Hardest Part of the Hobby: Stocking. Please help me.

[martinc9090]

55g long tank


pic
http://aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=94273


and I currently have an

about 4 inch angelfish

2 of the yellow barbs. the bigger one chases the smaller one around alot

2 platys one is being picked on pretty bad. he don't have a tail anymore and is not eating anymore. but the other one is perfect.



any suggestions of what I should do. I would really like to keep it a peaceful tank.

[zenkatydid]

both angels and barbs are semi aggressive, so your peaceful tank idea is a little shot at this point. firstly, i would definitely add more barbs - make a group of 6. also add more platies if you like those. a bristlenose would do nicely in keeping you algae free. i personally would add a small group of loaches, like yoyos, for the bottom strata - lots of fun. and maybe a school of a feisty tetra like serpaes.

[martinc9090]

Just came back from the lfs and this is what I got

1- Gold Gourami
1- Blue Gourami
3- Swordtails (2f 1m)
1- platy

and I also already had one of those suckerfish. and a bunch of ghost shrimp.

[lovemybarbs]

If you get any more barbs, you could get some roseys or neon roseys. They socialize very well with the yellow barbs.

[neilanh]

if you just added those new fish, keep an eye on your water params the next few days

[martinc9090]

okay I will keep an eye on the parameters.

should I get atleast 3 or 5 more barbs.

would reducing the temperature reduce the aggresiveness.

what would be the minimum that I should have the light on

thanks again for the help

[zenkatydid]

i have never heard of temperature affecting aggressiveness. barbs will be nippy if they are not in a big enough group, so i would suggest that AFTER your tank is stable after adding these fish (at least 2 or 3 weeks) get some more barbs.

[martinc9090]

okay so once my parameters are perfect again. I will get some more barbs.
how many would be alright.
I have 2 right now so should I get some so that they will be an odd number or is it even. do they have to be the same type of barb?