Fish selection for my first community tank

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maxfrenkel19

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
35
Hi everyone,

I'm new to fish keeping and am setting up my first community tank. I've found a cheap 55gal used setup that I'm going to buy later this week. I've been doing a lot of research online and in pet stores, and I've come up with a list of fish that I think will get along and are attractive or interesting.

I'd love to get the opinions of the more experienced members of this site. So far my list includes:

elephant nose - (I've heard not a beginning fish, but I really like them)
bolivian ram - (I've heard a peaceful enough cichild to keep in a community)
Black lace angelfish - (is it best to have 1, 2, or many?)
american flagfish - (heard it's a good beginning killifish)
boesemani rainbow - (does it need to school or can I just have one?)
dwarf gourami

I also wanted to keep at least one school. I think guppies are beautiful, but I think the previous fish includes a couple fin nippers, so I was thinking maybe Endler's Livebearers as I think they are very attractive as well.

So that's my current list...will these fish get along? If not, do you have a replacement suggestion? Do I have enough space for all these fish, or do I have extra space? I'd love to hear everyone's opinion and get help.

Also, what are some of your guys favorite fish? I'd like to hear them and possibly include them in this or another tank.

Thanks in advance, any help is greatly appreciated!
 
Elephant nose's can get to 9 inches and can bully fish smaller than itself. A 55 would be a tight fit as it got bigger. You could keep 2 angels, no more or you would have too much aggression. A pair of Bolivian Rams would be good with angels. You need to do 6 rainbow fish with preferably more females than males. Then you could pick a small schooling fish and you'd be stocked. Guppies would work but a school of small tetras (just not neons as the angels will eat them) would look better IMO. Or Rabpora's would be good too. Personally I'd not get the elephant nose.
 
Thanks for the response!

To respond to your points:

I'm not opposed to keeping one angel i just read that they sometimes do better in pairs.

Is it best to keep bolivians in pairs? I'd only planned on getting one, but they are beautiful so two could be fine.

I guess if the elephantnose is really such a problem fish I might have to cut him out, but he's my favorite of the bunch so I was really hoping to include one.

I will look into a school of tetras instead, thanks.

Any thought on the dwarf gouramis and the American Flag Fish? Are they ok in there?

Also, do I need more bottom level fish or fish that will help with algae?

And any other interesting fish ideas still greatly appreciated! Thanks for the help.
 
Yes, a Dwarf Gourami would be fine, but American Flagfish can be very honery. I think they would nip at the angels especially. Best leave them out. A single Bolivian ram would be fine to, your choice as to a pair or not. With the fish you have a small school or Cory Cats would look good. I think 5 Yo-yo loaches would grow too big for a 55, just my opinion. If you want you would go with Oto Catfish or one Bristle nose Pleco, although the Pleco will get about 5 inches (including fins). There are really pretty Longfin Albino Bristlenose Pleco's if you could find one. Plus they give quite a splash of color, just like a Dwarf gourami male would do. For a school of tetra's Cardinals or Rummy nose would also give another splash of color. So what do you think your list is now?
 
Are there advantages to keeping fish in pairs (like the ram?) I had planned on getting one of everything for variety's sake, but if they behave better or are more interesting in pairs thats fine.

I do like loaches, particularly the polka dot or kuhli...but if you both are in disagreement as to whether my tank is big enough maybe i'll have to talk to my friends at the fish store.

The longfin albino bristlenose pleco looks really interesting I'll see if I can find one. I'm trying to find fish with either beautiful color or an interesting look (like the elephantnose) and this seems to have both!

So I suppose my current list:

1-2 black lace angelfish
1-2 bolivian ram
1 male dwarf gourami
1 long tail albino bristlenose OR 5ish loaches
School of cardinal tetras OR galaxy rasboros OR guppies (unless you guys really think they are a poor choice)

If I have to keep 6+ boesemani rainbows I might leave them out, as that will take a lot of space (although I really love the males, would it be cruel to just include 1 male boesemani in the tank?)

A couple more questions:

Is there a trick as to the order of fish you introduce to the aquarium. I'd assume you'd want to introduce the hardiest fish first and the most fragile fish later on. Does temperament play a role? For example, would the rams need to be introduced earliest so they can establish territories?

I love the scooter and lawnmower blennies behavior. Is there a freshwater fish that behaves similar? I found one freshwater blenny species online but with very little information. I've also heard some gobies behave similarly.

If I do end up leaving out the school of rainbows, any other colorful or interesting fish you'd suggest to fill their spots?

Thanks so much everyone!
 
