New 55 gal aquarium

[ellosunshinee]

Hello everyone. I'm new. This is my first post. I haven't set up my tank yet (currently pending a stand) but I have been researching fish like crazy and was wondering what everyone thinks of my possible fish stocking plan. I am open to advice and personal experience with these fish. However, I am not open to non constructive criticism . So here is my idea:

1 red fire gourami
3 hi fin black tetra
6 rummynose tetra
3 cory catfish
6 xray tetra
2 tiger nerite snails
3 german blue rams (after tank is well established)

So a few questions...are any of there fish not compatible? Am I over stocked? Do any of these fish need more of their own kind? And I was looking at the threadfin rainbow. I REALLY like them..however I wasn't sure if any of these fish listed were fin nippers. If any of you think the threadfin will work with these fish then I would need suggestions on what fish to ditch to make room for them. (I am aware with the list of fish the threadfin will not fit in).

My final discussion would be about the red fire gourami. Is this the best type of gourami for the possible tank set up? When I have looked in tanks in the past at stores they all seem to be quite stressed and fighting with one another. If it is difficult...what would be a good gourami solution instead of the red fires?

One more question...sand or gravel?

 

[Alyxx]

Welcome to the forum! I think your stocking plan is looking pretty good, except you might want to have more than 3 cories and more than 3 black tetras, although if anything on the list were to be ditched I would ditch the black tetras. If I remember correctly they can get a bit nippy. These are the black skirt tetras we are talking about, right? Those are the only hi fin black tetras I can think of off the top of my head. Any schooling fish like tetras should be in a group of at least 6. To me, it doesn't look like you will be overstocked because most of the fish you have chosen have fairly low bioloads, however I would recommend stocking slowly and adding one school of tetras at a time. If your nitrates start getting out of hand, you may want to cut back on the amount of fish in your tank.

As for the gourami, any dwarf gourami should do fine. The flame red, powder blue, and neon blue dwarf gouramis are the same, just different color morphs. However, be sure to quarantine all new fish and especially gouramis, as in recent years they have become kind of overbred and disease prone. Research dwarf gourami disease - it is a fairly common killer of these fish. There are some other gourami species that are a little hardier but get a little larger, like the pearl or blue gouramis.

I prefer sand over gravel, myself. I find it looks more natural and is easier to clean because the fish waste just sits on top of it instead of sinking in between the gravel. There are some great low-cost sands out there, too. Pool filter sand, play sand, and blasting grit are all good sands to use. Pool filter sand is a fine white sand, play sand is a little darker and coarser, and you can get blasting grit in black and even some cool colors if you have a place nearby that sells more than the typical black. You can find it in varying grain sizes from fine to coarse. And because you want cories, sand is definitely the way to go. Rough substrate like gravel can tear up their sensitive little barbells and bellies. It also makes it a lot easier for them to find food because sinking food doesn't fall between the gravel.

Just a few more questions so we can all get a better picture of your eventual setup:
Have you decided how you are going to cycle the tank?
What filter are you going to put on the tank?
Do you have a test kit yet?

 

[ellosunshinee]

Welcome to the forum! I think your stocking plan is looking pretty good, except you might want to have more than 3 cories and more than 3 black tetras, although if anything on the list were to be ditched I would ditch the black tetras. If I remember correctly they can get a bit nippy. These are the black skirt tetras we are talking about, right? Those are the only hi fin black tetras I can think of off the top of my head. Any schooling fish like tetras should be in a group of at least 6. To me, it doesn't look like you will be overstocked because most of the fish you have chosen have fairly low bioloads, however I would recommend stocking slowly and adding one school of tetras at a time. If your nitrates start getting out of hand, you may want to cut back on the amount of fish in your tank.

As for the gourami, any dwarf gourami should do fine. The flame red, powder blue, and neon blue dwarf gouramis are the same, just different color morphs. However, be sure to quarantine all new fish and especially gouramis, as in recent years they have become kind of overbred and disease prone. Research dwarf gourami disease - it is a fairly common killer of these fish. There are some other gourami species that are a little hardier but get a little larger, like the pearl or blue gouramis.

I prefer sand over gravel, myself. I find it looks more natural and is easier to clean because the fish waste just sits on top of it instead of sinking in between the gravel. There are some great low-cost sands out there, too. Pool filter sand, play sand, and blasting grit are all good sands to use. Pool filter sand is a fine white sand, play sand is a little darker and coarser, and you can get blasting grit in black and even some cool colors if you have a place nearby that sells more than the typical black. You can find it in varying grain sizes from fine to coarse. And because you want cories, sand is definitely the way to go. Rough substrate like gravel can tear up their sensitive little barbells and bellies. It also makes it a lot easier for them to find food because sinking food doesn't fall between the gravel.

Just a few more questions so we can all get a better picture of your eventual setup:
Have you decided how you are going to cycle the tank?
What filter are you going to put on the tank?
Do you have a test kit yet?

