55 gal stock list

[shayfish]

I need some input!

Nitrate levels are dropping off in my 55 gal's fishless cycle so I am starting to think seriously about fishies for it. Here's the info:

55 gallon, planted (low-med light no co2)
substrate: flourite/gravel mix
filter: xp3
temp: 78ish
ph: 7.6ish

When my cycle is done there are a few donations I am getting from someone I know who has had enough of his tank. Includes:
1 ghost shrimp
2 danios
3 tetras (don't know what kind, they are the same size as the danios)
1 mystery plant (I'll post a pic when I get it for an ID!!)

I like the look of lots of little fish with a couple of larger ones. I would like to have a couple of schools. Here is what I would like...

1 or 2 schools of tetras (black skirts and bleeding hearts or something)
1 school of tiger barbs
2 african dwarf frogs
1 mystery snail (maybe... still not sure if I want to feed my pretty plants to a snail)
1 pleco, probably BN

I want 1 or 2 bigger fish, like rainbow sharks or something but I don't know about compatibility with others in a community.

I like panda corys and various gouramis.

So... if any of this looks like a terrible idea, please let me know. And, any suggestions for my list are GREATLY appreciated!! I have never planned a tank of this size so I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing!

 

[Caspar]

You may want to fill out the Danios and Tetras to make a proper school for them and work from there. To help out with your research for compatability, Tim's Tropicals has a nice compatability tool and you can find it on the internet.

Take Care!

 

[Blizzard]

The only thing I see that could be a problem is the rainbow sharks. They may pick on the smaller fish.
Here's a good compatability chart:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/fwcompatibility_chart.cfm

-Blizzard

 

[shayfish]

Can you suggest a couple of larger active fish that would be a better match than the rainbows?

 

[hc8719]

your mystery snail wont be eatting your plants, they dont eat live ones, , most snails dont. and get another ghost shrimp, they like company.

moonlight and kissing gouramis are nice bigger fish, silver dollars and pictus cats are fish people enjoy, needle fish might eat smaller fish, bala sharks?

 

[Blizzard]

moonlight and kissing gouramis are nice bigger fish, silver dollars and pictus cats are fish people enjoy, needle fish might eat smaller fish, bala sharks?

Yeah, gouramis would be great. IDK about the bala. Also, maybe a pleco?

-Blizzard

 

[shayfish]

Someone on here already talked me out of balas. I would really like some kind of shark but gouramis are quite nice too. What about red fin sharks?

Are the corys a good idea? The pandas are so cute.

I thought Mystery Snails would eat my plants for sure. This is good news I really like a good mix which is why I wanted the snail and frogs.

 

[hc8719]

i should caution you about the adfs, they arent use to deep water, most places i have read said to keep them in 12" of water. maybe if they you put a hiding spot on a ledge, they might stay near the upper area of the tank naturally.

i know i had a tiny baby adf who had trouble making it up to the top

 

[fish 'n' fries]

Just my two cents...if you're inheriting danios and a currently unknown tetra...those fish are schooling and probably would be happiest in a group of six. That said...if you want business, danios certainly are busy. (I'm a fan of danios for that reason). I noticed you were thinking about tiger barbs...they are known to nip at other fish...so you might want to be careful, especially if you get something with long fins. I've never kept them but a lot of people talk about keeping them to a species tank. As for the corys. I personally love corys. They're great for a community tank--very peaceful. They are fun to watch, very busy and playful. They're also another species that likes to be kept in groups (4+). I've never had pandas specifically, but other species have always done well for me. I'll be jealous if you get pandas...I was drooling over some very cute ones at the store the other day but decided I probably should have more bottom feeders. Good luck and enjoy picking out your fish!

 

[JustOneMore20]

Definitely get the Panda cories, they are very cute and fun to keep. Get atleast 8 though because in smaller groups they may be more reclusive...or atleast thats my experience with them. Going from 6 to 8, I could definitely see a difference.

The rainbow shark would probably be ok if it was the only bottom feeder. I've never kept them, but usually with bottom dwelling sharks like rainbows and rtbs, they are territorial so only bother fish that get in their way. That would mean you'd have to skip the pandas though.