In a 90 you could do both the Pleco and the loaches. As for getting one of everything... IMO your tank will look better with multiples of some fish and then accents of special fish, like angels and rams. A single ram is fine but you would get alot of social interaction with a pair. Now first mind you can your LFS actually visually sex them? And two, just because you get a pair doesn't always mean they will like each other. But with a 90 gallon there is plenty of room for them to spread out in their own space if needed. With the list of fish you have adding your Rainbow fish will be fine since you do have a 90 gallon. And Rainbow fish usually do better with more females than males. Two males and four females would make for alot of displaying between males and some very happy boys :) Some people believe you should add angels and rams last. You have a big tank and if scaped right adding wouldn't much matter but I think I would add the angels last, but only if they are big. If they are little dime or nickle size bodied angels in a 90 gallon it is not going to matter. I had mature angels I had to add to my tank first, they had outgrown their holding/raising tank. But I have a 220gal heavily planted tank and so when I added other fish, they would follow them for a few minutes, checking them out like "are you food", then they would go about their business. The reason I would go with tetras or rasboras is because they are schooling fish and would be good mid-level swimmers. They will give movement and more visual interest to the tank. I'd do a school of about 10. They will look very good in a larger school and they also feel more secure. They are not big bodied fish so you can do a larger school. In my 220 I have a school of 21 rummy nose tetras and 13 diamond tetras. I am actually considering add more diamonds to make a larger school for a more dramatic effect. Try to remember that Rams will stay low, and may or may not develop a territory. Angels swim mid to high and usually don't develop a set territory unless they are breeding. Tetras and Rasboras will be mainly middle swimmers. Loaches, especially kuhlis will stay low. Rainbows will be mid to high. The gourami will be mid to high. See how the different fish will use different swim levels to give you action throughout your tank. Give the rams a couple bolt holes, little caves or even small clay pots put in the substrate at an angle. You can find picks on line. Rams are open water breeders and like a couple smooth flat rocks but do like areas they can hide/retreat to if they feel threatened. With your tank you can do so many things and can make it a real show stopper. Think I covered everything and hope the info helps.
 
Thank you for such a detailed response! Unfortunately,I have a 55 gallon tank, not a 90, so i'm guessing some of that advice will not apply. Sorry for the confusion, could you provide such an analysis for my 55 gallon tank?

Also, any thoughts on a Blenny-like fish for freshwater? Some sort of goby perhaps? I think the scooter Blenny behavior is so interesting!

Thanks again!
 
Sorry about that, was thinking about something and typing to you. Your above list would be fine but I think were it me I'd do the Pleco. The rainbows would crowd it and one rainbow wouldn't do good as it a schooling fish. You want a diversity in swim levels and I think with those you would have it. If you do go with a pleco you should get a piece of driftwood as Pleco's need to rasp on it. It aids in digestion. As for Blennies and gobies, I just don't know much about them but I'm pretty sure they are all brackish water. If you wanted you could do a brackish water tank. Gobies, mono serbies, celebes rainbows are ones I kept in a brackish water tank back in the early 90's. Brackish tanks are alittle more involved just because of the salt aspect. But you do have choices, just decide which you like best.
 
Ok I think I will take your word for it and work in pairs!

Here's my final(ish) list:

2 black lace angelfish
2 bolivian rams
1 male dwarf gourami
10 schooling fish (undecided)
1 pleco of some kind (see below)

I looked into the pleco that you recommended and a few others. I'm considering the albino bristlenose (your suggestion), the gold nugget, and the thomasi. Do you have any experience with the other two I listed? links below (couldn't find them on fishbase)

Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Bushy Nose Pleco Bristlenose Plecostomus

Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Thomasi Pleco (L-187b)

Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Gold Nugget Pleco (L-18)

Also I did manage to find a freshwater blenny (aka vietnamese blenny) but they seem to be a little difficult. Link below if you're curious:
FishProfiles.com - Phenablennius heyligeri

So with this tank setup in mind, will I be stocked out or do I have space for another fish or so? (would love a little more color!)

Thanks!
 
The list of fish are good. I did check out the bleeny link, but did you see it says they are so shy they do best in a species tank? If you really wanted to do something like that I would suggest getting a 10 gallon tank and fix it specifically as a species tank. I did that about 20 years ago for my youngest daughter, she had a mud skipper. It was the cutest darn thing you ever saw. It actually would come up on the leaf surface at the tank top (water level was kept lower) and you could put a piece of brine shrimp on the end of a tooth pick and he would wiggle right up and eat it. You could literally hand feed him everyday. He was in his own special tank which allowed us to really enjoy him for his uniqueness. About the Pleco's... the Rubberlip pleco, which they call Thomasi L187b would be fine. There is alot of conflicting data on the Gold Nugget with some saying they can get up to 18 inches. I have the opportunity last year to get a Rio Negro Pleco which again sites say from 4 inches full grown to 18 inches. So far its staying small but lately I am noticing it has been growing. If you wanted one and could find one just watch it's growth and be prepared to possibly have to rehome him in the years to come. I got the longfin albino pleco because he is easy to see in such a large aquarium, I love the long flowing fins which grow in length as they growl, and they are pretty safe to use in planted aquariums, which I have. So the choice is yours! I think you have a pretty good list there!
 
Heck I'd get one if I could find one available and didn't cost and arm and leg! But I still love my Albino Longfin BNP.
 
Thanks for the suggestions! That is a beautiful fish...with so many species of pleco I don't know how I'm ever going to make a decision.

I've been looking into interesting schooling fish as well (at LFS and online)

I love the celestial pearl danio and Danio erythromicron, but they are so small I'm nervous the bigger fish will snack on them

They had some odessa barbs at the LFS that were beautiful and fishprofiles.com says they are among the more peaceful barbs.

I also really like the rummy nose tetra and I hear they are great schoolers.

I don't know as much about them, but I really like the red fin danio and the Danio kyathit.

Also, it turns out there are several rainbowfish smaller than the boesemani to consider for a school. Several that I find attractive are the dwarf neon rainbow, the threadfin, and the pseudomugils. I'm curious, do rainbowfish actually exhibit schooling behavior like a tetra would? Or do they just need to be in groups. These would be so beautiful if they school.

Thats all for now, thanks for the continued help!
 
I have a school of threadfin rainbows and love them. The males display and its awesome. The females are drab but the males are worth it. Dwarf neon rainbows are more silver with a blue sheen. Pretty in their own right but I'm a fan of the Threadfins!
 
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