I did read that the black skirts were nippers after I posted this. I will probably not get them. I originally wanted a pearl gourami. I have been going back and force trying to figure which one I like more. I really really like the pearls. I think I will get one of those. Do they do well alone? I wouldn't hate getting more cory catfish. They are really fun to watch.

I just started researching tank cycling. My brother has two huge tanks (one is like 356 gallons he has built into his wall.) and his tanks are good and healthy so I thought maybe I can use some of his water to help cycle mine. What method would you recommend? I wouldn't want to cycle my tank with fish because it seems cruel to me.

My brother is giving me two filters. He said they are penguin filters. That is all I know so far. I didn't get a test kit yet but I plan to do that pretty much before anything else.

 

[Alyxx]

I did read that the black skirts were nippers after I posted this. I will probably not get them. I originally wanted a pearl gourami. I have been going back and force trying to figure which one I like more. I really really like the pearls. I think I will get one of those. Do they do well alone? I wouldn't hate getting more cory catfish. They are really fun to watch.

I just started researching tank cycling. My brother has two huge tanks (one is like 356 gallons he has built into his wall.) and his tanks are good and healthy so I thought maybe I can use some of his water to help cycle mine. What method would you recommend? I wouldn't want to cycle my tank with fish because it seems cruel to me.

My brother is giving me two filters. He said they are penguin filters. That is all I know so far. I didn't get a test kit yet but I plan to do that pretty much before anything else.

One pearl gourami will do just fine. Most of the gouramis you see in stores are males anyway, and the males will often fight if kept together. Part of why the ones you saw in the fish store were looking so bad, probably. And yes, cories are fun to watch, especially when you have them in proper groups of 4 or more. What kind of cories were you thinking about? I loooove the panda cories, myself. So cute.

Don't bother taking any of his water - the bacteria really don't live in the water at all. Get some of his filter media from him instead! When you get the tank set up and ready to cycle ask him for some of the media he uses in his filtration system and just stick that into your filters along with the media you buy for them. That will do a much better job of seeding your filters and starting your cycle. Man, I wish I had a 300+ gallon in wall tank.

 

[ellosunshinee]

I like the panda cory catfish too. I also like he albinos. I will definitely do that (steal his media). That sounds kinda funny. How long does it usually take to cycle using someone else's bacteria? His tank is pretty amazing. He has some huge Oscars in there. Where do you usually buy your fish from? Online or pet store?

 

[ellosunshinee]

Oh and do cory cats group together with other different kinds of corys? Like would a 2 pandas and 2 albinos count as a group? I have been wondering that for awhile now.

 

[Alyxx]

On the multiple kinds of cories, sometimes they will group together, sometimes they won't. As long as they are similar in size there is a better chance that they will swim as a group, but I think it is generally recommended that each kind have a full group of at least 4. With a stock list that is mostly small tetras you should have enough room if you wanted to do that. You have enough floor space for them, too. As for where I get my fish, I buy from my excellent local fish store and I order online. I've gotten lots of nice fish through aquabid.com, which is kind of like eBay for fish.
And depending on how much media you take, it could cycle almost immediately. Put the media into your filters, turn them on, and add your ammonia source to the tank, and test the next day. Have you read the articles on fishless cycling here on AA yet? They are really good. Once you are consistently seeing all the ammonia you add being converted into nitrates you are cycled and can add fish. Good thing about fishless cycling is you can add most of your stock at the same time, although of course you need to wait a few months for sensitive fish like rams, but you know that part already. Let me know if you have any questions at all, I'm happy to help!

 

[ellosunshinee]

Thanks a lot I really appreciate it. Can't wait until the tank is up and running. And I will check out those forums and those online places to buy fish.

 

[Alyxx]

No problem! Oh, and have you checked your local Craigslist for stands? Sometimes you can find good deals on tanks and stands there. I got my 56 gallon tank complete with a stand and some extras for like $80. Just be sure whatever stand you get can hold the weight. Water is heavy, and so is sand, so to be safe assume at least 10lbs per gallon and be sure your tank can hold at least that much weight.

 

[ellosunshinee]

My dad and brother are going to build me one. My bro has made stands for the tank he gave me before so I'm good on that. I just don't have a hood, lighting or a heater. And of course decorations. I will probably look on Craigslist for those things, though Craigslist around here is kinda sketchy haha.

 

[Alyxx]

My dad and brother are going to build me one. My bro has made stands for the tank he gave me before so I'm good on that. I just don't have a hood, lighting or a heater. And of course decorations. I will probably look on Craigslist for those things, though Craigslist around here is kinda sketchy haha.

Check out Drs. Foster and Smith online. They have great prices for equipment, foods, medications, pretty much everything you need, and they have a sale going on right now! One other thing they have on sale right now is the aqueon water changer. Get one! It will make water changes so much easier. You hook it up to your sink and turn on the water to start the siphon so you can clean and drain your tank, then you put your water conditioner in the tank, flip a switch on the water changer, and you can fill your tank directly from the sink into your tank. It's like $23 right now, and most places sell it for around $40.

