New Tank: What would you stock it with?

[Scooterbug]

Greetings,
Relatively new poster and victim of MTS. Started with a pregnant Mollie (Still got all of the fry, about 30. They are still growing). Had to get a second tank for the rest of the fish (bought a 20 gallon). Well, the other day was looking in the Thrifty section of the local newspaper and saw an ad for a 55 gallon tank (inc. Heater, filter, gravel, decorations, hood and stand) for $150. So of course I jumped on it. Also came with a 5" Australian rainbow fish and a 6" pleco. There was a Frontosa (about 8") which I did not take. I wanted to have room for some smaller, schooling fish and the Frontosa would of gobbled anything that was put in the tank.

So, my question is...what would you add to the tank? I am thinking of adding some smaller, schooling fish with some color. Maybe some barbs or a couple of angle fish. Some of the mollies from the 10 gallon tank will be going in once the get bigger. (They are dalmations. Quite a few of them are almost entirely white with a couple of spots on them).

Any ideas?

Scooter

 

[talloulou]

I love dwarf cichlids, rainbowfish, corydoras, and kuhli loaches. The australian rainbowfish are nice but the boesmani rainbowfish are really beautiful once mature. I have both and they school together. Some of the barbs are nice. If you get the tiger barbs though you need a big school to keep them busy amongst themselves so they don't harrass others...for them 6-8 at least. If you put a pair of angel fish in there you really have to avoid smaller fish like neons and even guppies as the angels (once they have reaced a certain size) may become predatory towards them.

 

[Acer]

in my 55 gal i have 4 angelfish, 8 danio, 12 cory, 4 glo lote tetra, 5 bristle nose plecos, 4 dward rainbowfish, 1 tio of kribs, 1 females molly. im currently running 1 AC 300, 1 Whisper 60, 1 30 gal sponge filter. i do pwc and gravel vac every sunday. you might want to throw the media from your 10 gal into the media tray for the filter of the 55 gal, this will help seed the bacterium you needto maintain a good tank. i did that when i first put up my 55 gal and i've never had to worry about any kind of spikes...

 

[Devilishturtles]

Harlequin Rasboras. A school of 6+ would look amazing in that tank. And they get along fine with the rainbowfish.

 

[Guest]

check out my signature for ideas... I love cory catfish, clown loaches, angels, and plecos. Fun fish..!

 

[Tiffi]

I would get some more Bosemani Rainbowfishes they school together. Plus your other rainbowfish won't be that alone anymore. Than you could maybe get a pair of angelfish or dwarf cichlids in there (e.g. German blue Rams etc., nothing african). Well and than you will already have to leave space for the molly fry .

 

[Scooterbug]

Thanks for all the idea everyone. Acer, on a side note..the tank is already established. I was at the guys house watching him drain it. Left a bit of water in the tank. Filled it immediatly when I got home. Tested last night (0ppm Amonina, 0ppm Nitrate, 5.0ppm Nitrites).

Was thinking about the Angel fish, but read that they perfer soft water. Tests last night put mine a little bit harder than recommended. Water pH in tank is 7.4, same as my tapwater. Also looked into dwarf cichlids. There are some nice looking fish!

I really love the look of the clown loaches, but my only concern is their adult size..do the grow fast or slow? I have read both on this site and others.

Will probably start with some rainbow fish...the current one is lonely I think...he just kinda sits there and only swims around when he thinks people aren't looking

Once again, thanks for the advice..and if anyone has more ideas...Feel free to keep sharing

Steve

 

[Acer]

the ph level you think they like is only for altums or whild caught angelfish. they angelfish we buy at the store have been "conditioned" to this ph and will do good in it. i havent tested my ph in a while but it was about the same. if you want your angels to spawn then a lower ph is recommened.

 

[Zagz]

Clown loaches grow slowly enough that you could keep them in the 55 for quite a long time. The are absolutely adorable and very entertaining, you would not regret them.

Tested last night (0ppm Amonina, 0ppm Nitrate, 5.0ppm Nitrites).

I assume you mean nitrate 5.0ppm, nitrite 0ppm?

I love loached and cory's in general. I have angels too and they are beautiful. You wouldn't go wrong with some angelfish as center pieces, loaches and cories for the bottom and hatchet fish perhaps as top dwellers.

 

[Scooterbug]

Oops...I always get nitrate and nitrite mixed up . I recorded the results in a spreadsheet, but it's on my home computer.

Definatly gonna get the clown loaches. Was gonna get some for the 20 gallon a few weeks ago (picked up 3 pink gouramis instead), but decided not to due to their adult size. Now that I got a bigger tank...

Will probably go with some angel fish as well, as the wife seems to like them.

One more question...the guy I bought the tank from says that one of the fish it came with is an Australian rainbow fish. However, it seems big (it's about 5-6 inches). I can assume that the max length that I see on the web are probably only guidelines...but can rainbows get that big? Or is it not a rainbow? (It kind of looks like one).

Haven't really seen hatchet fish in any lfs. Any other ideas for rounding out the tank? I was thinking some kind of colorful barbs. Might be getting out of work early today...so might go and do some window shopping to see what the lfs has. (Cant buy them yet..promised the kids I would take them with me). Thanks again for all the help.

Steve

 

[rubysoho]

if you want your angels to spawn then a lower ph is recommened.

actually, angelfish have been reported to breed under all sorts of pHs between 6.0-8.5. So long as it is stable and the rest of the perameters are perfect, angels (and most fish) will breed regaurdless of the pH. Now, there are some species in which the eggs require a certain pH to either be soft or hard enough, but I do not remember which few these were. None of the "normal" fish people breed.

I can assume that the max length that I see on the web are probably only guidelines...but can rainbows get that big? Or is it not a rainbow?

with proper care they certainly can and will get that big. Here is a good link for Austrailian Rainbows.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1020

Any other ideas for rounding out the tank?

I nice sized school of rummynosed tetras would be awesome. They are by far my favorite of the tetras.

 

[talloulou]

Environment can have much to do with the growth rate of any type of fish. I find that that tons of water changes, varied diet, and adequate space causes fish to grow faster.

 

[Acer]

tell me about it, the 24 angelfish fry i've been growing out are getting huge, they are almost nickle sized where my friends mom are only about dime sized or smaller, she feeds nothing but flake, and i feed flake, fozen brine shrimp, chopped up frozen worms, and she still has them in a breeder where i have them in a twenty long...

 

[sudz]

I have a single clown loach in my tank, he gets along quite already by himself, and is RATHER comical...Kinda like a clown

Make sure he doesn't scare you when he plays dead. They like to sleep on their side. Scared the beejebus outta me the first time!

Also, for the fish's sake, make sure you acclimate him well. they don't have scales, so they are a bit more prone to sharp temp changes and ICH. I've been blessed by not getting this. Now i will START to QT, now that i have 2 tanks.... 3 would be nice though.... I could have 2 different themed tanks... and keep one just to QT, something smaller so i can change the conditions to fit either of my two tanks... hmmmm...

 

[sudz]

BTW, i've had him about 2 or 3 months... hes grown maybe a cm. But its hard to really notice how big they really have grown unless you actually measure them.

 

[talloulou]

I have a single clown loach in my tank, he gets along quite already by himself, and is RATHER comical...Kinda like a clown

He's probably lonely. You should get at least two more.....provided you have room. They like to hang together.