New Tank mates!

[bubba rust]

Alright guys, I am looking to add some additional species to my tank and I am not sure what to add. The tank is a 55 gallon, fresh water tank with a pink kissing gourami, a pictus Catfish, a red-tailed shark, and two sailfin plecostomus. From what I have read I have narrowed it down to some kind of combination of tiger barbs, an African leaf fish, and a stripped Raphael catfish. What do you guys think? I am interested in other suggestions as well so just let me know thanks

 

[threnjen]

Hi there.
I wish I could recommend something, but honestly I think that your tank is quite overstocked as it is You have only a few fish, but they are species that grow quite large and need a lot of space.

I entered your stock into AqAdvisor and it thinks you are very, very overstocked:
AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

I don't think that in good conscience we can recommend anything else for your tank. I think you would be better off rehoming your larger species and aquiring some fish that are more suitable for your tank size.

 

[Angelbreeder]

Sailfin plecs need at least 200 gallon tanks they get huge, I have 1 of around 16 inches

 

[ScotJudd]

I agree with the above. However, I used to keep 'big' fish a few years ago. I bought babies, grew them on to about 3 to 4" and then traded them for babies again at a very good LFS. Yes, there some out there! If you go to AqAdvisor you can put in the actual current size of your fish to see how your stocking levels are now. Then you can remove the 'tick' to see how your stocking will be at fully grown. Only then you can plan the way ahead and decide whether to add stock or not.
But I agree that 55 gal is too small for large sailfin plecs and large plecs can be difficult to rehome.

 

[bubba rust]

Thanks guys I appreciate it they are still pretty small, so how long until they get that big? And do you know if I would be able to keep them outside in a large stock tank I plan on putting some turtles in when they get too big for my 55?

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