55 gallon stocking and using LiveAquaria.com

[eah]

Hi all,

I have two questions. The first is what have people's experiences been with using sites like LiveAquaria.com? I'm considering making a fish purchase (have the opportunity to split the shipping cost with a friend) and am curious to know how the fish usually fare during shipping. Do they seem pretty good when they arrive? Stressed? Is it hit or miss? Does it depend on the type of fish? I would be QT'ing the new arrivals for a month in a 20 gallon long that will be vacated when they arrive.

That leads me to my second question. I have a 55 gallon lightly planted tank (big clump of java fern, 3-4 other random low-light potted plants). I do a pwc of about 50% every 3 weeks or so. Current stocking is:

2 Gouramis (one pearl, one blue - mine are quite docile)
3 gold barbs (for those who don't know, they are very peaceful fish)
6 panda cories (planning to add at least 2 more, they're my favorites)
1 rubberlip pleco
1 molly

I was debating adding a school of some type of very small fish. Neon tetras or perhaps harlequin rasboras come to mind. However, if I get a schooling fish, I would actually like them to school (obviously without creating a stressful environment for them). Given the bleak success I've had in the past in getting tetras to actually school, maybe I should just add a few more gold barbs... Clearly, I don't know what direction I want to go in!

If this was your tank and you were limited to adding only one more species (or none at all and just adding to what I have), what would you add? I definitely don't want to venture into the territory of being overstocked, so that's an important consideration for me as well.

 

[beglely]

I have rummynose and glowlite tetras in my tank and would recommend them to anyone. Most species will school on instinct if a large number of them are present in the tank (6 or more). I personally dont think you are close to being overstocked so I wouldnt be too paranoid about that (just dont go add 20 more fish tho). I have no experience purchasing fish online so I cant go advising you there.

 

[taylorodw]

You may want to try a powerhead to increase current... a small current can stimulate schooling behavior.

 

[eah]

You may want to try a powerhead to increase current... a small current can stimulate schooling behavior.

Brilliant! I didn't know about this and will definitely give it a try. Any suggestions on what type of fish?

 

[Evilameba]

zebra danios? i love them!

 

[eah]

zebra danios? i love them!

What's your experience with how well they school? I just looked into them a little bit and it looks like they enjoy being in a larger school (10+)... I don't think I have that much room. Also, I worry Danios would jump out of the tank as it's not fully covered.

 

[eah]

Here are some photos of the tank - I thought they might inspire some more conversation in this thread.

The first two are the tank. It's a little emptier looking than normal because a few of my smaller driftwood pieces, a cave, and some new plants are in my 20-gallon long QT tank (see third photo). The fish in the QT tank are included in the stocking list I posted above. Here's the list again:

2 Gouramis (one pearl, one blue - mine are quite docile)
3 gold barbs (for those who don't know, they are very peaceful fish)
6 panda cories (planning to add at least 2 more, they're my favorites)
1 rubberlip pleco
1 molly

I was planning to move them into the main tank at the same time I get new fish (I QT all new fish for a minimum of 3 weeks).

Okay, so here are the questions that remain:
1) Do I add a small school of tetras or rasboras or should I just add to my barbs? I'm thinking no on danios since I've read that they are quite the jumpers. I'm leaning toward just adding some barbs. I feel kind of bad that I only have three barbs left. I started out with about 5 or 6 but then lost one about a year ago and then lost another one when I moved into a new apartment back in March. I'm also seriously considering getting a powerhead.

2) What are people's experiences ordering fish from liveaquaria.com? Would it be better to just ask my somewhat local fish store to special order for me (I don't know if they would even do it). Again, I could split the cost of shipping with a friend if I do go the online route.

 

[ManInAHat73]

Great looking tank.

 

[eah]

Great looking tank.

Thanks!!

 

[JustOneMore20]

I would add more Gold Barbs, bring the total up to 6-7 and also add some tetras. Rummynose tetras school really well and they stay more towards the lower half of the tank. You could get 7-8. I currently have 5 (lost a few over the years) and they school really well...almost always together.

I've never ordered fish from liveaquaria (well, not yet...) but I've had fish shipped to me before and I can tell you they'll be a little stressed from being shipped. Liveaquaria ships overnight, which is good, so they won't be on a truck for long. If you are going to split shipping with someone, I think its worth it. I've heard good things about the quality of liveaquaria's stock.

Your tank looks really nice! Very colorful!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Love the tank.. looks great

 

[Bige]

I have only purchased sw fish from liveaquaria and everything was fine. The only problem I had was they don't ship everything from the same location. I bought a neon goby and it came from california and an anemone that came from florida. Had to pay shipping from each place. So the shipping was about $75.00. The anemone has done very well. He or she is 8 months old and has split into three now. I didn't even know they did that. Neon goby is great as well.

 

[eah]

Thanks, Bige for the info - very helpful to know about the shipping! I called my lfs and found out that they actually have gold barbs in right now so I think I might try getting a few more first and hold off on anything else.