would recommend you shift some fish over and work around that.

The angel fish can only stay in a 42 tall (hex?) for so long -- the 55 is the much better choice for them. Also, I think you'd find a larger school of hatchets, with the added space to really skate around really visually pleasing.

What is the armored catfish? It's something of a catch-all term.

Depending on its size, you need to do whatever you feel is best for the peacock eel and work around him.

With the above fish, aside from the eel, over in the 55, your 42 would have:

2 Oto Catfish
2 Blue Rams
1 Gold Ram
1 Peacock Eel
1 Rubber Lip Pleco

You could then easily add a good sized school of tetras -- preferably something large enough to not be tender morsels for the eel. Since everything remaining tends to inhabit the lower segments of the tank and especially since this is a tall tank, go for mid to top dwellers with the tank dimensions (length/width/limited zipping room) in mind. Some smaller rainbows such as the praecox might be a good choice and add color and activity to the top, some tetras and barbs would also be good choices depending on what you have available to you locally.

Your 55 would then have:

3 angels
2 hatchets (add at least 5)
1 armored catfish(?)

And you wish to add:

4 Corydoras (Corydoras trilineatus) -- go for at least 6 or so, preferably the same species
12 Cardinal Tetras
4 Oto Catfish -- once the tank is better established
Maybe some Bamboo Shrimp? -- bamboo shrimp should be ok, some angels will hassle them and others won't due to their size.

 

[Unexpected]

Bumblebees need salt. I would increase the cory shoal a couple. At least to 6.

 

[Noobie]

Here is my idea:

42 gallon tall hexagon
3 Veil Tail Angelfish
2 Blue Rams
1 Gold Ram
1 Armored Catfish
1 Peacock Eel
1 Rubber Lip Pleco
1 African Butterfly Fish


55 gallon long
12 Cardinal Tetras (Already in the tank)
5 Corydoras (Corydoras trilineatus) (Already in the tank)
5 Oto Catfish (2 from the 42 gallon tank)
5 Hatchetfish (2 from the 42 gallon tank)
4 Some kind of shrimp

What else would match up with that stocking of the 55 gallon?

 

[Noobie]

A picture of the tank:

*DRUMMER*

 

[Kandoom]

Absolutely beautiful- the bright substrate drawing the eye right to the center is very striking and original. The plants look fantastic.

Y'know, I'm looking at your current list for fish to put in the tank, I'm thinking what else would look nice, but then I realized, you are going to get so many different opinions from so many people of varying levels of knowledge and taste...

My style was always to go to a number of fish stores and see what fish really caught my eye- then I'd hit the internet and research, research, research. I learned a bit late not to trust what the shopkeepers had to say on the whole.

 

[Pee Wee]

your New tank looks awesome. I love the sand section in the middle*twirlysmi

I am getting back into the hobby after @10 years off. I had a small tank with some Bumblebee Gobies and while i loved their color, they were mean little boogers. I have been reading a lot about them lately and it seems that some people think there is a type that does well is FW and a type that does well in the salty water. I am so confused