Need tankmate suggestion for a 55g & Pleco

[CompMage]

What to do with a 55 gallon tank and a 3 year old happy pleco.

I'm thinking maby Angles or Discus I've always wanted both. But I don't know that they would work in such a small tank.

Any suggestions

 

[Dave66]

What to do with a 55 gallon tank and a 3 year old happy pleco.

I'm thinking maby Angles or Discus I've always wanted both. But I don't know that they would work in such a small tank.

Any suggestions

Mage,
If that's a common pleco, he'll soon not be able to turn around in a 55. Depending on the two species sold as common plecos, it will reach either 18 inches or two feet.
Angels would be a better bet for a 55 simply because Discus get a tad large for a 55, the heat will stress your pleco no end, and Discus are simply more difficult to care for than Angelfish. You could have six angelfish in your tank. If you get WC or FI, they will be larger and more robust than those 'fancy' ones found in shops. They will also live a good deal longer; a decade easily, as their genetic code is intact.
It would be a good idea to plant your tank, as angelfish feel much more secure in the presence of live plants, as it mimics their natural habitat. You could use silk plants if you lack a wet thumb, but live plants have many benefits besides making Angelfish happy. Trio of the most common sword plant, Echinodorus bleheri, would be perfect, as Angelfish would lay their eggs on the leaves. I quote myself on the species:

One of the most commonly available aquatic plants are Amazon swords; Echinodoras species. My aim in this post is to help you have success with the Genus.
The blanket needs of the majority of sword plants are a highly enriched substrate, bright lighting, regular fertilization, 72-82 degrees, moderately soft to moderately hard water, and a pH between 6.8 and 7.5.
What all swords need, in the substrate and in the water (via fertilization) is chelated iron. If you sword's leaves start to yellow, iron is what it lacks. People who fail with the plant usually do so by forgetting that fact.
You really don't need to buy a substrate made especially for planted tanks. Laterite, a iron-rich clay collected on the banks of rivers in the tropics, is available boxed in granular form. An inch wide layer under two inches of fine (between course sand and regular gravel) will be all your swords need. If you wish to use a planted tank substrate (Eco-complete, Florite) if you put a layer of laterite you'll add the needed long-term 'kick' to it.
Why is this important? Other than the dwarf species, sword plants are nutrient hogs. They MUST have available chelated iron and trace elements available in the substrate and the water.
You don't need four or more watts per gallon of light to successfully keep Amazon swords. As long as its bright and full spectrum, two watts will make your swords happy.
Brighter lighting and Co2 injection will cause your swords to explode with growth. Those species that reproduce via runners will quickly carpet your tank, no matter the size, and the larger species will shoot out literally hundreds of leaves and commonly flower in the tank with daughter plants between blooms.

Now some species

The most commonly available sword plant is also among the largest of the genus- E. bleheri. Happily situated, this giant can and does reach over two feet tall with a more than two feet leaf spread, and can rapidly produce well over 100 leaves. Any plant in E. bleheri's sphere will suffer, as the species has a wide and vigorous root system.
Despite those caveats, E. bleheri in health is a gorgeous plant, with deep green leaves, the shade depending on the light going on or through. It is also quite long-lived, as I've had them in my tanks for more than 10 years.


Dave

 

[CompMage]

HEHEH I like Amazon swords, and I do have a green thumb. Wet or dry.

I used to have a pair of amazon swords that got so big I was able to sell them to the local shop as motherplants since they were constantly sending off more plants. They no longer fit in the 55g tank after only 1 year!!

Angles you say, I'm going to do my homework first, but what are the diffrences between the types??? I saw some HUGE ones in a local shop the other day and was amazed by them. I've always stuck to really simple fish. 30g with 30 neons, 55g with 14 Tigers that are oddly extra agressive. My office betta and the wifes 30g fancy gold fish.

So Angles will be a interesting new challange. I'll mix the substrat about 30/50/20 ecco / gravel / pool sand. I've found for the price it works great. Really it's a little more things than that but I'll leave that to a planted thread on another day that I have time to disect a tank setup for people.

Thanks for the help

-Chris

 

[krustykrab99]

If he is a calm pleco and not to active discuss will do fine they are very shy fish and if he moves around very fast he will scare them and they don't seem to do very well like that. My discuss got along with my pleco but I never saw him move during the day he only worked at night. Just remember water quality is a must with discuss. By the way I had 7 full grown discuss in a 55g tank and they were comfortable enough to breed although I could never get the eggs to hatch. I think mostly due to the strong power filter I used.

 

[Dave66]

HEHEH I like Amazon swords, and I do have a green thumb. Wet or dry.

I used to have a pair of amazon swords that got so big I was able to sell them to the local shop as motherplants since they were constantly sending off more plants. They no longer fit in the 55g tank after only 1 year!!

Angles you say, I'm going to do my homework first, but what are the diffrences between the types??? I saw some HUGE ones in a local shop the other day and was amazed by them. I've always stuck to really simple fish. 30g with 30 neons, 55g with 14 Tigers that are oddly extra agressive. My office betta and the wifes 30g fancy gold fish.

So Angles will be a interesting new challange. I'll mix the substrat about 30/50/20 ecco / gravel / pool sand. I've found for the price it works great. Really it's a little more things than that but I'll leave that to a planted thread on another day that I have time to disect a tank setup for people.

Thanks for the help

-Chris

No problem Chris,

Pterophyllum scalare pure-breds, that is, those that are just one or two generations from wild-caught parents, take some research and time to find. Adult natural scalare reach 8 inches tall, and are truly spectacular. Buy six, as your have about a 75 percent chance of getting a compatible pair. You can leave the others in, as they will become somewhat diminished and subservient to the Alpha male and female. If you remove the others, about half the time the pair turns on each other, so I've always left the others in.
P. scalare is the majority of the genetic makeup of the 'fancy' angels today. ALL the colors and finnage variations are man-made. Natural angels are just silver and black, with blue reticulations on the dorsal and anal fins. Pterophyllum means winged leaf, by the way.
You'd need the plants not only to make them secure, but so they can establish little territories.
If you trim off the runners from those sword plants, and snip off the blooms when the daughter plants form, bleheri can be somewhat civilized, though they will put all their energies into leaf formation, and will put out literally hundreds of leaves.
Might want to add laterite to your substrate mix, as the swords will need the iron.

Dave

 

[CompMage]

Well I've decided on the angles. I believe I can find some simply striped ones.

As for the swords, yea I know what you mean by hundreds of leaves. Them things were so big when I finally removed them that the tops were sticking out of the water.

Thier gravel at the time was simple natural colored rocks. This time it will be about a 50/50 mix of natural rocks and eco-complete. Swords will grow anyware so that mix should do it.

Thanks for the help.