Which Fish

[mrmcmasty]

OK, I have read so many different things on a lot of different sites. I have a 55 gallon tank (fresh water) with no fish. I have been hesitant to buy any because I do not know which ones would be best suited for my space and which are best suited to live together. I am open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has taken the time read this and even greater thanks to those of you may respond!

 

[TKOS]

I would suggest heading to the fish store you want to buy from and amking a list of all the fish that you think you might like. Then repost and people with experience will tell you which can go together well, which will fit as adults in your tank etc.. Also try and figure out if you want a community tank, aggressive tank or maybe just a couple of larger fish.

Finally I suggest you read the sticky in the newie forum on cycling tanks. It is great info and will surely help you avoid many common problems.

 

[aknif]

Welcome! I am assuming your tank is cycled and all that good stuff... but you'll see what I have in my 125 in my signature below. Obviously you'd have a more scaled down version, but i'm very happy with my silver dollars, gouramis and the kribensis pair... It makes for a beautiful tank to just sit and watch!

Good luck! Let us know what you decide!

 

[ArkyLady]

First of all, kudos to you for thinking things through and doing your research ahead of time. You've already made the most important first step

I'm with TKOS. Go shop around and see what fish catch your eye. Then you can post here with your initial ideas and we can help you decide what combination of what you like would work best as well as suitable tankmates for them you may not have noticed yet. There are so many possibilities that it's hard to give this type of advice without some starting point to work around. You will no doubt decide you really like a fish that it turns out you can't keep, but that's how the sickness spreads and soon you'll have more tanks to house them all too!

Another important decision you need to make is how to cycle your tank. Most of us here like to recommend fishless cycling. It may seem like a lot of trouble, but really it's easier in the long run. The process will take 4-6 weeks for the tank to be ready, but you can use that time to get your decorations, plants, etc all setup and research your fish choices. Once the fishless cycle is complete, you'll know exactly which fish you want and you can then add them all at once.

If you choose a fishy cycle (which just means you start adding your fish), you will need to add 2-3 fish to get things started and then add them slowly (2-3 again every few weeks) until you get all the fish you plan to keep in the tank added. You will need to monitor your ammonia and nitrIte levels religiously throughout this process so they don't get up to toxic levels and harm or kill your fish.

I like a fishless cycle better because if you make a mistake there are no fish in there to be harmed in the process. Do some searches here and/or on google.com for fishless cycling and you'll get lots of information to help you decide.

Good luck to ya and welcome to Aquaria Central!

 

[mrmcmasty]

OK so Ive done a little research and visited quite a few stores. I have some fish in mind and would like opinions about which ones will play nice and thirve in similar conditions.

I have a 55 gallon tank that is fishless cycling. The one in bold are my favs based on appearance.


Halequinn Rasboro[U]- I really like the way these look I was thinking 4-6 of them
Cardinal or Neon tetras- these are my wifes choice, but they are nice looking
Clown loach- I like the way these look but have recieved varyied info on them. I understand they are schooling and should be kept in groups. I have also heard that they can get 12in or better, but on the other hand I have a friend who has a school of six in a 55gallon tank and none of them are over 6 inches... and he has had them for 20 years (I cant believe they live so long)! If it all possible I would like to have these... what do you guys think? If yes, how many?
Adonis Pleco- black spotted, looks like some type of bottom feeder.
Red torpedo barb- really cool color scheme but i know nothing of temperment.
Tiger Barb- I really like these, but I have read they are territorial and very "nippy"
kavala blue[/U]- like the way they look, dont know anything about em
zebra pleco- they were neat looking but all but one in the tank looked it was on its last errr um fin
I know very little about the following fish, but I like the way they look.
Green Scat... I know nothing about these fish
Silver Scat...
Angel fish- I really like the way they look
spotted cory
Neolamprologus Multifasciates- ummm thats all they had on the tag, but its a cool looking fish... anyone know anything about it or what it is called? I am sure it was spelled differntly but this is all I could get from the scribble on the tag and this place was not customer friendly, getting help in there was impossible.

any reccomenadtions on number and types from this list, anyone have any favs that would get along with some of these... sorry this post is so long... thanks to all for their time!

