Any ideas for a 55 gallon? I'm looking towards a non-community type tank. Maybe an Oscar type deal... or other fairly large cichlids. Any and all ideas are welcome though. Please give full detail when suggesting though, including substrate, plants (live/fake, what species if live), any other things. Thanks in advanced.
55 gallon stocking
- Thread starter powellmacaque
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Just to address your hope for oscars or other "large" cichlids. A 55 gallon simply isn't big enough. There are, however, plenty of recipes for a 55 gallon using some of the smaller cichlids. As to what you decide to go with... it's completely a personal preference. That includes fish, substrate, background, plants, etc. Do a little searching and don't just settle for what others suggest 
In the species profile, it suggests Oscars for a minimum of 55 gallons. Is that like, the BARE minimum, and is not used at all, or can it live in one? I am assuming that if I were to get an Oscar for a 55, it would be the Oscar by itself?
Eventually that oscar is going to be about a foot long, give or a take a few inches. The width of a 55 gallon is 13 inches. I wouldn't recommend keeping a full grown oscar in anything less than a 75, by itself. ~125 gallons for a pair. That's what is so bad about "fish shops". Sure they're cute when they're a few inches long and the fish store is going to tell you what you want to hear to make a sale.
I don't keep oscars, but I would imagine it would be fine to keep oscars in a 55 for a while. But if you get oscars you should have plans for a much larger tank in the future.
I don't keep oscars, but I would imagine it would be fine to keep oscars in a 55 for a while. But if you get oscars you should have plans for a much larger tank in the future.
I keep oddballs myself, and many grow too big for a 55g, so all my suggestions are out the door.
But, i've always been interested in shelldwellers (i know nothing about cichlids). I think they stay small, and shoot in and out of caves and rocks while swallowing and spitting out sand. The ones i saw had a sort of jittery motion to them. I think its kind of neat.
But, i've always been interested in shelldwellers (i know nothing about cichlids). I think they stay small, and shoot in and out of caves and rocks while swallowing and spitting out sand. The ones i saw had a sort of jittery motion to them. I think its kind of neat.
Ok, just making sure. I am probably going to save a little more to get a 75. Now, I read somewhere that oscars were not too aggressive, and anything that wouldn't fit in its mouth that could hold its own would be a good tank mate. How big is an oscars mouth?
Huge....and not true about tankmates....if you put another aggressive fish, there will be territorial battles and fights. They are agressive, but to an extent....
Yea, Oscars are a mean fish that sometimes will kill for the heck of it.
I would suggest smaller cichlids or perhaps a puffer fish tank...
You could put 6 bumblebee gobies, 2 dragon gobies, and 3 Figure 8 puffer fish in the 55 gallon tank... The SG would be 1.007....
But if you don't know about brackish water, don't attempt the puffer tank...
I would suggest smaller cichlids or perhaps a puffer fish tank...
You could put 6 bumblebee gobies, 2 dragon gobies, and 3 Figure 8 puffer fish in the 55 gallon tank... The SG would be 1.007....
But if you don't know about brackish water, don't attempt the puffer tank...
Somebody suggested Oscar and a Jack Dempsey a while back?
Edit: are these territorial fights like a betta or paradise fish fight, where the injuries could kill another fish, or are they more or less to establish a "pecking order" where the fishes injuries are harmless?
Edit: are these territorial fights like a betta or paradise fish fight, where the injuries could kill another fish, or are they more or less to establish a "pecking order" where the fishes injuries are harmless?
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Territory and aggression fights. Yes, they can and will kill each other. And the Oscar and JD wouldn't do well in a 55 gallon.