Setting up my first community tank...

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Desirousphere

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jan 17, 2013
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Warning. This is a reasonably long post. However I feel it is more important to understand what I am doing and feel a bit silly rather than to harm living creatures and my own wallet. So bare with me! :thanks:

Hello friends, I am posting this thread as I intend to start work on my first fish tank that does not involve goldfish! Whilst I still appreciate the goldfish that I currently have, I feel that I would like to try something new and have some even prettier fish to look at and care for! :angel:

Before I continue I think I should make it clear that I have not purchased a tank, fish, or any accessories other than those basic ones that I currently have. I have also spent four or five hours a night for the last two or three nights researching up various types of fish and how to care for them, compatabilities, required items to maintain a healthy tank, the cycling process and other such matters. However I feel more secure receiving more varied information and opinions than a couple of sites can offer (not to mention some members may have had experiences that could happen to me!)

I am not intending to start preparation of my tank (fishless cycle) for a good few weeks, if not, longer. So keep in mind that I am not going to do anything rash!

Basically, I am planning to buy a 55G, or something of a similiar size (budget permitting) - I will go larger if I can, I also plan to plant my tank. Unsure whether it will contain a medium amount of plants, or be heavily planted. I will be a couple of small caves for my bottom-feeders and what-not.

I plant to use soil or sand covered in fine and smooth gravel. Please let me know which is preferrable for a less-experience keeper and the fish I will list now (and why).

I have pooled the fish I am interested in (after researching each of them at least a little). This is not a set list, these are just ideas. So please be sure to let me know if certain fish will not get along, or require different conditions that will prevent them from being compatible, as well as how many of each I would be able to keep. I plan to purchase all fish young (no bigger than ~5cm when I receive them, so hopefully they have plenty of time to get used to each other).

1. Angelfish - these are the fish that I hope to be my 'centrepiece,' and I have my heart absolutely set on them. I have done a fair bit of reading on pairing (and the aggression that comes with) and space requirements, but am still a bit unsure as there a quite a lot of different opinions on how many I could keep. Some say only one, to prevent pairing. Others say six then remove pairs (I really had my heart set on three, a black one, a Koi/golden one and a platinum one). How many should I and could I keep taking into account the remaining fish...

2. Gourami - I find these beautiful, but once again, mixed reviews about keeping them with Angelfish... Was hoping to have one or two dwarfs (Coral blue and/ore Gold honey).

3. Catfish - Originally I planned on basic Bronze Corydoras, however I am now interested in Emerald Catfish and Bristlenose Catfish. Could I keep a variety? How many of each?

4. Loaches - Just your basic Kuhli Loaches, black and/or brown striped.

5. Schooling fish - It seems that Tetras that are raised with Angelfish and/or are not bite size (I will not buy Neon Tetras, for example) should be fine.
I am interested in Serpae Tetra, Silvertip Tetra (I think those two would long stunning together, a small school of each) with a few Black Widow Tetras and a single Diamond Tetra and Gold Widow Tetra.

Are Platies a viable option also? I read somewhere they can live in freshwater but are more suited for brackish water, is this true?

6. Shrimp - Worth having a few Glass Shrimps, or are they unnecessasy or will be gobbled up?

That's all... I think...

Thank you to those of you who had the time and patience to read and (hopefully offer some advice), means a lot!
 
Last edited:
My tank isn't as adventurous as your saying but have a read of my tank on my profile... It's not a planted tank either.
 
Hi there, I think three angels are fine but do keep in mind if you do end up with a breeding pair that they will claim a spot in your tank to lay the eggs and they will get aggressive in keeping the other fish away from the area. The rule of thumb is one inch of fish for one gallon of water. This rule will also help you in not overstocking the tank and causing more work for you in frequent water changes. I will check on what will go best with the angels and get back to you later.
 
I think what you have listed is fine but as long as they are not to aggressive or to small. I am not sure about the plattys. You may want to ask the store where you buy your fish.
 
What you have listed seems ok but keep in mind not to get anything to aggressive or to small. The Platies I am not sure about. You may want to ask the fish store where you but your fish.
 
If I were you I would avoid gouramis with the planned three angelfish. I think you would end up with aggression. If you do try a gourami, just try one. You could have some cories and a bristlenose pleco, but if you add loaches to the mix, I think your tank would have too many bottom dwellers. Plus, many loaches tend to be fin nippers, and might not work with angels. I have no personal experience with khulis though, I have had yoyos and they were definitely nippy. For a 55 gallon tank, I would say that's enough. Once all those fish grow, they will have a hefty bio load. And you'd be surprised how crowded a 55 gets with a few angels in it. Maybe you could do one school do tetras. Angelfish seem okay with them as long as you get them when the angels are still too small to eat them. Good luck!
 