 

[ellosunshinee]

Thats pretty cool! I will check out those websites too. What kind of tanks do you have? anywhere I can see a pic?

 

[Alyxx]

Thats pretty cool! I will check out those websites too. What kind of tanks do you have? anywhere I can see a pic?

I posted a full tank shot of my 56 gallon on the "what did you do with your tank today" thread earlier today. . I'd take a new pic of my 30 gal saltwater green spotted puffer tank but the lighting on that tank needs to be replaced so I can't get it lit up enough to take a good picture. I also have a 5 gallon tank with a marbled crayfish and her babies, they self clone which is really cool. Some will be sold to my LFS, some will be kept, and the rest will be snacks for the puffer fish. And I have a 10 gallon betta tank which is currently housing one of my current Bettas to keep it cycled until the one I ordered from Thailand gets here, and then he will be going into his own 10 gallon. He was in the 56 but the current was bugging him so I moved him. So he went in the one all nice and painted for a black betta. His new 10 gallon will probably be painted green so his red colors pop. I also have a betta in a vase in my bedroom who will eventually get his own 5-10 gallon tank. For now he is happy in my warm room with daily water changes.

Old shot of the puffer tank -




56 gallon fresh betta sorority




Betta tank




Crawfish




Baby crawfish

 

[ellosunshinee]

I really like the puffer tank! Did you paint the back? It's really creative. And your betta fish and the tank it's in is super nice too. I love the look of sand. It looks so clean.

 

[Alyxx]

I really like the puffer tank! Did you paint the back? It's really creative. And your betta fish and the tank it's in is super nice too. I love the look of sand. It looks so clean.

Thank you! Yeah, I painted the background on that one, the 56 and the betta tank all by hand. If you go to my profile and look at the threads I started, there is a thread showing the 56 getting painted step by step. It's not hard, just takes a steady hand and patience. And yeah, sand is easy to keep looking clean, although the plants in my betta tank keep shedding bits of leaves and giving me stuff to vacuum up. But you just have to hover the vacuum over the sand and anything on top of it comes right up. Nothing sinks into it to rot and foul the tank. I just pulled out all the decor in my big tank to vacuum everything. Although if you get a silicate sand, you will likely have some diatom algae to deal with. That can make sand look kind of gross for a while but it dies off in a few months. Just part of a new tank. My puffer tank was overrun with the stuff for a while because of the sand I used but its all gone now.

 

[ellosunshinee]

That's so cool. I will check that thread out too. I love freshwater puffers. Would they be happy in a 10 gallon tank or do they need more room?

 

[ellosunshinee]

I feel so silly I keep asking you questions but the filters I am getting are from a tank that is currently running with those filters. Would I even need to get filter media to cycle the tank if the filters are actually from an established tank if I put them in right after they're taken out of the old tank?

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Not sure if this has been covered, but water won't help cycle. Your best bet to help your cycle along is filter media. I would be leery of 3 rams. I had 4 in a 55g, that I quickly went down to only one because of aggression. After only having one for a few months I took a chance on a second and so far so good. I would start with 2 rams to be safe. And the cories need to be in a group of atleast 4, preferably 5 or more.

 

[ellosunshinee]

We covered the water not working for cycling the tank. I think I must have made a mistake. I only planned kn getting 2 rams. I must have accidentally typed 3. And as far as the Cory cats go. I'm going to get more than 3 I've decided. I like them a lot. And I'm maybe ditching the black skirt tetras.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

We covered the water not working for cycling the tank. I think I must have made a mistake. I only planned kn getting 2 rams. I must have accidentally typed 3. And as far as the Cory cats go. I'm going to get more than 3 I've decided. I like them a lot. And I'm maybe ditching the black skirt tetras.

I would just be sure to not over crowd the bottom level of the aquarium just incase you get a male and female ram and they decide to pair up and spawn, be sure and provide hiding places for the cories incase spawning does happen. I had long fin black skirts and they were really nippy. I ended up taking mine back to LFS. If you want another option to check out.... Black ruby barbs. They are very similar to tiger barbs but once they fully color up they are a beautiful deep red with black stripes; best thing about these guys: they aren't nippy. I have 11 Of them and LOVE them. They are always active and very interesting to watch, they never bother anyone and they get along wonderfully with everyone else in the tank. If you get them young like I did, they look identical to tiger barbs but they do get their red color over time. Just to give you an idea... In my 55g I have:
1 raphael catfish and albino pleco
2 Siamese algae eaters
3 platies
4 bronze cories
3 peppered cories
5 ornate rainbows
2 Bolivian rams
11 black ruby barbs

I'm leaving my tank as is except for adding more plants. Only time I will add more fish is when my platies pass on.