Help me stock a 55??

[Morgie]

So I've had my wonderful four-line pictus catfish for about.. four years now? He's about 8-10 inches long (never stays still enough for a proper measurement) and has been living in a fifteen gallon his whole life. Today I went out and bought a 55 gallon tank for his new home and I was wondering what you guys thought about companions for stocking the tank with? I was thinking of making it a catfish-exclusive tank, but I'm not sure if that's possible due to their various temperaments.
So what I was thinking was..
1x 4-Line pictus catfish (The one I already have)
1x pictus catfish (I've had them solo before and they've done fine, they also get along great with other pictus morphs)
2x sun (eclipse) catfish
1x Raphael catfish
1x Featherfin Catfish
and
1x Rubberlip or Highfin pleco

I'll definitely need to use his old tank for growing the new residents up a bit, as the LFS sizes tend to be small and would be gobbled up by my little monster.

I used this website AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor to figure out if that'd be overstocked or not but ehhh..
SUGGESTIONS/ADVICE PLEASSSE!

Thanks,
-Morgan

 

[Morgie]

Some extra information- I have not begun to fill the 55 with any substrate/decor or have started any kind of cycle with it. Any suggestions? I was thinking of having half of the tank by fine, natural, rounded gravel and the other half sand. I love a natural look for a tank, but I know if I get a pleco I won't be able to have live plants.
Thanks again!
-Morgan

 

[redruckus]

get aquarium sand some mopany or bogwood you like the look of, a few rocks that look realy cool and give it a bit of an aquascape... also why so many cat fish 1 average pim pictus would do just fine maby stock a few different tetra spiecies like glowlights, cochu's blue tetra, ruby tetras, boodfin tetras, checkered barbs, redline torpedo barbs, penguin tetras, marble hatchetfish, a couple average sized angel fish maby a few gouramis what ever ones you think look nice maby even a nice beta if the water surface doesnt get to rough they love large tanks even more then smaller ones, rainbow fish, clown loaches(snail problem solved), khuli/weather loaches, elephant noses*, black gost knifes*, butterfly fish*(*need bloodworm or brine shrimp as main diet), a average sized pleco 3-4" it wont harm any established plants unless its starved or they arnt planted very well.. go with any plants you can attach to wood or rocks like anubias and every type of java fern also some floating plants would be good if you got hatchet fish they might breed in it. a good amount of plants will help the smaller fish hide and get away from your 4 line pictus if its a glutton like all other cats..and it is bound to grow bigger in the larger tank i would not advise the smaller fish without lots of hiding places in and around thick plants. as for establishing a tank put all your gravle and decor in with 2 or 3 bunches of plants and a bit of java moss you would get at a LFS take them out of the pots and tie the root mass to something with cotton thread if you have the plants i listed above, then just put your floating plant of choice in. if your LFS has healthy looking feeder 2" comet gold fish buy 2 what ever colour you want and put them in the tank they will start a fish-in cycle and be a permenent resedent unless you remove them. fed them small amounts of food every other day the tank should be ready for other fish in about 1 1/2 weeks with a small not even 10% water change after the first week. after this your tank is ready for the amount of plants you want to put in the tank, just add fish gradualy no more then 5 fish over a 2 week time span so the tank can get use to the increase....

hope this gives you some ideas but you could do the same thing with a all catfish tank those plants are increbebly hardy and come in many varieties and dont tend to need fertalizer or CO2 to do well.

but this is just my opinion of an amazing comunity tank hopeing other people take a shine to it

 

[Morgie]

