How is this for my first tank??

H

holbritter

Freshwater Newbie
Nov 28, 2006
34
0
0
New York
I tell ya! You can go crazy trying to get consistent info on the web. It seems that the requirement scales are different on different sites! Arghh!

So, filtering all the info I have(no pun intended), and by reading posts here, this is what I've come up with.
What do you guys think? Any more suggestions or warnings? I want to get this right!

Red Wagtail Platy - 6
Neon Tetra - 6
Zebra Danio - 6
Maybe a dwarf cory (I think that’s what it’s called) but I don’t know how many or if it’s compatible.
And I like the guppy, but am not sure how many would be good.


Do I have room for more? (55g hex)

Thanks!
 
I don't know anything about platy or guppy but the cory you must get at least 3 as they are only their true selves in groups and your tank you should beable to get a bunch of at least 4 there are a few different types but the smaller ones are dwarf, pygmy or panda. I am ordering some panda today :)

The danio and tetra are fine, i personally am not a fan of the danio as they can be a bit nippy but you should be fine with a nice big tank and a good school have you looked at Harlequin Rasbora? They are a nice top dwelling fish very active fun to watch and very friendly to other fishies. (Harli instead of danio)

p.s you have room for more(maybe some bigger fish to add to your little ones, that don't get too big but are noticable bigger than what you have), if you don't get nippy fish you could maybe get a couple of rams (two) they would go at the bottom and you could get a single dwarf gourami for the top..

*I dont' know if the fish I recommended in the p.s go with platy or guppy though so you might want to check that.
 
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Hi holbritter!

Dwarf Cories are even a little bit more social then other Cories and it would probably be best to get 5 or more. But three or four would be okay too.

So, if you decide to get Dwarf Cories (which I think would be a great choice) plus the other fish on your list, you still have room for more fish. You could get a nice senter piece fish like a Dwarf Gourami or a Ram. Plus a school of six Lemon Tetras or Black Neon Tetras would also be nice.

Hope this helps!

Cory Lover
 
just keep in mind that neon tetras are some of the most delicate tropical FW fish you can get, you should only get them once your tank is very established and you have consistantly high water quality

good luck
 
if you can find them..get a butt load of pygmy cory's...those are very cool fish :) (will form tight schools)
or the dwarf will be fine tho I would recommend 6+
your tank is large enough to support a larger school of neons along with the corydora's
since these are relatively small fish with relatively low bioloads.
 
I dont want to really rain on the parade here or anything, but I know I am going to no matter how I say this but.....

If I were you and this was my tank, I would think again about getting a schooling fish like neon tetras or danios becasue they are very active fish and need room to swim so in general, it is best to keep them in a longer, rather than taller tanks like most hex tanks are.

I know that is hard to say because 55 gallons is 55 gallons, but usually the hex tanks are better served by keeping slower moving fish in them that are more apt to swim in shorter patterns than the smaller, fast, constantly moving fish.

A good example of fish that are well suited for hex tanks are like silver dollars (a good schooling fish, but get really big) or angels.

I have no first hand experience with cory cats, but from what I understand, they are a good candidate for a hex tank, but you should keep in mind that the tank has a smaller 'footprint' and so I wouldnt get so many that they end up being cramped at the bottom of the tank. I would also find a good, fast sinking pellet food for them so that the other mid to top dwelling fish dont eat it all up before it has the chance to get to the bottom. Otherwise you would almost be forced to overfeed.

I also think that you may be underestimating how large a platty can get eventually. Like mollies, they can get to 4 inches or even a bit bigger. I had one once that was at least 5 inches and was a male with an attitude problem!

This is a great example of why the 'inch per gallon' rule just cannot apply to every tank and every fish. Of course, you could probrably get 40 neon tetras to fit in this tank, but they would be stressed out because they cannot live as they would like to and school back and forth in the tank. I know it sounds slightly picky or rediculous, but it is true. In the end, stressed fish are going to lead to bigger problems that are somewhat harder to solve quickly in a mid sized tank like 55 gallons.
 
i disagree, regular danios and neons do not need that much room, the hex should be fine IMO, but like i said, the neons are too delicate, danios on the other hand are hardy and a good choice, as are angels like Tommy Gun suggested, and if you get angels, they would like nothing better than to snack on tiny neon tetras
 
Great suggestions...thanks!

I was worried about the whole "hex" shape, and am now wishing I got a different tank. I started having problems with the larger power filters fitting, so I ended up going with the canister. I'll have to keep that in mind (fast moving fish vs slower) when I'm finally ready to stock. Getting impatient, but it's only been a week of cycling *sigh*

Guess I'll just have to have 2 tanks ;)

The rams and gourami sounds great. I would love to an angel too, but aren't they too aggressive for the smaller ones?

Thanks again everyone!
 
As a whole, Angels have a reputation as being pretty friendly and non-aggressive. I have never kept one, but as far as being a cichlid, they are pretty tame. I have heard stories though of people who wake up one morning to find that his or her angel had a big attitude change overnight and it ate all the guppies in the tank. I think it is a sort of hit or miss kind of thing.

Angels and small fish = potential problems, but no one could say for sure. Not all angels are angels though and dont get fooled into getting a Mono by the LFS. My brother did.

The sailfin molly, or really almost any molly is going to be the same story. Some are really laid back and some are really mean and territorial almost. They are sort a different type fish than most in that they are really a saltwater fish, turned brackish, turned freshwater. If you want to breed in your tank though, the mollies seemed to be the fastest fry gobblers in my previous livebearer tank.
 
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