New 55 Gallon Tank

[New_Fish_Guy]

I have just setup a 55 gallon planted tank. I'm trying to figure out what to put in it. I think I want Angels, Discus, Clown loaches, and a pleco.

Are these good together?

How many Angels and Discus should I have?

What else can I add with some color?

What temp and ph should I have for the Angels and Discus?

Thanks in advance.

[Richer]

Personally, I don't think you have enough room for all of the fish you want to have. Either pick angels, or discus. I wouldn't suggest clown loaches in your tank. As for a pleco, you need to find one that won't go to town on your plants. The common pleco will turn your tank into one giant salad bar. I have a clown pleco in my 70 gallon tank, and I've had no problems with it.

HTH
-Richer

[dethjam316]

i would get angels OR discus as recommended by richer. if you end up with a pair of angels, they might pick on your discus, as there isn't TOO much room for territory in a 55g, i believe. besides, you couldn't have a large school of discus in a 55g. clown loaches i'd leave out as well, as ultimately they'd need a larger tank...and there's always the risk that loaches will nip fins of your prized angels OR discus.

you could get angels and a nice school of cories, and then not have to worry about fish that work with higher temps? also, as richer said, clown plecos (or the similar candy stripe plecos) stay around 4" in size and are much better than common plecs. bristlenoses would also work.

[JSchmidt]

Discus are considered some of the more difficult freshwater species to keep. I might respectfully suggest that, given the kinds of questions you're asking, that you might want to work your way up to discus. Starting with angels would be a good idea...

You could have 3-4 angels, a school of mild-mannered tetras (e.g., cardinal) and a trio of cories in a 55.

Jim

[dethjam316]

jschmidt's suggestion is a good one, though i'd do more cories than 3. i like a nice-sized school of those puppies.

[JSchmidt]

Yeah, more cories are better. They sure are fun to watch, esp. in groups, and a 55 could handle them.

Jim

[dethjam316]

but 3 is a good number to start with...didn't mean to give the idea that you should drop 20 fish in there at once. but you could build to to a large school of cories.:)

[PumaWard]

you couldn't have a large school of discus in a 55g

Actually, 55gs make excellent discus tanks. You can have a shoal of 5 in them, and their dimensions suit discus (like angels) perfectly.

New_Fish_Guy,
I agree with the others that if this is your first venture into fish, or harder to keep species then I would recommend you start off with angelfish. Once you are sure you have the hang of them, you could swich them out for discus if you want.

If you want to start out with discus, I suggest you do a lot of research (believe most reliable sources out there too). Knowing the basic needs of the fish is the key to keeping them alive and thriving. I would also suggest that, if you have the money, you start out with 5''+ fish. They are hardier and more forgiving of the newbie.

Here's a good article to read, I'll see what other good info I can dig up.
http://www.cichlidae.com/articles/a111.php

HTH

*Edit: Here's another good place.
http://www.aquariumhobbyist.com/discus/main.html

[New_Fish_Guy]

I have had a 27 gallon tank for over a year, but certainly don't have any experience with discus. I will probably take your advise & go with Angels. Either way I need to get my ph down to 7 or under, don't I? I was thinking about a temp of 80? When I'm sure the tank is through the cycle stages, should I add the Angels all at once or a pair now and a pair later?

Thanks for your help.

Greg

[JSchmidt]

Unless you're trying to breed angels, you don't need to get the pH down. I keep angels at pH of 7.6-7.8 and they do fine. Stable pH is more important than 'perfect' pH.

Lowering pH, unless you invest in some pretty pricey equipment (e.g., reverse osmosis gear) is very difficult and most often a losing proposition.

Do you know what your pH, KH and GH are? Your LFS could probably tell you if you took a sample of tap water.

Jim

[New_Fish_Guy]

I was planning on using some regulator powder to get it down to 7.0

Greg

[ROB281]

is there a known method of sexing angelfish?, I would like to get 4 or 5 of em for my tank, but I know they get extremely territorial once they have paired up, so I would like to try and get all males, also what would be a good invert to go in the tank with them.

[PumaWard]

As far as I know, angels can be very difficult to sex... I think some people who have dealt with them for some times have come to be able to sex them, but the average joe might find it very difficult. The only easy way is by looking at the papillia, which is only out when they are getting ready to breed. Good inverts would be things like snails, amano shrimp, ghost shrimp, etc.


7.6 is a perfectly fine pH for angels. I would definately avoid using any pH altering chemicals; they tend to be very unstable and you have to use them all the time. If you have a high kH, they simply may not work at all.

7.0 is not necessary, I think so many companies stress it because they want to make a buck off the unexperienced, though I'm not positive on that. As JSchmidt already said, stable is more important than 'perfect' pH.

HTH

[JSchmidt]

Originally posted by New_Fish_Guy
I was planning on using some regulator powder to get it down to 7.0

Greg

Ack! Don't do it! That stuff is trouble... it's loaded with phosphates that can lead to major algae blooms. Even worse, those regulators tend to not work very well, leading to pH yo-yo, which is definitely tough on the fish.

Jim