Thanks so much for the reply! I guess so many catfish because they are my favorite fish haha. I only own catfish at the moment and they just seem to have so much personality and I can't help but love their barbels to pieces.
Since all the catfish I listed above are bottom dwellers (pleco aside) I would really like to find some mid-top level swimmers to even out the tank. Any suggestions? I would of course limit the number of the catfish I mentioned above if I was to do this. Black ghost knives are beautiful creatures! I was admiring some at my LFS today, but I'm not sure how they'd get on with my catfish since they're blind.. and I believe they are also bottom dwellers Would love to have one eventually though. I'll hopefully be adding some natural drift wood along with some natural rocks from his old tank to establish plenty of hiding spots along the edge of the tank for hiding spots but keep the middle area open for lots of swimming area. Java ferns and other plants are a great idea, though! I have heard they are tough for most plant-eating fish and snails to destroy. I was planning on doing the simple cycling and adding fish slowly as you mentioned. I'll probably just add Leo (my four-line) at first and then use his current tank to grow some other fish to move up to the 55. He would definitely eat anything he could fit in his mouth, even if they had sufficient hiding spots. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
I like the thought of adding some angel fish if my tank could accomadate them, but I've already got a tank for bettas and I'm quite positivie no matter how large they got they'd be eaten by my 4-L. I'm really looking for fish that get around his size, or at least big enough to not be killed/attempted to be eaten by him.

 

[redruckus]

i have had pim pictus cats with neons in a 20gal tank as long as they wer fed regularly i never had a problem. as for the knife fish they are not totaly blind they see light but need a blood worm diet to be healthy(it would benefit all the fish in your tank actualy) and a perfect hiding place for it would be a piece of sheet rock rested up against the front or side glass if you dont have a corner that is more less enclosed by plants java moss does a good job of this.. some of the fish that get larger are the knifefish and elephant noses(best to put in last because they are a bit sensative and should be in a well established aquarium), the loaches do get big over time but clown loaches remove any posiblitiy of snails because they eat them, checkerd or tiger barbs get fairly large but can be agresive if they arnt in groups of 3 or more, gouramies get fairly big and come in lots of diferent colours, rainbow fish multiple coulours and shapes, angel fish are perfect for your tank get them about 2-3" and let them grow to the tank, betas get suprisingly big with huge tails and fins in large tanks but limit is one male per tank, butterfly fish a 100% top water fish the get fairly big good to get at least 2 they benefit from floating plants of any kind, red tail sharks max 2 for your tank unless you have lots of creveces in the wood then 3, parot fish buy them small and let them grow they go from white to gray to orange so its kinda cool to see the life cycle they get fairly large as well, if your LFS has cray fish of any kind get one if you like the look of them they clean up the bottom very well and look super cool. and if you want more cat fish get 4-5 corrys they might school in the open bottom, hatchet fish dont get very big but are almost 100% top water and like floating plants down side is they have a tendancy to jump so a good cover is a necesity groups of 6 or more, and the algae eating pleco of your choice gibicepts are very good they have a large back fin and have a leopard like patern and dont usualy get large in aquariums but they cant just live off the tank scum they need algae disks to be healthy...i think your over estemating you 4 line if he is well fed and in a large tank he wont need to eat the little fish to survive

 

[Morgie]

Really? I've probably been brainwashed by my LFS about keeping larger fish with smaller ones haha. I've just always heard it's a general rule that a predatory catfish will eat anything it can fit in its mouth.
I have my 4-L on a varied diet of frozen bloodworms, catfish pellets, and occasionally live worms or feeder fish. He's a happy little man.
One of my best friends has a school of (stunning) clown loaches in a 200 gal tank, and while I'd love to get one I don't think I'm prepared to have to upgrade them in the near future (I'm a broke college student te he).
I'm definitely going to research the knifefish, larger gouramies, and angelfish, and possibly the parrot fish and other sharks as well. I've had balas and pims together and they've done fine. I was considering rainbow sharks since I believe they're less aggressive than red tailed sharks? (I love sharks as well haha).
I actually have a tank of peppered cories, but I'm unsure if they'll get large enough to be ignored. I feel like they'd probably be happier in the tank they're in. Hopefully Leo won't be too much of a nuisance his new tank mates, which won't be introduced for a while, but still. He's been solo in his tank for probably 2? years now. He was with another pictus hybrid and they were very territorial at first, but then got along fine. I'm hoping that's all that'll happen when I introduce new fish. I really just want to make sure all of their temperaments will mesh well and no one will be bullied too badly. It's a good thing I've got some empty tanks lying around in case that does happen, though. Always good to have a plan B ;>

