55g Freshwater Advice

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LadyRaven

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
May 23, 2015
Messages
9
Hey guys,

I haven't kept fish for a few years, and I just got a 55g secondhand. We're cleaning it up and then starting the cycling process. I have an idea of what fish I'd like in it, but I would love to hear what you all think!

I used AqAdvisor to give me an idea of what can fit in there, and I know it's not 100% accurate, but I'm pretty confidant with my choices.

I'll be using a Marineland Penguin 350 power filter along with a Marineland Pengiun 200 power filter, and a 200W heater with thermostat. My substrate is medium sized gravel. I'll be using artificial plants for easier care.

These are the fish I am thinking of:

6x Odessa Barbs
6x Gold Barbs
6x Black Ruby Barbs
6x Cherry Barbs
6x Zebra Danio's
6x Kuhli Loaches
6x Cory's (not sure which kind)

Would I also need some kind of algae eaters? A Bristlenose Pleco perhaps? I know they need driftwood.

I was really keen on throwing in some Ghost Shrimp, but heard they sometimes attack fish, and also that they need live plants. I then thought of Red Cherry Shrimp, which are peaceful, but they also apparently need live plants.

Any recommendations?

Oh, I'm also unsure about what kind of lighting I need for all the above.

Thanks for reading guys and gals! (y)
 
Hey guys,

I haven't kept fish for a few years, and I just got a 55g secondhand. We're cleaning it up and then starting the cycling process. I have an idea of what fish I'd like in it, but I would love to hear what you all think!

I used AqAdvisor to give me an idea of what can fit in there, and I know it's not 100% accurate, but I'm pretty confidant with my choices.

I'll be using a Marineland Penguin 350 power filter along with a Marineland Pengiun 200 power filter, and a 200W heater with thermostat. My substrate is medium sized gravel. I'll be using artificial plants for easier care.

These are the fish I am thinking of:

6x Odessa Barbs
6x Gold Barbs
6x Black Ruby Barbs
6x Cherry Barbs
6x Zebra Danio's
6x Kuhli Loaches
6x Cory's (not sure which kind)

Would I also need some kind of algae eaters? A Bristlenose Pleco perhaps? I know they need driftwood.

I was really keen on throwing in some Ghost Shrimp, but heard they sometimes attack fish, and also that they need live plants. I then thought of Red Cherry Shrimp, which are peaceful, but they also apparently need live plants.

Any recommendations?

Oh, I'm also unsure about what kind of lighting I need for all the above.

Thanks for reading guys and gals! (y)


Hello!

You stock looks completely doable but there's a few things IMO:

1. I'm biased to sand I think it looks better and is much easier to clean.

2. Your Corydoras and Pangio Kuhli you enjoy sand much more than gravel. Kuhli like to dig and make tunnels and travel can make that very difficult.

3. Pleco's are NEVER required in an aquarium. I have 7 tanks and none have what is considered to be an "algae eater". People get pleco's for their personality and unique designs not for cleaning. They produce much more waste than they clean up.

4. Unless you have tons of hiding places, shrimp will become food to fish. I've never heard of any case of a ghost shrimp attacking fish, though I have heard of them attacking smaller species of shrimp. Shrimp really prefer live plants but it is in no way required to keep them. Like stated just provide plenty of places for them to hide.

Hope this helps :)


Caleb
 
Didn't see the lighting question: it looks like you don't want live plants so really any basic lighting you want to do whether it be a $10 shop light or a $60 LED strip it's up to you.


Caleb
 
Hello!

You stock looks completely doable but there's a few things IMO:

1. I'm biased to sand I think it looks better and is much easier to clean.

2. Your Corydoras and Pangio Kuhli you enjoy sand much more than gravel. Kuhli like to dig and make tunnels and travel can make that very difficult.

3. Pleco's are NEVER required in an aquarium. I have 7 tanks and none have what is considered to be an "algae eater". People get pleco's for their personality and unique designs not for cleaning. They produce much more waste than they clean up.

4. Unless you have tons of hiding places, shrimp will become food to fish. I've never heard of any case of a ghost shrimp attacking fish, though I have heard of them attacking smaller species of shrimp. Shrimp really prefer live plants but it is in no way required to keep them. Like stated just provide plenty of places for them to hide.

Hope this helps :)


Caleb

Would I need any sort of algae eater, or will the cory's and loaches clean up everything sufficiently? (So that my filters and water changes can handle the rest).

I haven't ever tried sand before, and am a little unsure how one cleans sand.
 
Would I need any sort of algae eater, or will the cory's and loaches clean up everything sufficiently? (So that my filters and water changes can handle the rest).

I haven't ever tried sand before, and am a little unsure how one cleans sand. I just bought 25 lbs of gravel (I know I would need more). Perhaps I could do a corner of piled up gravel for appearance, and then sand for the rest?


Autocorrect butchered my last comment jeez... Anyway..

"Algae eaters" are not required in any tank. Whoever told you that is wrong :) with a proper lighting schedule(max 8 hours a day) you shouldn't need an algae eater anyway.

Kuhli and corydoras will clean up the bottom of the tank.

As for cleaning it's really not hard.

There is 2 common methods:

1. Stir up the top of the sand and it will kick up all the debris then do your water change with a siphon picking up all the free floating waste.

2. Hover above the sand and pick up the waste with your vacuum. This is a little tricky at first but it's not hard at all to get the hang of.

You could do sand AND gravel. Just know that over time if you put sand and gravel mixed that the sand over time will end up on the bottom because of stupid gravity :p


Caleb
 
Didn't see the lighting question: it looks like you don't want live plants so really any basic lighting you want to do whether it be a $10 shop light or a $60 LED strip it's up to you.


Caleb

The tank has a hood on one half that has an Aqueon Full Spectrum 15W, and the other half has a glass cover with some kind of LED strip stuck to it.

Would this be alright for now? :)
 
Lol yeah. I think sand would be great. I just read that it's the most natural and keeps the tank in general a lot cleaner. I like the sound of that a lot! Would a small size gravel vacuum be sufficient for a 55 gallon, or do I need a larger vacuum?
 
Sand is where it's at, IMO. As for gravel vac, if you really want ease of water changes and cleaning look into the Python style vacs. Big or small either will work, although you'll get faster flow the bigger the tube is.
 
Thanks, I will look into those vacuums. :)

I forgot to ask, in regards to the shrimp.... If I don't care about the ghost shrimp being eaten, will they still get a chance to clean up some before they get eaten? Or should I just avoid them entirely? I really enjoy watching them, and they're extremely cheap, so I'm not too concerned about them being eaten. I would just like it if they got a chance to clean some as well. :lol:
 
Mine tidied up a bit, nothing ever ate them- not even my juvenile angel. They die pretty quickly and then were eaten but they made it 5-6 months.


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Ministry of Magic
 
Hey again!

I couldn't get any sand substrate (stupid town I live in!). I ended up with a somewhat fine, but rough gravel substrate (black). So I have had to rethink my bottom dwellers.

How does this sound:

8x Odessa Barbs (feature fish)
8x Gold Barbs
8x Black Ruby Barbs
8x Cherry Barbs
8x Zebra Danio
10x Ghost Shrimp
5x Zebra/Tiger Nerite Snails

Also, I have fake plants. I can't afford the products needed to properly care for live plants (on top of the cost of properly caring for my fish).

AqAdvisor says the list of fish is just fine with my filters, and I will of course vacuum the gravel with water changes.

Oh, and I have 1 cave and 2 small fake driftwood things with a couple small hiding holes each.

Thoughts? :)
 
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