 

[Tuolumne]

The neolamprologus multifasciatus are African cichlids known as "shell dwellers". They are very fun, interesting fish, but would not do well with the other fish you list as possibilities because of their water requirements. They require a higher pH than average tropical fish and very alkaline water, so they are usually kept in a species tank or in a Tanganyikan tank. (The lake they are from, Lake Tanganyika). They need a sand substrate and several shells in which to make their "homes" and to breed in. There are several other types of shell dwellers too.

The scats are brackish fish I believe, meaning they need water that is in-between salt water and fresh water. I think they need to be set up in a brackish tank only, but I don't really know anything about them besides that.

I'll leave the other fish on your list for other people to address.

 

[srobles]

cool list. if you have the money go with that zebra plec unless it is in really bad shape. they are a great fish and very coveted.if you really like the shell dweller go with it . cichlids are great fish i have a 100 gallon tank with just big southies and a 65 gallin with just malawi cichlid. they are geat beautiful and interesting fish. good luck and god bless.

 

[fishpoor]

Harlequin rasbora - great little fish, I like the rasbora espei ( a little smaller same markings except bright pink color added) as well . In my experience very hardy and active. Minimum of 6

clown loach - Everyone says get BIG, I had 3 ( wasn't enough but i only had a 50 gallon tank) until my angelfish decided to clear my tank of other fish. They are fun, quirky fish with personality.

Angelfish - went to the club auction the week after they killed my clown loaches. I fed in the morning and found one clown loach dead, removed it and went to work. When I got home from work had 2 more dead clown loaches and they (actually it was just one of them & he terrorized 2 of the other angelfish as well) were going after my turquoise rainbows. I seperated them all out and sold them. They had been in this tank with the other fish for 8 months with no problems prior to that.

I'm not familiar with either of the plecos you mentioned, but I believe that the zebra at least is not an algae eater, and you are going to want a pleco that eats algae and doesn't get huge. I love plecos, but even if i didn't, I would have one in every tank, just so i didn't have to clean the sides,decorations,and plants. Okay, so i'm lazy.

neon and cardinal tetras- I have never been able to keep either of these alive for more than a couple of months, so have given up. Has anyone been able to have them for years?

rainbowfish - If they fit in with your other occupants are hardy and beautiful. Look them up at DR. Fosters to see pictures of adults, because they are usually sold as juveniles and don't color up until adults. Very active schooling fish. Don't bother each other or other fish... chow hounds.

 

[TKOS]

If you like loaches there are many smaller ones that would work better in your tank. Try looking at Yoyo or Zebra loaches. Both would be a better choice and not outgrow your tank. If a fish is much over a few years old and hasn't attained its max size then it is probably stunted and not healthy. Also clowns are well known for their ability to come in an infect a tank with disease. They aren't, IMO, a very good beginner choice for fish.

Angelfish could potentially eat smaller fish like the Harliquins, neons and cardinals. Be careful and be aware that Angels eat those in the wild. A pair will do well in a 55 galoon though.

The scats are in fact brackish so are off the list of freshwater. Even if the pet store is selling them in freshwater I would avoid them.

The shellies could rule the bottom of the tank and despite their size get aggressive. Plus they do prefer the harder more alkaline water.

Tiger barbs do bets in larger groups. So if you want them get 6 or more. And feel free to mix the varieties in as they all seem to school well. But they could go after the Angel's long fins very easily.

Harliquins are the hardier of the chocies for a small school fish. Neons tend to be weak and die easily, though cardinals should be a bit tougher.

Cories are the perfect addition to a tank. Get 5. They should get along fine with smaller loaches, though things may look crowded if you get both.

 

[Holly9937]

I am jealous that you found a zebra pleco!! From what I have heard they are almost impossible to come by anymore. One site I looked at where you could order fish was selling one for 150 dollars US. Maybe it was something similiar??? Some of the plecos get HUGE as you may know and I would make sure you know exactly what it is and how big it gets. I would steer away from the clown loaches. They can be disease prone if the water is not very well maintained, also just the size, maybe you won't be as lucky as your friends and they will get too big, then you are forced to get rid of them or buy a bigger tank ( which I am always for!!), but its best to stick to fish that your tank can accomodate when full grown. That is always one of the most important thing to consider, but it can be frustrating to wait for tiny fish to get big and have an empty looking tank in the meantime! I've never kept angels, but I hear they can be kind of tricky, plus they limit your choices of other fish you can keep if you want it to be a community tank. I personally like alot of the tetras, they are really neat to watch when they school and most are pretty hardy. Good luck , let us know what you get!!