 

[redruckus]

LFS tend not to keep big fish with little fish becaue they dont want to loose any fish a 55 galon tank is plenty big enough for 1 red tail with out being agressive just dont over stock and youll be fine. ballas get very big the best thing to do with any fish is buy small and let them grow to the big tank. the corys should be fine the 4-L wont be the mean killing machine you assume it will be ..try it out it might just be a perfect relation ship

 

[Morgie]

Thanks so much for the tips! I'm really interested in the knifefish at the moment he he. If anyone else has any suggestions for middle-top level swimmers that would get along with my 4-L and Sun Cats (these are the only ones I'm DEFINITELY going to be getting at the moment) Please let me know!

 

[Morgie]

OKAY- Here's what I'm think could be a possibility for my tank. Please give me some more advice about the fish compatibility/stocking load. Again, the tank is 55 gallons (long) and will have plenty of hiding spots and will hopefully be planted. Now I'm thinking of getting...

1x - Four Line Pictus (the one I have now)
2x - Sun (eclipse) Catfish
1x - Small Pleco (rubberlip or bristlenose or something similar)
1x - Red Tailed or Rainbow Shark (?)
2-4x - African Butterfly Fish or some other top level swimmer (SUGGESTIONS PLEASE?)
1x - Black Ghost Knifefish (?) ((not sure if I have the space))
1x - Angelfish (?) ((should they be in schools? Do I have the space?))
1x - African Featherfin Catfish
1x - Raphael Catfish

The ones with (?) beside them are ones I'm considering but not convinced about getting. I'm mainly concerned on overstocking/having fin nippers. The ones in bold are ones I'm definitely putting in the tank. The other unbolded ones are ones that I'm just not sure on, gotta make sure I have the space/they are compatible.
I'm trying to calculate surface areas and such... The catfish will be on the bottom so I'm going to add up the max inches they could grow and not buy anymore than that. The same will be done for top level fish.
I know this looks like a lot but most of them are just ones I'm keeping in mind. :>

 

[redruckus]

if you only get one smaller red tail it will grow to the size of the tank it takes a long time to get past 3"' so one would be good and a 55gal is alot of space for a black gost knife as long as it has some hiding spots. you have enough space for about 3 angels that are about 3" but the max would be 3 8" and that is a huge angel fish and another good top water fish is marble hatchet fish they get about 2.5" max 3" so they wont look as much like food to you bottom feeders and if ther is floating plants like indian fern or amazon frog bit they will hide in it get eaten, getting about 10 would be the minimum number for a 55gal tank but african butterflys are realy cool fish and 2-4 is the amount you should have i look forward to updates

 

[Morgie]

You've helped me out so much! I think I've decided what I'm going to get..
1x - Four Line Pictus (the one I have now)
2x - Sun (eclipse) Catfish
1x - Small Pleco (rubberlip or bristlenose or something similar)
1x - Red Tailed Shark (will be moved to another tank if it becomes a fin nipper)
3x - Angelfish
1x - BGK
2-4x African Butterfly Fish

Any of the smaller fish can be moved to one of my other tanks if they become a problem or don't get along with my larger fish. I think this looks like a well balanced, fully stocked tank though. Opinions? I, of course, won't be adding most of these fish until much later. The pleco and BGK will probably some of the later additions much farther in the future after my tank is well established and has a little bit of algae buildup for the pleco to eat. :>
Now to start cycling, adding substrate, rocks/wood, decor, and plants.
I'll keep this thread to use a journal to keep everyone updated with pictures with the progress of the setup and addition of fish. Also with questions if I run into problems along the way. Very excited to get started!

