55 Gallon Stocking Ideas, Please :)

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squishee

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Sep 29, 2013
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Hi there, I am new to this forum, and I am asking for some advice. I have had a 10 gallon tank for the last several years and I am excited to finally get a bigger tank. We just recently moved so that we have tons more room. I just picked up a 55 gallon tank from craigslist with a stand and two filters. It's, for lack of a better way to describe it, a quarter-of-a-circle shape.

So now I am here to ask you nice people if you can suggest some stocking ideas. I currently have in my 10 gallon a dwarf gourami, one black-skirt tetra (I did have three others) and a ridiculous goldfish that my son won at a fair, which just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I am going to try to find a home for the tetra and the goldfish. I would rehome the gourami too, but he's pretty mangled up because he got himself stuck not once, but TWICE in the side of the sunken ship I had in there. The ship has now been removed. :shakehead:

I am looking for a colorful, flashy look. I would really like to get some angels, but I keep reading conflicting advice about tank mates and even how many angels can be kept together. If not angels, then perhaps some other showy fish as a centerpiece and then community fish, or perhaps all community fish and no centerpiece fish.

I am going to try to do a planted tank (I tried in the 10 gallon and that failed miserably) and get some branched driftwood to put in the center as a focal point. I ordered a 50-lb bag of Carib Sea gravel for $33 bucks(!) on Amazon with free shipping. I believe my water here is hard, not positive though; where I used to live it's definitely hard, I now live about 20 minutes away from there in the mountains. Our water comes from wells and aquifers, so I'm not sure. Anyway, any advice you can offer would be really appreciated. Thanks!
 
Welcome to AC!

So when you say a quarter of a circle shape, you mean it fits into the corner?
What kind of filters came with it?

I think it's important to understand the tank size and shape before we begin suggesting a stock list for it.
Normally a 55 gallon tank is 4 ft long, 1 foot wide and 20 inches high.
The reason I say that is because fish swim horizontally not vertically.
 
Angels can be tricky to keep, 1 is usually fine with some tankmates, 2+ can be trouble depending on sex. Those pretty long fins with their cichlid personality can make for stocking issues. Have you checked out pearl gouramis? A male & 2 females might work well in your tank...but not with angel(s). They have the same delicate fins so no fin nippers like serape tetras etc. Harlequin rasboras or cardinal tetras (say 10) would be pretty with some (8) corys or small loaches for the bottom. Your tank is not a "standard" 55g, the footprint is smaller so be careful not to overstock.
 
Hi thanks for responding. Cicrush13, yes it is a corner tank. The sides each measure 34" long, with the arc between measuring 53", and 23" deep. There are two Aqueon filters...not sure what models, but from looking at pictures I think they are QuietFlow.

Fishorama, thanks for the suggestions, I will check out the pearl gouramis in person next time I'm at the fish store.
 
Lots of options there...I would suggest researching some different fish first. I wouldn't rule out angels, corys, schoolers, etc. :welcome:
 
rufioman said:
Lots of options there...I would suggest researching some different fish first. I wouldn't rule out angels, corys, schoolers, etc. :welcome:
Click to expand...
+1 Angels should be an option.
They are hardy fish and can be kept in a group.
When you have issues with them it's b/c they are ready to spawn and you could have a pair.
Not easy to tell them apart either.

I would focus on whatever fish you plan as a centerpiece and then pick others to go around them.
 
+2 on the Angels. I love them. I have a semi breeding pair in my tank (with other angels). They breed almost every month, but no survivers yet.
 
Unless there is a true pair of angels, a 34 inch tank will not allow the "lesser" fish to have its' own territory. I'd only have a single angel & no gouramis in a tank with those dimensions.
 
So guess what? I plugged the dimensions into two different calculators online that took into account my tank shape, and apparently I have a 90 gallon tank. The guy I bought it from must've bought it from someone else, because that's what he told me it is. Sooo....

I think I am going to look into getting some angels. From what I've read, a group of 5 might be a good choice to lessen the chance of aggression.
 
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