Stock for 55

furfinsfeathers

furfinsfeathers

Fry
Aug 25, 2007
326
0
16
in front of my computer
Hi! I'm new to semi-educated fishkeeping (had a series of poor short-lived fish in a bowl as a kid). We're trying to decide what kinds of fish to get for a non-aggressive community tank--our toddler would be VERY upset if he sees his fishy friends get eaten! Here's what we're thinking so far for a 55 gallon freshwater tank, natural gravel, with fake plants and a bridge or something for fish to hide in:

6 Harlequin Rasboras
6 Platies (maybe Sunset Platies for the orange/red color)
6 Neon Tetras
3 Dwarf Gourami, 1 male and 2 female, or possibly Honey Gouramis instead
7 Endler's Livebearers unless I get Guppies instead, but prefer Endler's, fun and different and don't breed quite as prolificly!
and a few of some kind of cleaner maybe. Considering Otocinclus, an Apple Snail, or maybe some Red Cherry Shrimp.

How does this list sound? If I remember right, they're all 2" fish except for the Endler's, which are around 1", 3/4" for the males, and neons around 1 1/2". Would any of these be a bad idea with the little Endler's in particular? I'm thinking from time to time I'd move a female Endler to a breeding tank and move the fry to the big tank when they're a bit bigger. Do the stocking numbers sound okay allowing for adding a few babies?

I know some livebearers can crossbreed, which I want to avoid. I read that Platies don't cross with Guppies, correct? So they shouldn't cross with Endlers, either? (Endlers are either a close relative of Guppies or part of the same species, depending on where you read it.)

Any other suggestions? I am open to leaving the platies out entirely. What we are looking for most would be easy, non-aggressive, and color or fun shapes (like the shrimp).
 
:hi: :welcome: you could upgrade to 10-20 neons and the harlequins to 10. you can throw the 1" per gallon rule out the window. it's pretty useless. 2 females for every male when you are dealing with livebearers (platies and endlers.) I would go with an apple snail and 10-20 cherry shrimp. otos need a constant supply of algae.
 
I knew about otos needing algae and also feed veggies and figured I'd add them last if and when we got some algae going. I also meant to ask which fish are the hardiest and could be added first if I space them out over a few months? We have a good LFS here in addition to Petsmart and Petco, so I don't have to buy them all at once. The Endler's and shrimp if I get either or both are probably the only ones I would be ordering.
 
Are you going to do a fishless cycle ? It is usually the best way to cycle a tank since you will not have to do any water changes until the cycling process is over,(since no fish are in the tank you can let the levels get as high as they want to),no fish will be permanantly harmed during the process, and when the tank is finally cycled you can add all of the fish at the same time if you want.

As far as the stocking goes, I would up the schools to ten to twelve each for each school since you definetly have the room and maybe only get one dwarf gourami since there is a likelihood they will fight with each other. Having only one allows him to be the centerpiece fish which always looks nice in a tank of that size. The platies will be fun since they are so colorful and there are so many to choose from. I am sure your son will love them too since they tend to be hardy and most likely will survive any beginner mistakes that are made. Nothing is sadder for a child then to see his beloved fish kick the bucket. I would also include a lot of plants weather they are real ones or fake ones. This will help all of the fish feel more safe and secure. This will also help them come out of hiding too. Funny how the more hiding places you have for your fish the more you will see them.

As far as what to get for a cleanup crew, I would do maybe a team of cherry shrimp. They are cool to watch and do their job well. I also like the idea of an apple snail to if you do not do the shrimp. They come in a variety of colors and are fun to watch as they grow. They can get to the size of a golf ball and in your tank there will be plenty of room for him. I would not do the otos since they do require a constant supply of algae and more times then not do not take to other foods that are being offered. They also have a tendancy to be sensitive to water conditions and are not the easiest to acclimate to a new tank.

So that is my take on this. Be sure to post pictures when you have the whole thing set up and running. I am sure that it will be absolutely beautiful.

Marinemom
 
Increase the schools as have been noted, one DG, skip the shrimp/otos, yes to the applw snail and add a group of 5-7 cory for hours of viewing fun.

Just cycle that tank first!
 
Leaning toward fishless cycle right now, maybe borrowing some gravel from occupied tanks to speed it up a bit.

Yeah, I was thinking of the dwarf gourami as a centerpiece fish. With only one, rather than a pair or trio, it still wouldn't be likely to nip at the little fish?

Otos are probably out. Would shrimp AND an apple snail be too many cleaners? I like both.

My little boy is VERY attached to "his" fish. He feeds them (I count pellets and measure flakes) and our rescue goldfish within a few weeks to a couple months got so tame they'll eat from his fingers, and the betta will now, too.

Our "rescue goldfish": Our boy had loved to watch fish for a long time, at Walmart or petstores, especially the cheap, bright orange feeder goldfish, so we thought we might get him a tank for his birthday. I was at a yardsale and overheard that there was a 20 gallon tank for sale, with light and filter, and a couple of fish, for only $15. The water was the color of pale iced tea, there was no lid, just a window off a house complete with peeling paint, and the fish were 2 very plain brownish feeder goldfish. She told me the fish were evil, they ate all their tankmates (she'd started with 8 or 9), and if I only wanted the tank and not the fish, she would feed them to her cats! Talked her down to $10 and headed straight to a petstore. Found out the filter it came with was only a 10 gallon filter. Remembered a $5 off coupon I had at home, went home to get it, and in the process broke the bargain tank! Ended up spending abo9ut $125 on those 2 feeder goldfish. But they are very happy now. They started out very dull, but a few days in clean water turned them shiny, and one is now orange and the other is pale gold.

I definately see fish being happier with plants. The bettas I'd had before always sat there and did nothing (in their 1 gallon bowl with nothing but rocks-- :( --know much more now), but this guy in his 5 gallon with a nice soft silk plant to hide in seems so much happier and secure. It seems like just knowing he COULD hide, he doesn't want to so much.
 
I think the DG's are hit or miss on aggressiveness, when by themselves. The one I have for the grandsons is about as mellow as they can be, even with all the black skirts and red minors.

You could skip the DG and tri a single or trio of angels, but they can also be 50/50 on eating the small fish. The smaller the angels the better and add them last so the grow up with the others already there.
 
no shrimp and a snail would not be too many cleaners. shrimp are difficult to take care of at times. like bob said, have you looked at cories yet? sometimes if you get really nice ones like pandas or juliis, they can actually be a focal point in a tank and clean your tank for you.
 
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