Im new here (55 gallon tank help)

[kishnik]

hi to all... im really new at taking good care of fish specially the aquarium itself...

ill go directly to the point...

i already have my 55g tank and i want to have a list of everything for a good tank...

can anyone give me some tips, items to buy and some fish advice too...

heres the list of fish i want in my tank...
-school of neon tetra and glowlight
-school of guppies
-some angel fish
-some bala shark
-some Red-tailed Black shark
-some tiger Barb
-some otto
-some Zebra danio

[Rbishop]

No bala..they like groups and get too big..
No tiger barbs with the angels, they like to nip fins...
Don't add ottos until the tank is fimly established to support them with a proper diet of algae..

A good liquid test kit like APIs that can test ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, GH, KH and pH..

Heater
Thermometer
Net
Lights
Filtration...on a 55, a good canister and an HOB...
Sponges and buckets solely for fish tank use
Python for water changes
Prime for dechlorination
A varied diet of foods
Adequate decor for security

[kishnik]

thanks for the reply...

i only have stones and pebbles for my tank... is it ok? do i need under gravel filtration?

Filtration...on a 55, a good canister and an HOB...-i have a power fiilter w/ a flow of 1000 L/h, is this enough? do i still need canister?

[OldMan47]

A power filter that is moving about 250 gph is big enough to take care of a 55 gallon tank. You do not need any other filter to get good results with freshwater fish. You do not need gravel, it is a preference for many people but you can have whatever you like on the tank bottom including nothing at all.
The thing I have not seen anywhere in this thread is a reference to cycling your tank. Before you start worrying about your ultimate stocking, it is time to get started on a fishless cycle. Have a read here http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598
then come come back and ask for whatever help you need to get through the cycle. While you are waiting for the cycle to finish you will have lots of time to review stocking options and adjustthem with the kind of advice you have been getting here. When it is complete is the first time you should actually get any fish at all.

[Draal5]

Heater............................................ .........................2 stealth 100 w
Thermometer....................................... .................. an glass tube will due
Net
Lights............................................ ....................100 w + w if you are going to do live plants
Filtration...on a 55, a good canister and an HOB... You seem to want to stock your tank to the max so I would do both you can't over filter.
Sponges and buckets solely for fish tank use
Python for water changes
Prime for dechlorination
A varied diet of foods
Adequate decor for security

-school of neon tetra and glowlight ...............Neons can not be kept with angels else they become tasty treats

-school of guppies..................can not be kept with angels else they become tasty treats

-some angel fish.....................can't be kept with tiger barbs as they will nip the angels fins

-some bala shark.....................................NO they grow way to large and need to have a school to be happy

-some Red-tailed Black shark.........These can be very nasty fish not for a noob

-some tiger Barb...........Fin nippers and aggressive

-some otto..................ok but as bishop said 6 months after your set up and running

-some Zebra danio......... Very hearty fish good starter fish and for cycling your tank

hope this helps you out

[Zr0]

If you get a Red tailed black shark it should only be one (they will not tolerate each other RTBS's as they get older), and once you have one it limits what else you can put in the tank. They are aggressive fish, they need hiding places, and become very territorial the older they get. They go great with tiger barbs but if you don't want an aggressive bottom dweller id say don't bother getting the RTBS because you will just end up bring him back.

[jm1212]

hi to all... im really new at taking good care of fish specially the aquarium itself...

ill go directly to the point...

i already have my 55g tank and i want to have a list of everything for a good tank...

can anyone give me some tips, items to buy and some fish advice too...

heres the list of fish i want in my tank...
-school of neon tetra and glowlight- pick either or, but neons will get eaten by angels. instead, why not go with rummynose, red eye, or lemon tetras?
-school of guppies- could be a good choice, but males are tragets for angelfish. platies would be a much better choice.
-some angel fish
-some bala shark- to large for the tank
-some Red-tailed Black shark- they can get aggressive as they age, so its best not to add a RTBS to a community tank.
-some tiger Barb- never keep tiger barbs with angels, and they are not the best tankmates for tetras either. plus, its best to have one big school then many small ones.
-some otto- also targets for angels. go with a bristlenose or rubberlip pleco instead
-some Zebra danio

comments in red

[kishnik]

thanks guys... i see plenty of comments... actually i like to have a school of fish in my tank... i like to have a school of tiger barbs in my tank... what other fish i can mix with them?