Stocking question for 55G bowfront

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Felix T Cat

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Nov 28, 2008
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Ok, so now that my water is finally getting under control it becomes a question of stocking. Here's my list of "likes" from the beginner stocking list and walks through the LFS.

Panda Corys
Clown Loach
Hill Stream Sucker
Glass Catfish (or any transparent fish)

Neon Tetra
Fancy Tail Guppys

Pearl Scale Gold (I just could NOT stop laughing at watching them try to swim)
Yellow Lab (although I read these may not be a good community fish)
Angelfish instead ?

I'm open to suggestions and definitely interested in Qty's / inter compatibilities. I know the guppy's will breed like rabbits, do you think the lab or angel would keep them in check ?.
 

rinmouse

peek-a-boo!
Aug 5, 2006
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If you get angels, pass on the neons, they will likely eventually be snacks. Sometimes people have success with angels and neons, but the majority to not. Though yellow labs are considered quite docile for african cichlids, it's generally not reccommended that you mix them with fish other than africans. The hill stream loaches have fairly special requirements different than the other fish on your list. The clown loaches will eventually be too large for your 55g, though would be ok there for some time as long as you were planning on upgrading. Not sure what you mean by "pearl scale gold"

You could go with panda cories, neons, another nice tetra like congos, bleeding hearts, or lemons, black skirts, and maybe a nice gourami- though I'm not 100% sure these guys are ok with the neons. Not sure if the glass fish would be ok in here, we only ever see the dyed ones in the fish stores here so I've always stayed away from them.
 

severum mama

is a big bowl of wrong.
Dec 30, 2006
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North GA
If you mean pearlscale goldfish, go ahead and skip that too. Goldfish are coldwater fish and shouldn't be mixed with tropicals. Also, I totally agree with rinmouse that African cichlids such as yellow labs should be kept in a dedicated African cichlid setup. Your tank is large enough to keep Africans if that's something that interests you.

An adult angelfish will be large enough to make snacks out of neons AND guppies. Just something to keep in mind.
 

yikesjason

AC Members
Jul 29, 2008
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Portland, OR
hillstream loaches require a lot of water movement. They come from fast moving streams.
Some tetras can be fin nippers and cause problems for you guppies. Make sure you check on any tetra you put with guppies.
If you really like the angel fish, you can do them with some larger tetras like cardinals or rummy nose. The guppies would be too small.
Just keep asking questions and you will do fine.
 

golfproinlexky

Know just enough to be dangerous...
Dec 31, 2007
104
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Kentucky
totally agree with YikesJ.... Angelfish and larger tetras make great tankmates and swim at multiple levels. That's how I got my start and it was so easy that I had to start buying more tanks to keep all the other fish I wanted!

good luck and keep the questions coming, that's how I've done it!
 

Felix T Cat

AC Members
Nov 28, 2008
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12-14 neons
4 guppies (1 m: 3 f)
8-10 panda corys
Pearl gouami trio (will eat guppy fry)
What about a Beta trio instead of the gouami's ?. In my head I'm picturing saving a few betas from their little plastic containers and more of a "flowing fin" tank with the guppies.

EDIT: Ok looks like Betas and fancy guppies are a bad idea:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Betta-Fish-Care---Choosing-Appropriate-Betta-Tankmates&id=960131

Any suggestions for the Pearl trio ?. They are pretty but not grabbing my interest yet.
 
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severum mama

is a big bowl of wrong.
Dec 30, 2006
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North GA
What about a Beta trio instead of the gouami's ?. In my head I'm picturing saving a few betas from their little plastic containers and more of a "flowing fin" tank with the guppies.

EDIT: Ok looks like Betas and fancy guppies are a bad idea:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Betta-Fish-Care---Choosing-Appropriate-Betta-Tankmates&id=960131

Any suggestions for the Pearl trio ?. They are pretty but not grabbing my interest yet.
Male bettas should never be kept together as they will kill each other. Some people have success keeping female bettas together, but I haven't and IMO it's risky. Bettas and guppies should never be mixed.

I like the pearl gourami suggestion. They are very pretty fish and have a peaceful temperament as compared to some other species of gourami. Photos never do them justice IMO, and the way they look at the LFS is also not really indicative of how great they look when you get them home and they settle in and color up.
 
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