55gal ready to stock!

T

TwanDizzle

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Jul 31, 2006
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Hi peoples! i've got a 55gal aquarium that is almost ready to have some new fish put in.. i've cycled it using 7 danios (yeah, i know, for shame)... but anyway, here are my water test results:
pH : 7
Ammonia : 0.0ppm
Nitrite : 2.0ppm
Nitrate : 10ppm

i know my nitrite has to come down to 0, but after that, i'll be ready!
my question is this... what kind of fish(es) would you guys recommend for me? i've had a long time interest, but only a very short time experience with keeping fish.. so i would want something that is somewhat easy to own.. currently, here is how my tank looks... a thin layer of fine to medium gravel (light brown, i think its called "silver creek" at wal-mart)... a sideways fake log that resembles a tunnel on one end of the tank, and a "tree stump" on the other end.. and nothing but openess in the middle... oh, i also have a few plants growing (apongen ....something or other, i can't remember the whole name; so far it just looks like tall wavy grass, no flowers or anything like that..) i've got an aqua-tech power filter (model 30/60), and a heater in the corner of the tank...which brings me to another subject in its own...i can't tell if its submersible or not! it has a "water line" on it, and the instructions say that the water must be above the waterline, but if it gets any higher, then i'm afraid that water is going to get on the inside and somehow cause a shock and i'll have floating fishsticks! its not exactly a sealed tube either... up on the top, where the waterline is, its slotted, which makes me think that its not submersible!

geez, all this typing, and i STILL haven't gotten to the type of fish i want... i basically want a community tank, with a pair of larger fish (ie, rams or other), and i know i want 5-10 cories... the cories is a definate thing...

someone has recommended to me 2 german blue rams, some cories, tetras, and a pleco.... is this too much, or would there be any kind of agression problems?

Thanks for taking the time to read all this, and thank you in advance for advice! also, i know i can't throw all the fish in at once, so i'll probably start with the cories first and a month or so later the "larger pair" or maybe even a single larger fish...
 
The stock some one suggested to you sounds fine to me as long as the pleco is one that stay smaller, I'm not a pleco guy so I can't recommend which one. And about the heater if you can tell us what kind it is or a picture of it would help.
 
Hi

I'm taking it your 55 gallon came from walmart. The heater you have is the same as mine. I put the water right at the water line, not above it...heater works just fine for me right their. Hope that helped you. Cant suggest stocking options right now though..sorry..i don't know enough yet as I am cycling my tank at the moment.

Sandy
 
sublux, smart girl! hehehe... but yeah, i tried to put the heater right on the waterline, but everyday, i get some evaporation, so i keep having to push it down a little each day, and then when i refill the tank, i have to pull it back up... its kind of annoying, if you ask me... i may end up chunking it and buying one that i KNOW is submersible...

and as for the pleco, i think the best one (that stays smaller) is a bristlenose... but then again, is the pleco and a common algae eater the same thing?? what i've always been told was an algae eater has always been at the absolute biggest, the size of your hand... but most plecos i've seen online are at least a foot long when full grown... so i wonder if 2 of the smaller ones would be better/more diverse than one that gets bigger??
 
The one my friend got in his kit is submersible, but does it hook on to the back of your tank or does it have suction cups to attach it to the inside of the tank. And I know about the bristlenose staying small but there are many others that stay small; and no a pleco and a algae eater are not the same. Check out planetcatfish.com for more info on pleco's.
 
the bristlenosed 'catfish' is technically not a pleco.

there are several morphs of this species and it is an excellant addition to a tank.
it's primary diet is vegetation they can terrorize some plants but prefer algae. vary it's diet to include sinking wafers, cucumbers, zuchini etc. it wil be healthier as a result.
there are several other species of catfish(pleco's) that remain small..but do your research many of them are woodeaters and need wood in their diet. ie: clown pleco.

I encourage you to seek information and visit planetcatfish.
 
German blue rams are a hard fish for a beginner and quite a hastle to look after. Give it some time before getting these and look for something that may be a little easier to look after.

Cories sound fine, make sure you get at least 5.

Tetras, well it depends on the type you want... cardinals or neons seem to be a fave for new hobbiests because of their pleasing sight, if these are the type you want get at least 6. ]

A pleco is a great idea but as has been said, size is an issue. I would strongly reccomend a young bristlenose. Make sure you have bogwood and Star Rider has mainly got it with the veggie diet BUT it is relatively rare that they will eat plants and there must be some meat intake too. Bloodworm pellets are what I use. This has to be fed occasionally but mainly veg.
 
2 blue rams, tetras, corries, and a small pleco seems like an understocked tank. Rams dont get that big at all but are very colorful. I guess you could go with a huge school of tetras. As for the pleco stay with the exotics, bristlenose, gold nugget, peppermint, arabesque, etc.
 
Unless you really like plecos don't get one. They produce more waste than other fish their size. If you want bottom feeders there are far more choices than plecos. There are all variety of catfish (I love pictus myself), corydoras cats, Loaches, lots of interesting things. There is no hard and fast rule that you have to have a pleco. I like them and am looking at some of the more exotic species, but they can also get expensive. I would say explore the various bottom feeders and see if you really want a pleco, they truly aren't required :) You could also do bamboo shrimp or some other invertebrate depending on the fish you will have int he tank.
 
well, understocked is better than OVERstocked, isn't it?? and the way i figure it, it gives more room for any small additions here and there, either by buying a new fish, or some of the ones breeding... (yeah, most, if not all of the eggs will be eaten, but who knows??) and this is between JWDDBOY and DeRo, what kind of fish could i replace the german blues with? something a little bigger, if possible, and easier to take care of, definately! also, i like joylynn's advice on other bottom feeders... i think i would like some kind of invertabrate than a pleco... if i knew it would be safe, i'd get a few of those blue lobsters that i've heard about (or blue crayfish, whichever you want to call them)...but i figure they'd kill the cories in a heartbeat, and like i said, i definately want some cories

blkwdw, my heater has suction cups to hold it against the glass... and another reason i was confused about it being submersible, is on the box, it shows a picture of it (more of a rough drawn diagram) and it shows it in a vertical position, but completely under the water.. but i think i've decided to exchange that one for one that i know for a fact is submersible (it says so on the box)
 
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