One of the larger gouramis would be a good idea. Maybe a Gold or Opaline gourami. If you could find females, you could get 1 male and 2 females. If not, then I'd just stick to 1.

If you are going to take the danios, definitely build the school up to 6 atleast. In smaller groups they will be nippier. If you don't want to build up the school, then take them to the LFS. I would find out what kind of tetras you are getting and build up that school as well. If you don't want to include these or the danios in your stocking plan (by giving them the proper school), don't take them.

Silver dollars are not a good idea because they will enjoy your plants. They are plant eaters, so I wouldn't keep them if you like your plants.

With the danios and mystery tetras, that only leaves room for maybe one more school of 6, plus the larger "centerpiece" and bottom feeders.

If you weren't taking the danios, I'd suggest a pair of angelfish. But danios are nippy so I don't recommend keeping them with angels. The angels wouldn't have beautiful finnage like they would if they were kept with non-nippy fish.

So if you are taking the tetras and danios, increase their numbers...and your stock will look like:
6 danios
6 tetras
6 other tetras
1 gourami or 3(1m/2f) if you can get females
mystery snails
ghost shrimp (unless the tank is heavily planted, will probably get eaten by gourami)
8 panda cories
2 ADFs
1 BN

That would definitely be a stocked tank.

But, for a little more color, how about a pair of Bolivian or German Blue rams? They would be a nice fit.

 

[shayfish]

Nitrate is even lower today, I am definately on my way to fish! (i'm getting all excited)

I do like the idea of a huge flock of cories. I don't know if the lfs that had them a few weeks back still does but I will be watching.

I will definately fill out the danio/tetra population from my donation stock to be nice full schools. I haven't seen anywhere with ghost shrimp but when I do I will get this one some company.

I'm a little worried about drowning the adfs now but I don't know how I would build them a shelf in my tank. Too bad... I really like those little guys. And I don't want to go with acfs.

Oh, and I had thought about a couple of mollies too. If I ever see rams that would be nice too.

 

[rkilling1]

Nitrate is even lower today, I am definately on my way to fish! (i'm getting all excited)

you are confusing me.

when your cycle is over, your NH3 and NO2 will be 0 and your nitrates will be increasing not decreasing.

 

[shayfish]

Yeah, I meant nitrite. I know I'm not done yet, but getting there.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I'm a little worried about drowning the adfs now but I don't know how I would build them a shelf in my tank. Too bad... I really like those little guys.

Some people successfully keep ADFs in higher tanks, like a 55g. I wouldn't be worried about the height, but feeding them. It would be really hard for them to get food with all the other fish in the tank (especially greedy danios).

If you are worried, setup a 10g tank for a handful of them. That way they will be in a species tank so it will be easier for them to get food. And it won't be too tall for them.

 

[shayfish]

I am bumping this thread

I know I could keep the adfs in a separate tank, but I liked the idea of a really diverse community. But I forgot how tiny they are when they're new... I had the last ones I had in my head but they were a couple years old. I thought maybe I could grow them up a little in a smaller tank and then introduce them to the community. I dunno.

So I have been stocking somewhat slowly for the last little bit. Here's the way it stands right now:

6 zebra danios
5 rummynose tetras (that was the "mystery tetra" from my donor)
1 amano shrimp (I was wrong about it being a ghost shrimp...)
3 mystery snails (one of them is quite large... )
2 gold sailfin mollies
1 BN pleco

I'm not totally sure where to go from here. My favourite lfs is getting a new batch of fish in tomorrow and they said the would probably have panda cories. I'm going to check in , and if they have them I will get a few (not 100% sure how many... probably 6). I'd like more amano shrimp but I can't find anywhere that has them. Someone told me they usually only get them in the spring.

SO... I'm looking for a little advice again. If I do get 6ish panda cories, how much more can I get without pushing the stocking limits? I thought about getting a couple more rummynoses to make the school a bit bigger (I bought what I think were the only remaining 3 in the city last week!) I would still like a centrepiece fish like some kind of gourami, and I would also like something that can rival the danios for food as they are already getting quite rotund.

(wow this is long) PLease help! TIA!!!