the 55 gallon challenge

[ishmael]

hey all.
i just got a complete 55 gal set up for 15 bucks-looks like an early christmas.
anyway, i have no clue what i want for this tank(it'll be my third). i wanted to do salt water, but it's not in the budget, so i want to get as close to it as i can in an FW tank. let's hear some ideas. i don't care if it's an aggressive tank or a community tank or whatever. i just want a killer tank with the most colorful or oddball fish i can get.
whattaya say?

 

[fishstixs05]

How about a discus tank? Get some cardinals, cories, and bristle nosed plecos, and heavily plant it. Definitely would be a cool tank, as long as you can get a hold of some discus at a reasonable price.

 

[William]

Discus run 30 bucks a piece, or more, around me..

Hope their cheaper for you ishmael!

 

[shawmutt]

The closest thing to salt water without the salt? How about a Lake Malawi cichlid tank? That size is perfect for a very colorful tank indeed. I have my 30 gallon stocked with 3 yellow labs (Labidochromis caeruleus) and 3 Kenyi Cichlids
(Pseudotropheus lombardoi). Here's a pic of all my fish:

They have grown a bit bigger now (and I lost two of my kenyis ), a closeup of one of my yellow labs, and the complete tank setup, are in my gallery.

There are many choiceswhen it comes to cichlids, here is a sampling (although you will find in your research not all of these can be kept together):

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=831

I would recommend doing a lot of research, both on this site and online, because cichlids do present some challenges. However, with the proper knowledge and care, IMO cichlids are the next best thing to a salt water tank.

 

[BrianNY]

Hi Ishmael, $15 is a great price for a complete set up, and a 55 gal is good size tank. I think you need to do a little more investigating before you jump right in and buy fish.

Why not go into your lfs and see what catches your eye in your budget. There are so many cool fw fish you can keep in that tank. Then come back here and let us know what you like. You'll get lots of help here.

 

[tkos]

Congrats of your setup. Yeah, I would avoid discus unless you have a ton of experience as they are supposed to be not the easiest fish to keep.

If you are willing to do a bit more work (not that much) you could try a brackish water tank. There are plenty of great brackish choices out there that are really pretty.

But cichlids are generally the more colourful of the freshwater fish. Make sure not to mix american with african though. Very easy to do but they really need separate conditions.

 

[snapcrackler]

How about an eel tank with a big crabby eel in it like a peacock eel or fire eel. You could feed em live food that would be fun to watch.

Fire eels and some other eels get pretty big but I think Peacock eels might not outgrow a 55.

 

[TankGirl]

I assume you know what your tap water parameters are, and that is where I would start. I would choose from fish that are suited to your water, to narrow it down a bit, unless you want the challenge of manipulating your water (and keeping it there ) to try something different. This is the most exciting part of the hobby for me - planning!

 

[ishmael]

thanks for the advice so far. i like the discus idea, they run about $50 dollars or so around here, so i don't think i could get many. and a cichlid tank would be cool. i have 2 in a smaller aquarium and they're great. i won't be starting this tank until after the new year, so i will have time to do plenty of research. i'd like to find a place that offers a better variety of fish than my lfs so who knows of any good online livestock sellers?

 

[tkos]

Well you now have tons of time to get that fishless cycling of the tank going. That way the tank will have a full load of bacteria all ready for the new year and you can just dump the fish in with no hardships (after acclimation of course).

 

[BrianNY]

Hey Ishmael, glad you decided on discus (check out may photo gallery). If you like what you see I'll tell you where to get some on line and try to help you avoid some of the pitfalls I made when I started keeping discus.

Brian

 

[TankGirl]

Well you now have tons of time to get that fishless cycling of the tank going.

Great idea!

 

[ishmael]

Hey Ishmael, glad you decided on discus (check out may photo gallery). If you like what you see I'll tell you where to get some on line and try to help you avoid some of the pitfalls I made when I started keeping discus.

Brian

well, i'm not completely sold on the discus, but the more i see/the more i like(yours looked saweet).
i still have time to make up my mind, but let me know what you know and that might just help to convince me.

thanks.
appreciated.

 

[madasafish]

Here was my advice to Puffergirl about her new 50 gallon:
_______________________________________________________________

Everybody always ignores my rainbowfish suggestions (*fumes good-naturedly*), perhaps bcz the rainbowfish in the LFSs are usually boring (boring species, boring specimens). But I'll suggest one more time...

