help with stocking planning

[55gallons]

i am planning what i want for stocking my tank . my tank is a 55g tall hex tank . I am gona be up front i want COLOR . meaning i want color and movement in the top /middle/bottom of my tank . plus color to make it look nice and not bland.


I've had experience with :

gold fish -
also koi < - didn't know i had koi til i read up on forums i just thought they were plain old big as heck Gold fish who knew??
japanesse fighting fish (2) but never at the same time
tetra's
neon's (blue)
barbs
pink kissers.
Also had a algae eater which grew queit big ----didn't know the breed would grow big like that.

at the time just about all these were in a 10g at one point or another except for the japanesse fighting fish .





i've done some looking around this stock is for my 55g hex .

im looking at these:

tiger barb -

Rosey Barb -

Rainbow Shark


sword tails ?

gaint danios --

ZEBRA danios.



Now i read that some of these like the same water temps i find that a capatable thing . But unsure if i can mix any of these guys together .

I also am CONSIDERING angel fish. I'd just get 2 .. I DO want some schooling fish and i am gona get a algae eater as well - but not a big one - or maybe a clown loach.


I want some recommendations please - and please be nice about it something that isn't to difficult to maintain and not a real budget buster .


my goal is :

Have A Community tank
Have color top /middle /bottom
Have a vissually stimulating tank .
and most of all to have FUN !!!

 

[Menagerie]

You will be limited due to the footprint of the tank. A standard 50 gallon tank will be able to hold more fish than the 55 hex due to aeration issues adn overall swimming room. First off, an algea eater that will not out grow the tank--I love small plecos--clowns, rubber lips or bristle noses stay under 6 inches. Clown loaches are not going to eat algae off the glass and need to be in groups. Aside from that, clown loaches will out grow that tank. I would also stay away from the shark, because it too will get too big for this tank and have very limited swimming room. Barbs are colorful, but I haven't kept them. If you do angel fish, you would need to stay away from barbs, as they will nip the fins.
If this were my tank, I would get a small pleco, a small herd of corie cats for the bottom, Badis badis (tricky to find, replace with Apistogrammas--more color too) for the middle and white cloud minnows for the top. In fact, I keep most of what I just suggested in a 50 gallon--cories, khuli loaches and plecos on the bottom, kribs (relative of the Apistos) in the middle and white clouds on top.
Good luck with the tank--there will be tons of suggestions and with research on your part and help from AA, you will end up with a colorful community which is stimulating and FUN!

 

[55gallons]

You will be limited due to the footprint of the tank. A standard 50 gallon tank will be able to hold more fish than the 55 hex due to aeration issues adn overall swimming room. First off, an algea eater that will not out grow the tank--I love small plecos--clowns, rubber lips or bristle noses stay under 6 inches. Clown loaches are not going to eat algae off the glass and need to be in groups. Aside from that, clown loaches will out grow that tank. I would also stay away from the shark, because it too will get too big for this tank and have very limited swimming room. Barbs are colorful, but I haven't kept them. If you do angel fish, you would need to stay away from barbs, as they will nip the fins.
If this were my tank, I would get a small pleco, a small herd of corie cats for the bottom, Badis badis (tricky to find, replace with Apistogrammas--more color too) for the middle and white cloud minnows for the top. In fact, I keep most of what I just suggested in a 50 gallon--cories, khuli loaches and plecos on the bottom, kribs (relative of the Apistos) in the middle and white clouds on top.
Good luck with the tank--there will be tons of suggestions and with research on your part and help from AA, you will end up with a colorful community which is stimulating and FUN!

heres the shark i was thinking -- he only gets to be 5 inches. Rainbow shark. And it says he does well in tanks that are 30g. i figure it would be ok if he was in a 55g hex. I dunno.

And i just found this lil guy-- Not the nicest looking but from the lfs that is probably the biggest in the area its the only one in thier stock that is really able to suite the 55g -- his max size is 6"

how bout this peppered cory ?

i couldn't find these in the lps listing for the lps i want togo to --

white cloud minnows??
or the badis badis ????

