Dimensions of a 55g, Please Help

[slurpbro]

I may be getting a 55 gallon freshwater tank for myself for christmas, and i need help with stocking it this time. I'm new to keeping aquariums.

This was what i figured. My 10 gallon measures 10.25" by 20". I checked out a book on aquariums from the library, and it said to have an inch of fish per 12 square inches of water surface. 10.25 X 20=205. 205 X 5.5=1127.5. That divided by twelve is a little under 94", so I should be able to fit 93" of fish into this new tank. Tell me if my math is wrong, or anything else.

This is what i intend to put into the tank following that plan:

So the tank looks good:
10 Platys(20")-
10 Neon Tetras(15")-
1 Siamese Fighting Fish(2.5",male)
3 Dwarf Gouramis(6")

For Bottom Feeding:
1 Plecostymus(12") for algae control, and so i have a large fish
4 Bronze Corydoras(11.2") for food cleanup and because they also look good

To eat fry:
4 Angelfish(20") I heard they eat the baby fish, so they don't get out of hand. This is nescessary as i've had problems with my current platy's having babies before. My 10g tank will be hopelessly overstocked until my friend Tom can put them in his 30Gallon.

This came to a grand total of 86.7 inches. I will also have my gold snail in there, and i need help on what kind of plants to buy. I'm leaving the last 6 inches for safety. Any help, comments or corrections would be helpful. Thanks.

[Jchillin]

No problem with your math if you don't have any gravel or plants or decorations

Even with this plan, leaving just six inches for safety isn't a good thing IMO. I don't think the fighting fish is a good idea either...they cannot be trusted in any tank.

Livebearer's will constantly reproduce and ten is just asking for trouble IMO. Reduce the numbers. Also, did you take into account the fish size at maturity? Angels get wide (top to bottom).

HTH.

[MarkLehr]

Your math is good, but I think the advice your book gives is horrible. The "rule of thumb" of 1 inch per gallon, or as you describe, is very old school and does not properly consider the variables of the tank & the girth of the fish.

Forget the Betta, and the fish you mention will easily fit in your 55 gallon. You will definatly have fry on occassion, but you could use your 10 gallon as a hatchery and take the babies to your LFS when they are big enough. Personally, I would consider skipping out on the Neons & using Cardinal Tetras. Cardinals are a little bigger and not as easily eatten by adult Angelfish. Also, you may want to add your Dwarf Gouramies last, as they will get a little territorial. Definately add all of your Gouramies at the same time, because they will chase newcomers of the same Genus.

Good luck!

[rubysoho]

I agree with everyone else. There are more factors to putting fish together than just size. You have to figure in temperment, if they get territorial, etc...

what about this:

Drop the platys, keep the ones you already have in your 10 gallon. You can round up the fry and feed them to the fish in the 55 gallon tank or take back your females to the LFS and get all males (this could work in the 55 gallon)

10 tetras (check out rummynosed tetras, they look awesome. Neons will be eaten by the angels)
6-8 cories (they like being in larger schools)
1 or 2 small to medium sized pleco
2 angels (4, in my opinion, is asking for trouble, especially if you accidentally get a breeding pair)
1 dwarf gourami

[loganj]

I'm gonna have to disagree with the math...I can follow your reasoning, but I believe it to be incorrect. Most 55's are 48"x12" which gives a total surface area of 576"(sq). Based on your formula of 1" per 12sq" of surface area, this comes to 48" of fish which closely resembles the old formula of 1" of fish per gallon. There are a couple of reasons I don't agree with either formula. If you wanted to have 40 neon tetras in a 55, you would be fine because they are small slender fish with a low biomass. On the other end of the spectrum, attempting to keep 48" of oscars in a 55 would be a disaster of unparalleled proportions. Here is where you start to speculate. You'll have to use your own judgement, assuming that the 1" per 12sq" is valid for a small, slender fish, in deciding what you can have in there. For example if you add a pair of rosy barbs, these will get quite large and will eat alot and produce a lot of waste so you'll have to figure a bit extra for them. Here are my suggestions based on the fish you listed.
Neons are OK...I'd probably have 15 of them unless you intend to have angelfish as well. The angels, once they reach maturity, will most likely eat the neons. The corys are great and you'll enjoy them...they won't bother anything. The pleco...well, they can get over a foot long. I'd look at one of the smaller suckers...perhaps a bristlenose. Maybe a few otos would be better for algae control as long as you feed them...they won't survive on just the algae that's available in the tank. I would forget the platys for two reasons. 1) You won't have room for them. 2) They prefer slightly alkaline water with a pH of about 7.5. Neons and angels likely won't do well in this water as they prefer soft, acidic water around pH 6.5. The dwarf gouramis should be OK. I would exercise care with the betta. While they can be part of a community tank, they usually do better when kept by themselves. Keeping a fairly low bioload makes tank maintenance much easier and will provide a healthier environment for your fish. JMHO.

[ttopmustanggt88]

Originally Posted by MarkLehr

Personally, I would consider skipping out on the Neons & using Cardinal Tetras. Cardinals are a little bigger and not as easily eatten by adult Angelfish.
Good luck!

arnt cardinal tetras a little smaller?? just thought i remembered them being smaller than a neon tetra??

[rubysoho]

depends on the type of neon tetra. Black neon tetras are smaller than the cardinals, but diamond head neon tetras are larger. I personally like Rummynosed tetras, they look so cool in groups.

[XxTitleisTxX]

my 55 is 48x14"

how about rainbowfish
I love rainbows...They're peaceful and relatively easy to care for and will make a very nice addition to your aquarium