What type of shoaling fish is best? (How to stock 55 gallon?)

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Kettemoor

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Sep 14, 2007
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Hello everyone! My 55 gallon is going to be done cycling in not too long and I would like to start my stocking with the shoaling fish. It is going to be a community tank, and I am not sure on what I really want yet but here is an idea of what I'd want:

Shoaling Fish:
  • Zebra Danio
  • Golden Barb
  • Cardinal Tetra
Algae Eaters:
  • Siamese Algae Eater + Amano Shrimp
  • Otonocilus + Amano Shrimp
Paired Fish:
  • Dwarf Gourami
  • Angel Fish
  • German Blue Rams
  • Also going to have probably 3 female betta and a few cory.
I am leaning away from the Angel Fish and I don't think I would be good to get GBR so soon for I saw somewhere they have somewhat of a high difficulty.

Anyway, I really like the looks and hear the danio are playful but I also heard that they are a bad choice for a community tank because they can be really aggravating to other fish.

If someone could just suggest the best stocking for my 55 gallon that would preferably include some blue dwarf gourami. In not too much time I wish to have this tank planted too. Also I'd prefer a closer shoaling fish rather than just a schooling fish.

Thanks!
 
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Wat2Go

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Feb 23, 2007
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Our black neons school marvelously and are very cool (we have a group of 16 in the 55gallon).

Had zebra danios before, but they drove all the other fish crazy. Only after I donated them to a friend did I hear that they are less harassing if they are in a bigger group (we had 8).

We also have a school of cherry barbs in the 55, but they don't school, and even though I love them, they are very shy.

My daughters neons always hang out together, and play with bubbles and play hide and seek in the plants.

We have harlequin rasboras in a 29 gallon (group of 12) but even though everyone keeps saying they are hardy, I had trouble with whole groups dying on me. The current group is healthy and happy.

When I was stocking the 55 people kept advising me to rather choose two kinds of fish in a bigger school, than 3 kinds in a smaller school. Just thought to pass it on.

I personally would stay away from a siamese algea eater, they grow big!
A nice group of cories instead maybe? And some oto's?

If you put everything you list in a 55, you will be overstocked...

L.
 

Kettemoor

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Sep 14, 2007
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Oh I definitely don't want everything on my list. I want one of each category. One specie of schooling fish, one specie of bigger fish, one set of algae eaters, plus my betta.

This sounds good though, I was planning on getting 8 of whatever schooling fish I got but I might go with 12, then 2 eye catchers, 3 betta, and some oto and cory... would that be too much?
 

msjinkzd

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Feb 11, 2007
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i have cherry barbs (2m/4f) and while they don't school they are also actively engaged with each other. I find them really fun and not at all shy. I also have 14 cardinals and they hang out behind my driftwood but are always tightly schooling. You could also consider adding a school of cory catfish, I just got some sterbais and they school very tightly, are beautful, and active. I think that the cardinals or the cherry barbs would look really nice with the dwarf blue gourami. My only other advice is be careful getting algae eating fish like otos unless you are sure that you will have enough algae for them to eat. also, not sure if gourami and betta get along very well...hopefully someone else will chime in on that one. Good luck!
 

Wat2Go

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Feb 23, 2007
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Good point on the oto's. We have 6 in our 55, but the tank has been up for 5 months and has a good amount of algea. Our oto's also eat zucchini and algea tablets, but not all will...

Somehow all our cories (and we have 18 in different tanks) only get active when it is lights off, except the albino's: they are partying all day long. Hmm. Well, it gives us something to look at in the semi-dark (light off in tank, light on in room).

L.
 

cichlidsrextrem

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Jul 26, 2007
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i might limit my self on the 3 bettas i have breed bettas only one time thuoght and only common viel tails lol but i had 3 females in a 10 gal the fought all the time so i say one male and possoble one male it might work mabyee a spawn
 

sspitfire

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Aug 12, 2007
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I would suggest rasboras, I have 5 harlequin and 6 brilliants, and they all school together, and look really cool. Their coloring is much more "brilliant"/shiny than in the fish store, and the harlies look really darn neat. They are almost always out swimming, except at nighttime (sleepytime).
 

pisces224

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May 10, 2006
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I would stay away from the Chinese Algae Eater. As some people have already mentioned, they get pretty big and can be aggressive and suck the slime coat on other fish.

The Oto's would be good, but my personal choice would be a smaller pleco like a Bristlenose or Clown. I have several Bristlenose Plecos and I've never seen algae in my tank.
 

dkht25

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May 10, 2007
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Check out Rummynose Tetras, I have 9 in my 30 and they are together all the time. Very pretty fish.
 
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