56 gallon stocking suggestions

[lakerfan824]

Hello all! I am new to the forum and I just wanted to say you are all awesome. This is a great forum!

I have had a 20 gallon tank for the last year, with 2 pearl gourami, 2 dwarf gourami, and one fire mouth cichlid. They have gotten along great and i have enjoyed them very much!

I decided it was time to upgrade, so I purchased a 55 gallon tank. It is set up and ready for fish. I am going to move the fish from my old tank, and I was wondering what else I could add to the tank?

I would like to add some schooling fish (tetras or barbs?) and maybe a couple more cichlids. Any opinions on what kinds to add and how many? Would 10 tetras or barbs be too many? I've read that they often nip at the long fins of the gourami.

I would love to add a green terror cichlid. Would it get along with my fire mouth and gourami?

Any other advice would be great!


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[Rivers2k]

You could do a baby GT if you plan to upgrade again. But they are notoriously slow growers so you have some time at least a few years before full grown.

If you don't do the GT any barbs you want will work cherry would be best they are not the nippers tigers are. Odesa are nice also. If you want tetras I wouldn't go smaller than lemon tetra. Diamonds, emperor, bleeding heart, phantom and many others would work I just wouldn't do neon or others like it. Harlequin are nice as well.

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[Gibberwatt]

Green terrors will murder, or at least severely damage, your other fish. angelfish would be better.

 

[lakerfan824]

I do plan on upgrading eventually, so if I can find a small GT I may try it. I have another tank I can move him into if he gets aggressive. Can you recommend any other cichlids that would get along with my firemouth? Or would I be best off getting another firemouth?


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[Rivers2k]

I do plan on upgrading eventually, so if I can find a small GT I may try it. I have another tank I can move him into if he gets aggressive. Can you recommend any other cichlids that would get along with my firemouth? Or would I be best off getting another firemouth?


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A bigger GT could murder your gouramies if so inclined. In my experience they typically only worry about other fish that are in competition with them. This is why I suggested a baby and let it grow with the gouramie that way it doesn't see the gouramie as a threat. They also inhabit different areas of the tank than gouramies so a baby GT will be fine.

Other fish that are good with Fire Mouth are Honduran Red Points, Rainbow Cichlids, Key Hole cichlids.

People look at gouramies like they are some pansies community fish but I have had them in with all sorts of stuff and they are tough fish. They also take up a different part of the tank than most CA cichlids so I would think they would be fine.