I think Boesmani, Threadfin and especially *Praecox* (also known as Dwarf Neon) Rainbowfish are absolutely gorgeous (also Axelrod, Celebes). http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=886 Well, it's not just a matter of taste; they are! And the link doesn't do them any justice. Under the right light they really deserve their names... I'd change to them if I had an empty tank in the blink of an eye. Two school2 of 6-8 of each species would be perfect for a 50 gallon. They're a bit $$... but if you're looking to avoid the ordinary (sheesh) you've got yourself a truly stunning tank. Add some plants and you've got heaven... My favorite planted tanks are rainbowfish tanks (discus a close second). If you got a few of one of the rainbowfish spp., I'm sure you could get a discount...

Other suggestions... so many possibilities! I'm always in favor of a Rift Lake Cichlid Tank. Malawi Cichlids give you soooo many possibilities, and are really beautiful (www.malawicichlids.com). 3 smaller (3-4 inch) species in a 1M:3F ratio would be just about right for a 50 G.

Ah, I'm sure others have ideas. No need for me to hog the thread...
______________________________________________________________

Rainbows are a lot more affordable than discus. Look for *good* pictures on the net. A lot of ppl take cruddy pictures which make the fish look dull. Rainbowfish are some of the most beautiful fish out there, and few ppl are willing to give them a try coz they're just a little bit more $$ than other species. If you find a good store, you can prob get Boesmanis for $8 each, same with the other species. Give it a thought!! If you do set up a rainbow tank, I'll really envy you!

Oh, and how on earth did you get a 55 for $15? or is that a typo?

 

[ishmael]

_______________________________________________________________
man, those rainbows do look great.with all this good advice it's gonna be tough to make a decision.

Oh, and how on earth did you get a 55 for $15? or is that a typo?

really lucky. the dude was just strapped for cash i guess. he only wanted 5 bucks for it, but i was feeling generous and gave him 15.

 

[madasafish]

Wow! What can I say.... you got really, really lucky!

I count my lucky break as having found out about bigalsonline.com... I've saved the most money there!

 

[Catalina]

The deal you got on that tank is amazing. That is the kind of sale I scour my city paper for every week. Actually, a tank 10 times more expensive than that would still be a good deal in my eyes.

As soon as I saw the subject of this post, I was planning on recommending African cichlids, because that's what I would do with a tank this size. (I've been thinking about it for a while.) But I see shawmutt beat me to it.

What is the PH of the tapwater where you are? It might make sense to pick fish that match with it. Where I live it is very high and hard, which I know African cichlids need, while SA cichlids like soft water with a low PH. Personally, I wouldn't go with discus because I really don't feel I have enough experience or all the time that is required to care for them. But whether you want to deal with that or not is obviously your choice. I do think discus are the most beautiful FW fish available for the aquarium.

Let us know what you decide to do! Planning out the tanks is my favorite part.

 

[Fruitbat]

Here's an interesting thought to consider...

You mentioned 'oddball' fish in your original post, I do believe. Everybody so far has recommended 'colorful' fish and the recommendations have been good. However....if you want a really fun 'oddball' tank with some color thrown in for a good mix....try setting up a Congo River tank.

For the lower tank level you can choose from various flavors of Polypterus (great personality and a very unusual look) or toss in Erpetoichthys, the reed fish. Perhaps add Pantodon, the African butterfly fish for your surface-level fish. For color...find some good-sized Congo Tetras, Phenacogrammus interruptus. They're fast and they're gorgeous and will look great in a small school in the middle levels of your tank. Round it off with a clean-up crew of your choice and...voila!...you've got one of the most interesting tanks around!

Put in some nice rock caves for the bottom dwellers. Oh....you can plant heavily with various Aponogeton species just to make everybody feel safe and secure. My favorite tank of all time was a 450gallon Congo River tank with a mix of fish similar to this...though I added some Ctenopoma oxyrhynchus , a couple of African mud fish, Phractolaemus and some Kribis, Pelviacrhomis sp. to round things out.

 

[ishmael]

man, all these suggestions are great, but i'm not completely sold on anything yet. the cichlid option is the front runner partly because the PH of my tap water is perfect for africans, but i tend to like a variety of fish and from what little i know it doesn't seem like cichlids get along too well with other fish.

another problem that's emerging is that you're all suggesting fish tha i can't get at my LFS, so any good links to online stores would be helpful as well.

you guys are doing great.
thanks.

 

[BrianNY]

well, i'm not completely sold on the discus, but the more i see/the more i like(yours looked saweet).
i still have time to make up my mind, but let me know what you know and that might just help to convince me.

I wouldn't try and convince anyone to keep discus. I always wanted to keep them and finally bit the bullet. What I found was once their needs have been met, they aren't that difficult to keep at all. But they do require constant water changes. That is key to their well being.

Happy planning Ishmael