Stocking for a 55 gallon tank

[Skeeter4158098]

I have a 55 gallon fw tank. With a fluval 306 a Aqueon pro 150 heater two 14 inch bubble bars. I currently have

5 serpae tetra
5 high fin black skirt tetra

I have had the tank up and running for a good two months had it running with two serpae for a month before adding three more to them then just yesterday went for a big dive and added the five high fins. Test shows

0 ammonia
0 nitrites
20-40 nitrates
Ph is 7.8-8.2

I am still waiting a little more before i get a pleco as I have read and heard that there is really not enough algee in my tank yet? I am thinking of adding 5 more each of the serpaes and the high fins and i want to get 5-10 hatchet fish maybe some Columbian tetra. Mainly have heard to stick with tetra as they are really good at schooling especially in larger groups. I also would like to get a good size school of angel fish. I know that they can some times not only be semi aggressive as well as teritoryl and to wait till I have all other fish that I want before adding the angel fish in.

 

[Skeeter4158098]

Any ideas? Definitely am wanting a nice community tank with nice size schooling fish that will stay on the smaller size.

 

[emerald76]

Angels don't school
Get one or two but not a ton and have backup if you go with two
Don't add a common pleco-a bristlenose,clown,or pitbull is a better choice
If you want hatchets and colombian tetras I would keep all the schools at five

 

[Skeeter4158098]

Thanks. As far as the plecos i have heard that the clown plecos need drift food? do the other ones as well? With what i have as my tank set up drift wood would look a little out of place lol.



And when you say have backup you mean if they croak or if they turn out to be bullies? Lol.

 

[jackwagon]

I also have a 55 g and I still need to add a pleco I'm probably going to go with a bristlenose so that in the future I could move it to my brothers tank and buy a gold nugget pleco but I heard that clowns need driftwood because they rasp on it (eat it). So I would probably go with the bristlenose because they only get to 5 in long

 

[emerald76]

And when you say have backup you mean if they croak or if they turn out to be bullies? Lol.

In case they fight
You can hide a small piece behind the buhdda

 

[Skeeter4158098]

As far as a piece behind the budha i have plants (fake) behind that and then I have bubble bar behind that with only a inch or so left and no real room to move anything forward. Wishing I had a 75 gallon so I could use that extra 3 inchs of tank lol.

 

[Skeeter4158098]

Added five lemon tetras.

How would two silver tip sharks do?

 

[severum mama]

Not well, I'm afraid. They grow too large for the tank and are said to be territorial. A quick search also suggests that they are brackish to full marine.

 

[Skeeter4158098]

Well I have seen that they are somewhat of a brakish fish I had two 8 inch ones in my 75 gallon till my banded leoperina got a hold of them. If you get them from a store that they are in freshwater then you will be ok?

 

[Skeeter4158098]

Took some of my water in for a test. They said that everything was all wrong yet I have had the tank over a month and my test say that things are amonia 0 nitrites 0 nitrates 30-40. One of two things makes me wonder one rinsed out the bag i used second the bag was a bag used when i got fish from another fish store.

 

[Skeeter4158098]

And yes i am using srips not the oh great api master kit that so many swear by as i am not at a point to aford it as also was told i would be ok with strips till i get the tank really set up.

 

[Skeeter4158098]

So i did a 50% water change. The lady at the pet store said to wait a couple days then bring in some water to check again. All three of my local fish stores said that silver tip sharks 2 of them would be fine in a 55 gallon fresh water and that why yes they can get on the large size maxing out around 8-10 inches. That is you start them ina fresh water tank you can keep them in fresh water if you want to add fish that need salt then they will be fine with adding salt to the tank. Also looking at adding a sail fin pleco.

 

[emerald76]

They get too large, as does the sailfin pleco. They need around 125 gallons at the minimum
Why not a bristlenose pleco instead?

 

[Skeeter4158098]

Britsle nose I have heard need drift wood and I don't have or want to put driftwood in my tank really wouldn't go with the theam. As far as the silver tip catfish/sharks everything I have seen say 55 gallon minimum I know that i am at the small size one of my pet stores says that when either the pleco or catfish out grow my tank they will trade them for free for smaller size and as far as getting big they take a few years. And hopefully by then I will be in a position to get a bigger tank. If not i will swap them for smaller ones.

 

[emerald76]

Britsle nose I have heard need drift wood and I don't have or want to put driftwood in my tank really wouldn't go with the theam. As far as the silver tip catfish/sharks everything I have seen say 55 gallon minimum I know that i am at the small size one of my pet stores says that when either the pleco or catfish out grow my tank they will trade them for free for smaller size and as far as getting big they take a few years. And hopefully by then I will be in a position to get a bigger tank. If not i will swap them for smaller ones.

A sailfin will be stunted
Why not find one of the small pleco species that don't require wood?

 

[Skeeter4158098]

As far as the smaller ones bristle nose is one bushy nose? And any other ones that stay on the smaller size are more money would like to get a black and white pleco the one i have seen is 40 bucks. And sail fins was told they only get about 6-8 inches?

 

[emerald76]

As far as the smaller ones bristle nose is one bushy nose? And any other ones that stay on the smaller size are more money would like to get a black and white pleco the one i have seen is 40 bucks. And sail fins was told they only get about 6-8 inches?

Sailfins are actually a variety of common pleco I think, correct me if I'm wrong
The common plecos and their various derivatives get 2 feet long

 

[Skeeter4158098]

The other pleco i might go with is a clown pleco. I wanted to go withthe sail fin for the look over a clown pleco

 

[jackwagon]

Sail fin will reach lengths of over a foot, close to 18 in and a clown pleco needs wood also