 

[Menagerie]

Common names are sometimes given to more than one fish.
When I looked up rainbow shark, I got different information, but the same picture. As I stated before, research is crucial to a well stocked tank.
From http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/sharks_eels_loaches/shark_rainbow.htm :

Appropriate home. An aquarium with an exterior power filter with a BIO-Wheel, a maximum of 1/4 inch of gravel, and an aquarium heater adjusted to between 76 and 80 degrees F. Eventually a Rainbow Shark will need a large aquarium with at least 50 gallons of water....Size and Life Span. Rainbow Sharks live for several years and grow slowly to a length of 9" and rarely even longer.

 

[bunebop]

You will be limited due to the footprint of the tank. A standard 50 gallon tank will be able to hold more fish than the 55 hex due to aeration issues adn overall swimming room. First off, an algea eater that will not out grow the tank--I love small plecos--clowns, rubber lips or bristle noses stay under 6 inches. Clown loaches are not going to eat algae off the glass and need to be in groups. Aside from that, clown loaches will out grow that tank. I would also stay away from the shark, because it too will get too big for this tank and have very limited swimming room. Barbs are colorful, but I haven't kept them. If you do angel fish, you would need to stay away from barbs, as they will nip the fins.
If this were my tank, I would get a small pleco, a small herd of corie cats for the bottom, Badis badis (tricky to find, replace with Apistogrammas--more color too) for the middle and white cloud minnows for the top. In fact, I keep most of what I just suggested in a 50 gallon--cories, khuli loaches and plecos on the bottom, kribs (relative of the Apistos) in the middle and white clouds on top.
Good luck with the tank--there will be tons of suggestions and with research on your part and help from AA, you will end up with a colorful community which is stimulating and FUN!

heres the shark i was thinking -- he only gets to be 5 inches. Rainbow shark. And it says he does well in tanks that are 30g. i figure it would be ok if he was in a 55g hex. I dunno.

And i just found this lil guy-- Not the nicest looking but from the lfs that is probably the biggest in the area its the only one in thier stock that is really able to suite the 55g -- his max size is 6"

how bout this peppered cory ?

i couldn't find these in the lps listing for the lps i want togo to --

white cloud minnows??
or the badis badis ????

I would be careful w/ the shark. i've heard they get much larger than youre saying there. That pleco is a bushy-nosed pleco and he will stay small and will likely do rather well in the tank. The same w/ the cory cat, but you have to remember that they are schooling fish and prefer to be in large groups which might be more difficult in a hex tank than it would be in a square. They also tend to shoot to the top a lot and that's gonna be quite a swim for em. Just make sure you do your research

 

[55gallons]

i think this is the reason why i came here? Now im hearing 2 different stories on cories. I WASN'T originally planning on a cory(ies) Then took the suggestion to put them on the list. IM Lookin for color and im not finding much info - lets just say im not that internet savy and if i were to just put in fish to search i'd be here for months years even . I am asking for color and the basic top/middle/bottom ... All i want is a community tank and color and FUN - i have enough headaches right now and quite frankly a fish tank up and running would probably relax me right now . If i sound off the wall im sorry - i don't know different types of fish - i guess im just a fish haver not a fish "keeper" im NOT used to this type of fish aquirement - i used to just go in the pet store and pick what i wanted (mindless) to what the requirements were. Once again part of the reason why i'm looking for help with fish.
I LISTED above what i 've had in the past and hope ppl take that into consideration with my fish experience.

55G.

 

[BrianNY]

Aquariums should be fun and relaxing. I think I understand exactly what you're looking for 55g. A tank that is active and colorful. You've got lots of options for that tank.

It's hard to find a fish more active and hardy than danios. They also mix well with barbs (which are not quite as active). I would stock the following:

5 zebra danios, 3 Giant danios, 6 Tiger barbs. For a larger focal fish you'll need something that isn't bothered by the constant movement of the danios and barbs. I would avoid a angels for that reason, so here would be my choice. A pair of kissing gouramis (don't laugh). They get to a nice size and are just plain fun to watch. I would also get the rainbow shark if you want it. It will take a long time to outgrow that tank and should do a fairly good job scavanging. Bushy nose plecos are also terrific.

A word of caution on your hex tank. Because there are so many seams it's imperative that the tank be LEVEL. Take some extra time in shimming it. The last thing you want is a leaker.