54 gallon tank, how bad is it?

5

54gallongoof

Registered Member
Jul 25, 2005
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Well, here are the details:

54 gallon corner tank (perhaps 24" tall, 1/4 circle shape)

thin layer of pea-gravel substrate, some rocks and some large pieces of broken terra cotta pots.

2 green wendtii, 1 red wendtii, 1 brazilian pennywort (each potted)

2 penguin biowheel filters (the one that fits normal 54 gallon tanks was too long to fit in the space my tank has, so I'm using 2 slightly smaller models that together add up to the required filtration)

300 watt heater

Believing the 1"/gallon rule, I got 3 bala sharks, 2 dwarf gouramis, 1 red-tailed black shark, 1 pictus cat, and a pleco. I've now seen a couple sources saying that my tank will be uncomfortably small for the balas when they grow up (they're about 4-5" now). What do I do? I simply don't have room for a bigger tank. Will they be ok, but just a little crowded, or is this a serious issue?

Secondly, is aquarium salt (Doc Wellfish's) a good thing to use in freshwater tanks? I've read that it is helpful in preventing illnesses, are there any down-sides to it?

Thirdly, this site has echidna rodochilus photos that I think are actually gymnothorax tile. Can anybody comment?

Yes, I'm a newbie, please forgive my ineptitude... :help:
 
1) The 1":g rule is old. Do not use it. And the Balas will get to big, its a big problem. If you cant get a bigger tank then its best to let them go. Try giving them to a friend or a LFS. Most stores will accept free fish.

2) Salt is really good if you are treating some thing. But for general use its a bad idea. Overtime it will cause more harm than good.

3) Wheres that picture?
 
1) bummer. I was afraid of that...

2) thanks for the info

3) go to fish profiles, brackish, "freshwater moray eel"

Is there a listing such as

"here are fish that are fine for a 10gal tank...
here are fish that are fine for a 20gal tank...
here are fish that are fine for a 55gal tank...
here are fish that are fine for a 100gal tank..."

If not, someone seriously needs to put one together so that people like me don't get hosed.

Perhaps a sortable database of all aquarium fish containing space requirements, water requirements, etc...
 
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bala sharks grow well past a ft long and are very active swimmers. Most corner tanks are tall rather than long and a 55 gallon corner tank lacks the horizontal swimming space necessary for them. Keeping 3 in a 55 corner tank will adversely affect their health and stunt their growth.

Salt is a good treatment for certain diseases like ich in a freshwater tank, it also reduces osmotic stress to the gills which is helpful if a fish is suffering from diseases or toxic ammonia and nitrite lvls. That said, the overall benefits for continued salt treatment are debatable and can be harmful to some fishes like cories and loaches. Salt can also harm plants. Its probably best (and cheaper) to use salt only when you need to.

Sorry, don't know much about eels.
 
Besides asking on here, you should research what fish you want and then always get at least one other opinion on the net. One list is dangerous, it would be one person's or one forums opinion, and you shouldn't rely on one person or forum. Not to mention, with all the different opinions/knowledge of aquariums, it's compilation would be a process!

When I looked for my fish, I went to myfishtank.net, which does give minimum tank recommendations, I looked here, I went to liveaquaria.com (they sell fish, but have profiles), and then places that matched my fish...like metasearching the fish species and looking at less travelled places.

You'll also find that tank shape is also important. My cories like the bottom, and my loaches are on the bottom most of the time, leaving the top to the betta. If my 30g were verticle, they'd have a lot less space.

Take time and patience, ask a lot of questions. I have learned so much about fish I will probably never own from reading this forum and others. Good luck!
 
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