hey there need help on neww 55g set up

[cberchiolli]

Hello,

Im a new member on here and have a couple questions about a few things.. I recently cycled a 55 gallon tank and planted two indian swords several anacharis plants, and and pennywart as well.. the fish include three zebra danios and three bala sharks... I was told repeatedly that the balas' were fine in the tank but ive read that they arent compatible with the size of the tank.. they seem pretty sketchy for the most part unlil the lights shut off. last night when I cut the lights off they seemed as if the were dancing, swimming up to the surface and kind of trimbling down in a sycronized fashion. Im wondering if this is typical behavior considering that they were just introduced to the tank two days ago.. Any advice is truely appreciated. would love for my set up to be perfect , if possible lol...

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

One thing I can think of is that since the plants probably haven't grown in yet, the light might be too harsh for the bala sharks. Hence why they start swimming when they shut off. You might be ok with a 55 for these sharks. Up until they grow to about 14 inches each. Then ya might want something a little bigger...

 

[tyspot1000]

Welcome to AA!

The so called 'sycronized fashion' you are seeing from the sharks are possibly a mating behavior. They have some kind of courtship dance (Spinning around in circles with each other).

I would recommend though to get rid of the Balas. They can get around a foot long and a 55 gallon just doesn't cut it for a school of them (Looking around a 100+ gallon tank).

I would also recommend to bring your school of zebra danios to at least 6 (You can get away with more since you have a 55 gallon).

 

[cberchiolli]

hey there

makes perfect sense.. can i simply return them? i was also wondering the lighting situation considering the fish and the plants.. tryin to find the right medium. i been using plant gro by nutrifin weekly for the plants. I have also been feeding the fish two to three times a day including frozen bloodworms. also what would be a good personality fish that would fit well with the setup? again thanks for the help..

 

[cberchiolli]

one more thing.. i heard balas are strong jumpers but hav seen no sign of that. i have an one inch gap in the lid is why i was wondering. could that be a problem?

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

As far as tank mates goes. The sky is the limit. Danios have a tendency to be fin nippers but in a group of 6 or so they generally don't. With a 55, nice plants and those fish you have a pretty nice start to a community tank. Depends on what you're looking to go with the tank.

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

one more thing.. i heard balas are strong jumpers but hav seen no sign of that. i have an one inch gap in the lid is why i was wondering. could that be a problem?

Eh probably not. That is really just a warning for so that you don't have an open top aquarium. Pretty much if you have a top to the aquarium you should be ok. I keep bichirs, which are renowned escape artist of fish, and I've only had one fly the coop.

 

[tyspot1000]

makes perfect sense.. can i simply return them? i was also wondering the lighting situation considering the fish and the plants.. tryin to find the right medium. i been using plant gro by nutrifin weekly for the plants. I have also been feeding the fish two to three times a day including frozen bloodworms. also what would be a good personality fish that would fit well with the setup? again thanks for the help..

You can, but It depends if the store will be willing to except them. What kind of lighting do you have? With the size of your tank, you have many selections as far as fish go (Community); Just ask us if they will be able to go in your set-up.

 

[Homedog98]

If your LFS won't take them back, sell them on craigslist or something. Chances are they'll be in much better hands.

 

[cberchiolli]

i bought the light as a set up.. its composed of two bulbs. both 28w one daylight pushing 10kk.. and the other one is a blue tint called actinic-03. it also has the leds for nighttime purposes.. Im thinking im going to add a piece of driftwood as a centerpiece along with the rocks that are present.. im looking to add two angels once the plants settle in and grow a bit.. what would be some good schoolers that will be compatible with them as well as not stay in hiding all day lol?? should i leave the light off more throughout the day considering the bala situation? they are much more active with the light off.. thanks

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

Rummynose tetras are great schooling fish that are too big to be a snack from a full grown angel, won't hide, and add a bit of inters tong color to the tank.

Btw I'm quite partial to rummynose

 

[ejaramillo01]

I also liked the rummynose tetras because they school nice in a big group. but in my experience they are also a little shy, they like to be "in the Forrest", and trend to swim in the low part of the tank.

I heard that Kerri tetras are great also, but hard to find.

 

[tyspot1000]

i bought the light as a set up.. its composed of two bulbs. both 28w one daylight pushing 10kk.. and the other one is a blue tint called actinic-03. it also has the leds for nighttime purposes.. Im thinking im going to add a piece of driftwood as a centerpiece along with the rocks that are present.. im looking to add two angels once the plants settle in and grow a bit.. what would be some good schoolers that will be compatible with them as well as not stay in hiding all day lol?? should i leave the light off more throughout the day considering the bala situation? they are much more active with the light off.. thanks

Not sure how your lighting would do, so wait for more input on that.

The angels should be fine, but I would really be cautious adding them with the zebra danios (They can be nippers, but I guess it depends on the individual fish; some nip, some don't).

One good schooling fish that would do great with angels are kerri tetra, glowlite tetra, black neon tetra, and a few other species..

 

[cberchiolli]

ill def look into them for sure.. so ull recommend gettin rid of the completely balas?

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

True. I guess my tank does have a lot of foliage for them to feel at home. Harlequin rasboras are also pretty nice. Really other than the smaller edge of the tetra and rasbora, you can go with any of them. But most will like some plants to grow in...

 

[Averageprodigy]

Get rid of the bala sharks and go with serape tetras in a school of at least 7 or so... I have zebra danyos and rummynose and they are both fantastic as well...

 

[Soon2bdaddyin2011]

i bought the light as a set up.. its composed of two bulbs. both 28w one daylight pushing 10kk.. and the other one is a blue tint called actinic-03. it also has the leds for nighttime purposes.. Im thinking im going to add a piece of driftwood as a centerpiece along with the rocks that are present.. im looking to add two angels once the plants settle in and grow a bit.. what would be some good schoolers that will be compatible with them as well as not stay in hiding all day lol?? should i leave the light off more throughout the day considering the bala situation? they are much more active with the light off.. thanks

If the room that u have the tank in has decent lighting you could leave the lights off but you'll probably lose any live plants because of the lack of light live plants like alot of light probably around 10-12 hours a day

 

[McLumpy]

Hi and welcome to AA!

I had a Bala for about 6 months in my 55 gallon community tank and I strongly suggest that you consider what others are telling you about rehoming them. It really would be for the best.

To answer your question, yes, Balas can definitely jump. I had one in my 55 gallon, but when she got sick, she jumped. I even had aluminum foil covering the 1" space on the back of my lid to help deter my "jumpers". I'm still not completely positive as to what led to my Bala's declining health, that in turn made her jump, but I did have an Ich outbreak in the tank shortly after her death. Who knows. I do miss her. Even though I knew I would need to eventually rehome her, it was a shame to lose her the way that I did.

Anyway, if you want a few stocking ideas for a community tank, you can check out my profile. My advice though is to disregard my Common Pleco... he will get too big for your 55 gallon, (like he will mine... but I have plans to rehome him when he gets too big). There are other Plecos you can get though that won't get too big.