 

[redruckus]

that sounds like a perfectly stocked tank nice bottom feeders, a few good mid water fish, and what i personaly think the coolest topwater fish fo all time, and a black gost knife they are just awsom in general

 

[Morgie]

UPDATE:
Yesterday I went out and bought the substrate for my tank. (smooth, natural, medium sized gravel and home depot pool filter sand)
It took forever to as it was about 50 lbs of gravel and 15-25 lbs of sand. Then I did a quick design for the sand and gravel and started adding water! Took forever! My arms will be sore tomorrow haha.
Anyway, now I've officially started cycling my tank! My pictus is looking at it constantly. He wants to go to his new home NOW, but he'll have to wait haha. Here are some pictures of my tank...

Sorry for the horrible quality of this photo (darn iphone) It made everything red for some reason, my walls are really green. The filters are two whisper 40gals or something, I don't really remember the brand name at the moment.

Here's the sandy area of my tank. I even added some little dips and dunes and stuff for the fishies to play in once they get in, although I'm sure they'll probably destroy them all immediately lol.

Middle of the tank, with a little area of sand....

And the final edge. No decoration or anything at all yet, although there is a clipping of some kind of plant from one of my other tanks floating around in it.

Hopefully my cycling will be a really quick one, since I'm going to add some filter media and gravel from my other tanks tomorrow. I made the substrate about 4" max so I'll have a good anchor for any decoration and plants. My grandparents gave me a piece of really interesting cedar or cypress wood (not entirely sure) so I'm currently waterlogging it at the moment. I'll keep you posted!

 

[redruckus]

Very nice tank like what you did with the bottom.. ya those dunes are done for when the cats get in also i would take out the wood if it is in the tank untill you are 100% sure it is cypress and NOT CEDAR because CEDAR is toxic and deadly to fish and you dont want to loose your fish do you?

 

[Morgie]

I'm about 80% sure it's Cypress. It doesn't have the strong smell of cedar and it's really old anyway, and I've heard that as long it's old and doesn't have an odor it's not deadly to fish. I have it soaking in the tub right now, getting it to waterlog and leak the tannins.. I might go out and buy a couple of feeder fish to test if it's toxic or not. If it's not toxic, than my 4-line gets a good meal today, and if it is toxic I'll have to go hunting for some wood I can identify properly.

 

[redruckus]

no it doesnt matter how old it is the toxins still linger even with out the smell and i wouldnt put it in a tank even water logged it can still cause harm unless you do a almost full water change ...if you have a picture of it i can try to identify it

 

[Morgie]

This is a terrible quality photo of it soaking in the tub. It's turned a very dark brown now that we've started waterlogging it, but when it was dry it was a very very light brown/grey with the knots being a darker bown/grey color. Cedar I believe is red? It had no traces of red anywhere on it.. My grandpa is an old southern forest/swamp man and told me it was cypress, so I trust his judgment. I am going to go buy some feeder fish to put in the tub with the log and see if they're affected by it.

 

[DreD]

Quick tip to speedup cycling process: when doing a pwc from the 15G put the water in the 55G if you have two filters put one of the old ones in the new tank (for bacteria).

Why don't you try to add a small cichlid like a blood parrot!

Your assortment seems fine as it is though

 

[redruckus]

ok if you got it from your grandpa and he said it was cypress its probably cypress i would have to see it not in the water dry to make a good estimate but you are right cedar keeps a bit of red in it but after a while if its in the sun it turns very gray and ther is such thing as white cedar that almost looks like oak in colour with a redder grain but if your grandpa knows his stuff it should be good ..also i hope you scrubed the tub good with bleach and rinsed it incredebly well befor you put the wood in because if you shower of bathe in it the risidual soap can leach into the wood and be toxic for fish

 

[redruckus]

Quick tip to speedup cycling process: when doing a pwc from the 15G put the water in the 55G if you have two filters put one of the old ones in the new tank (for bacteria).

Why don't you try to add a small cichlid like a blood parrot!

Your assortment seems fine as it is though

no offence but i think blood parots are the single most retarded looking fish of all time shure youl get 1 in 500 that looks nice but the other 500 they are SO inbread ther mouths dont work right and have trouble even opening and closing them if they can even move them at all

Properly shaped blood parot mouth 1/500

the slightly deformed blood parot fish mouth 300/500

the rest of the blood parot fish on the market higly deformed mouth