need suggestions for my 55 gallon planted

[ashleynicole]

Well I have let my 55 gallon sit for the last year with minimal maintenance. The plants were out of control so when I finally had some money to invest in new equipment I cleaned out a lot if the plants. So here it is with my new T5 NO lighting fixture, New fluval 306 filter, and new glass lids.

Current stock:

4 turquoise rainbowfish
1 Angelfish
3 cory catfish (maybe false julli)
4 black khuli loaches
2 bristlenose plecos
Malaysian trumpet snails

As you can see my stock is extremely light. I am looking forward to adding more rainbowfish and khuli loaches and I am not sure what else... It is missing the "wow" factor.

I want to get a nice big piece of wood but haven't come across just the right piece yet. And I want a few more plant varieties.

Current plants
1 sword of some sort
Several green and red crypts
Dwarf sag
Wisteria (tends to take over the tank, I just removed a ton of it)
2 Anubias
A tiny bit of bacopa monnero growing super slow
A tiny bit of java fern, also growing slow
I need more variety in the background plants

I ordered some more root tabs and hoping with my new lights growth will be a little better. I have the marinland double bright led's along with the t5 no fixture. I dose excel and flourish.

























Please post all suggestions! Thank you!

[ashleynicole]

Today i added two oto's, two baby longfin albino bristlenose plecos, and two boesami rainbowfish.

[MMantelli]

Nice tank look into German blue rams, bolivan rams or some kind of apistogramma those would be the wow factor
Then for movement I would do a school of rummynose tetras and cardinal tetras and you already have the cleanup crews(I would like to have a couple kuhlis someday. Oh and I would add 2-3 more corys they like bigger groups.

[NYgiantsRP]

Cool, I was going to say...add a couple more different rainbows. I like rainbows for that reason, you can get 5 different kind in 5 different colors if you want. You could also do a dwarf cichlid like a ram or apisto. You could also add a festivum, or keyhole cichlid, or even another angel.

[thomasina]

Originally Posted by NYgiantsRP

Cool, I was going to say...add a couple more different rainbows. I like rainbows for that reason, you can get 5 different kind in 5 different colors if you want. You could also do a dwarf cichlid like a ram or apisto. You could also add a festivum, or keyhole cichlid, or even another angel.

I agree! A bunch of schooling fish would really be pretty. I have BGR and I love him! Do lots of research - it will help you decide what you would like!!

[ashleynicole]

The smaller tetras might be a problem with my Angelfish, that's why I chose rainbowfish.

I used to have a Bolivian ram, had him for about a year, He dissapeared a few months ago.... but he used to chase my angel so I'm not sure if he may have died from natural causes or if my angel finally got sick of him.

[NYgiantsRP]

Is the angel full grown? Usually if you have the angel when it is smaller, and it grows up with smaller fish it will leave it alone. At least in my experiences.

[ashleynicole]

Originally Posted by NYgiantsRP

Is the angel full grown? Usually if you have the angel when it is smaller, and it grows up with smaller fish it will leave it alone. At least in my experiences.

The angel is getting pretty big. I've had him about a year and a half. I wanted more angels in the beginning but they all kept dying and he survived.

I'm thinking of getting another rainbow shark, I always loved those things.

[MMantelli]

Originally Posted by ashleynicole

The smaller tetras might be a problem with my Angelfish, that's why I chose rainbowfish.

I used to have a Bolivian ram, had him for about a year, He dissapeared a few months ago.... but he used to chase my angel so I'm not sure if he may have died from natural causes or if my angel finally got sick of him.

Awww i would like to have a Bolivian ram. Here's a pic of a tripple red apistogramma cacatuoide but if your angel is aggressive mabey a bad idea I'm not sure.



Also leesburg pet center has a bunch of kribensis right now. They should do ok with an angel as long as you get either a male or female ihere only aggressive when breeding. But they can sometimes be hit or miss with plants

[ashleynicole]

I was just in Leesburg pet center last night. That's where I got my new rainbows and longfin albino bristlenose plecos. I wish they had better live plant choices though.

My angel looks peaceful to me with everything I currently have, my bolivian ram was mean. He pestered every angel I ever put in there with him and this one made it so that's why I'm not sure how he would do with another dwarf cichlid. I'd have to be careful.

I definitely have to be careful to get plant friendly species. I tried a parrotfish once and had to return it, it dug up my entire tank!

[NYgiantsRP]

Rainbow sharks are not friendly towards one another. They should be kept singularly.

[ashleynicole]

Originally Posted by NYgiantsRP

Rainbow sharks are not friendly towards one another. They should be kept singularly.

I know this thank you

[MMantelli]

Originally Posted by ashleynicole

I was just in Leesburg pet center last night. That's where I got my new rainbows and longfin albino bristlenose plecos. I wish they had better live plant choices though.

My angel looks peaceful to me with everything I currently have, my bolivian ram was mean. He pestered every angel I ever put in there with him and this one made it so that's why I'm not sure how he would do with another dwarf cichlid. I'd have to be careful.

I definitely have to be careful to get plant friendly species. I tried a parrotfish once and had to return it, it dug up my entire tank!

Ya I got a few plants from them but it was before they let them get root rot. One of our members on here sells plants and from the reviews there amazing I've been wanting to order some its jetajockey he had a thread in the classifieds on here he also has a storefront and a youtube channel peabodysparadise.com

[MMantelli]

I have 2 clown loaches I might be willing to part with 3.5" and 4.25" I'd have to talk to the wife they may need a less aggressive home soon my cichlids are growing way faster than them

[ashleynicole]

Although clown loached are slow growers they would eventually outgrow my tank, i get attatched to my fish and I don't have any desire to upgrade. We also have 6 snakes and a bearded dragon haha.

[ashleynicole]

A little off topic but it found a picture of before I thinned out the plants and upgraded all the equipment.
I love the way the rainbowfish stand out against the plants.

[MMantelli]

Originally Posted by ashleynicole

Although clown loached are slow growers they would eventually outgrow my tank, i get attatched to my fish and I don't have any desire to upgrade. We also have 6 snakes and a bearded dragon haha.

That is true.

[ashleynicole]

Well that's the last time I will he shopping at Leesburg pet center. The two albino longfin bristlenoses were dead within 12 hrs. The other fish are all fine. I tested the water parameters and they are perfect. No ammonia no nitrites, 10 ppm nitrates. I have my old sponge and biomedia in the new filter plus all the live plants.

The woman at leeseburg pet center said "your ammonia is really high!" So I asked her to show me but she had already dumped the sample. I had her test the water again but noticed she didn't rinse anything and she used a pipette that looked dirty. The test showed maybe a trace but I explained my tank was up and running for 2 years all live plants and my liquid api test kit showed no ammonia.

I had to walk out and tell them I would not be shopping there ever again. I spent $14 on those two fish! Off to petsmart I go....

[MMantelli]

I had the same experiance there with a Lf albino bristlenose and a couple peacock cichlids my paramaters were perfect at the time and they said my stuff was all out of whack it sucks there the only lfs close to here.

[ashleynicole]

Petsmart is pretty good in the villages, not much variety though. I really wanted some of the yellow rainbowfish at lps its a shame I won't be shopping there anymore. Does severumama still sell fish on here? I still have a bristlenose pleco I bought from her a year and a half ago.