55 gallon , give me ANY stocking idea

[cichlidthinker]

I am getting a 55 gallon and i would like to know ALL my possibilities ,but i say no to saltwater tank



I am a fan of big fishes but do tell me your stocking idea ,doesnt have to be big



Im hoping this thread to be big! ,so please donate your thoughts !





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[Mebbid]

What fish do you like most? Gourami, angels, German blue rams, rainbows, tetras?

Give us something to go on and we can give you some better ideas.

 

[Animag771]

Can't find the subscribe button so I'm making this post... Will get some.ideas rolling when I get on my computer after work

 

[cichlidthinker]

What i like the most are some "big" fish like oscars or green terrors , but i also liked the idea of viewing all my options

I just wanted some cool ideas and change this post into a thread that people would go to if they had a 55 gallon and also wanted some ideas , dont think that would work out , here is some stock ideas ive come up with :



The dimensions of the tank is W=16inch L= 40inch H=20 inch



1st stock :

A single oscar and a Bristlenose plec (is it a big enough tank?)



2nd stock :



1x green terror

1x convict

1x firemouth

1x BN plec



3rd stock:



A cichlid tank with many color variants and sizes



Ideas ? Thoughts?


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[Mebbid]

They would all work aside from the green terror. Those will get a bit too aggressive.

Since you like cichlids, a 55g is the perfect size for starting out an african cichlid tank. Mbuna in particular are my favorites although they require a ton of rocks. You could easily stock a single male of many different species for an interesting and somewhat aggressive aquarium. A starting stock would be around 15 fish.

 

[cichlidthinker]

Very good to know ,what are your thought about the oscar though ?


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[bettaowner]

Why not add oddball fish like an African butterfly fish or African knife fish? A peacock eel would be nice. If you want peaceful fish, pearl or moonlight gouramis would be nice.

 

[Mebbid]

Very good to know ,what are your thought about the oscar though ?


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I think the Oscar is a great idea. I was debating on doing that for myself actually.

 

[Animag771]

Ok, 2 ideas from messing around in aqadvisor... There may be problems with them that I am unaware of. If there are issues, hopefully somebody who Is more knowledgeable will point them out. Please point them out, I want a tank very similar to the second setup one day, but more of them in a 125g tank

Bigger fish setup: Will require higher temps, around 82F. Probably want to let the cardinals grow a bit before adding the Discus.
x5 Discus (for the big factor)
x18 Cardinal Tetras (so you have some more activity)
x5 Kuhli Loaches (for your bottom feeders, also kinda big)

Schooling community setup: Had to do it, I love schools!! Has plenty of activity from top to bottom.
x6 Marbled Hatchets
x12 Rummynose Tetras
x12 Cardinal Tetras
x12 Harlequin Rasboras
x2 German Blue Rams
x2 Cockatoo Apistos 1M/1F (or x3 Pearl Gouramis 1M/2F)
x6 Corydoras (pick a type)

 

[Mebbid]

Ok, 2 ideas from messing around in aqadvisor... There may be problems with them that I am unaware of. If there are issues, hopefully somebody who Is more knowledgeable will point them out. Please point them out, I want a tank very similar to the second setup one day, but more of them in a 125g tank

Bigger fish setup: Will require higher temps, around 82F. Probably want to let the cardinals grow a bit before adding the Discus.
x5 Discus (for the big factor)
x18 Cardinal Tetras (so you have some more activity)
x5 Kuhli Loaches (for your bottom feeders, also kinda big)

Schooling community setup: Had to do it, I love schools!! Has plenty of activity from top to bottom.
x6 Marbled Hatchets
x12 Rummynose Tetras
x12 Cardinal Tetras
x12 Harlequin Rasboras
x2 German Blue Rams
x2 Cockatoo Apistos 1M/1F (or x3 Pearl Gouramis 1M/2F)
x6 Corydoras (pick a type)

Discus are by far the most sensitive freshwater fish out there. I would suggest against them.

The second one would be a better choice but with that many schools it will be an incredibly busy chaotic tank. It's generally best practice to pick 3 different schools and have some centerpiece fish. Larger schools are also much more impressive than smaller ones.

I havent tried to keep GBR and apistos together personally but from my understanding they won't get along. Also, keeping breeding groups of pearl gouramis they can get aggressive which could be a problem for your smaller fish.

If I were stocking my own tank I would suggest:
30x Cardinal tetras (look at pictures of large schools of them they are amazing)
12x Harlequin Rasbora
12x Panda Corys
2x German Blue Rams

 

[bud29]

On the Oscar: many people have many different opinions, some say that an oscar is OK in a 55g, others say that they need 75g. I almost would recommend a 75g just because of the crappy footprint of a 55g. A 55g only is 12" wide, and an oscar can definitely reach 12" long - so I think things may get a bit uncomfortable once the oscar reaches full size. If you're looking for a bigger single fish, something like a jack dempsey may work. Also, I'm a fan of mbuna tanks, you could look into those.

 

[Luananeko]

It's highly possible that the Oscar could eat the bristlenose pleco, so if you went the oscar route I'd have that be the only fish in the tank. Plecos have stiff barbs in their fins, and there have been several accounts of oscars suffering serious injury when they attempt to eat them. Usually both the oscar and the pleco end up dying. Also, plecos are poop machines, so I'd worry about water quality with both of them in the 55.

 

[Ayi]

I'd say mbuna. They have a lot of color and energy! Although they do need a lot of rock.

 

[cichlidthinker]

All great ideas but bud29 the footprint on this 55 gallon is 16 inch wide not 12 inch so is the tank good for a oscar ?

Really want the "wet pet" i think , but everybody keep posting ideas for me and everyone who is looking for stocking ideas for 55 gallon


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[bud29]

Are you sure? Everywhere I'm looking says 12 3/4" wide.

Aquarium Dimensions Sizes By Length, Width & Height
Standard Aquarium Dimensions Chart and Dimensions to Gallons Calculator

 

[cichlidthinker]

If 41 cm is 16 inches then yes im sure


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[Mebbid]

If 41 cm is 16 inches then yes im sure

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A standard 55g is 12 inches wide. What are the dimensions of your tank?

 

[bud29]

What are the other dimensions?

 

[machotaco]

African cichilids could be cool they average 5" and you can throw a whole bucket full in

 

[cichlidthinker]

Width is 16 inch ,height is 20 inch and length is 40 inch


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