Thank you for all your helpful posts!

I am not sure about the plattys. You may want to ask the store where you buy your fish.
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I think I'll just stick with Tetras, considering they, and Emerald Corys are from South America, the same as Angelfish. :)

If I were you I would avoid gouramis with the planned three angelfish. I think you would end up with aggression. If you do try a gourami, just try one.
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I'll keep this in mind. If I do decided I'd like one I'll keep a smaller back up tank incase I notice aggression. I'll be sure to plant the tank well and have some landmarks so that they can each claim their own territory if need be.

Thanks for the help with the Loaches. I find them very interesting, but it might be worth giving them a skip.
 
With angel fish they are a shoaling fish and in a tank that size 3-5 would be best so your OK there with the three you want, I would avoid the shrimp altogether once the angels get bigger they might be asking you for some cocktail sauce haha. The black skirt tetra (aka black widow) is a good choice for an angel fish tank in my experience and the costs will do just fine as well, I would avoid loaches unless you do clown loaches but they get rather big and you would eventually need to set up a new tank. I have never mixed an angel with a gourami so can't offer much advice regarding those. But a perhaps a good substitute for the gourami if they won't work out is a pair of German blue rams.
 
Kromlech54 said:
With angel fish they are a shoaling fish and in a tank that size 3-5 would be best so your OK there with the three you want, I would avoid the shrimp altogether once the angels get bigger they might be asking you for some cocktail sauce haha. The black skirt tetra (aka black widow) is a good choice for an angel fish tank in my experience and the costs will do just fine as well, I would avoid loaches unless you do clown loaches but they get rather big and you would eventually need to set up a new tank. I have never mixed an angel with a gourami so can't offer much advice regarding those. But a perhaps a good substitute for the gourami if they won't work out is a pair of German blue rams.
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Meant to say corys instead of costs.
 
Khuli loaches are excellent. Very peaceful and lots of fun! Though if you are going with them I'd recommend sand, and the same goes for cories. They both love to sift through it and IMO it looks really nice and is easy to clean.

Tetras are excellent choices, but make sure which ever you get to get at least 4 or 5. They are schooling fish and the more the merrier! A lonesome tetra will not be a happy one.

Platies are definitely an option! They are FW. I am not sure if they can be in brackish, but mollies, another livebearer similar to the platy, can be kept in FW, brackish, and full marine. If you want platies, beware, they do breed. If you are ok with that, try and stick with a ratio of 1male:3females. This helps to keep the males from pestering the females too much. I have experienced males being aggressive towards each other, so if you don't want breeding I'd try and stick with all females.
 
Kromlech54 said:
Meant to say corys instead of costs.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your input, I prefer the Gourami, but if need be I'd be happy to substitute it for a ram or two, as long as I have a nice blue fish in there somewhere! (y)

Khuli loaches are excellent. Very peaceful and lots of fun! Though if you are going with them I'd recommend sand, and the same goes for cories. They both love to sift through it and IMO it looks really nice and is easy to clean.
Click to expand...

I was beginning to think that sand was the way to go, maybe with some small gravel in parts. I had heard the same about the loaches. More and more I am beginning to realise that each species has a kind of stereo-type, but you can always get an exception to the rule! So I may try my luck with a few yet!

Tetras are excellent choices, but make sure which ever you get to get at least 4 or 5. They are schooling fish and the more the merrier! A lonesome tetra will not be a happy one.
Click to expand...

I will definitely be looking at at least one school of these, two if I do not get Platies. One of each if I do.

Platies are definitely an option! They are FW. I am not sure if they can be in brackish, but mollies, another livebearer similar to the platy, can be kept in FW, brackish, and full marine. If you want platies, beware, they do breed. If you are ok with that, try and stick with a ratio of 1male:3females. This helps to keep the males from pestering the females too much. I have experienced males being aggressive towards each other, so if you don't want breeding I'd try and stick with all females.
Click to expand...

I'll keep this in mind. It's probably not the best option. But would the young become a sort of live food for the other fishes? What kind of care would they require to bring them to adulthood? Or at least a reasonable enough size to be put back in the main tank?
 
Hholly said:
You can get some blue angelfish too.
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Blue's not necessarily my favourite colour, it just reminds me of something tropical. Not heard of a blue angelfish though, I'll be sure to keep both eyes open for one! Thanks for the heads up.

EDIT: It would appear that, after some Googling, the blue Angelfish could be rather striking. What changes, if any, would have to be made to the rest of the tank if I wanted a fourth Angelfish?
 
Hholly said:
Try looking up pinoy angels too. Very striking!
Click to expand...

Okay, how the hell do I get one of those? None of the pet stores in my area have anything but the standard black and platinum ones. I live on an island called Tasmania off the coast of Australia... :banghead:
 
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