55 gallon stocking questions

[EShark83]

I'm still in my fishless cycle, but it's progressing fast and (hopefully) soon I'll be adding in my first fish!

That being said I'm in the midst of research and I'm up to my eyeballs in it currently I'm attempting to keep some robust plants in the tank also and currently I have wisteria, crypt. green, java fern, and just added in some java moss today. I would really like to head towards a South American tank and met a Blood Parrot (not dyed) that my wife really fell in love with so we'd like to include that. I'm working on a hardscape to provide lots of caves and hiding places we have probably 30-40lbs of natural rock that we got from our local river we did a vinegar test, I poured boiling water over them, and soaked them for a few days. I also added in a three pack of the cichlid stones.

And I know plants and cichlids are probably going to be a pain, but I'd like to give it a shot call me a masochist

So this is what I currently have for my stocking list, please give me any comments or suggestions, also let me know if I'll be overstocked.

1 Electric Blue Jack Dempsey
2 Blood Parrots
1 Red Tail Black Shark or Rainbow Shark
6-7 dithers (barbs/danios/tetras)
3-6 panda cory cats

The dithers are a big question mark right now, I think I'm leaning away form the barbs because I hear they are bad for the plants, I'd really like to go with tetras because they seem to be more vibrant in color, any suggestions on that would be appreciated. I plan to get the dithers first to let them establish and grow for a little while before adding the BPs or EBJD (I plan to get these as small juveniles together) would this work out? If barbs are no worse than the BPs and EBJD will be for plants then I'd be fine going with these I just don't want to give more enemies to my plants than I'm already going to with the BPs and EBJD.

Tank Specs:
55 gallon: 48 1/4 x 12 3/4 x 21
Filter: 75 gallon HOB Top Fin 350 gph (X2)
Substrate: Black Diamond Blasting Sand topped with Petco Black Aquarium Sand
Heater: 150 watt Aqueon
Air Pump: Aqua Culture (X2)

< -- in advance

 

[EShark83]

No advice? :/

 

[Velksfish]

You can use this as a guide www.aqadvisor.com
Its pretty helpful. But just use it as a guideline. It isn't 100%. But can give you a rough idea.

 

[EShark83]

Thanks! I hadn't come across that site. I plugged it in and it seemed okay. Seems I'd be a little overstocked (130%) with 2BPs and 1 EBJD so may cut it down to 1 BP and 1 EBJD or just the 2 BPs or 2 EBJDs as my "big" fish. Only other worries were my barbs and corys coexisting with the EBJD.

Can that be prevented or at least cut down on, with enough hiding places and plants to block line of sight?

 

[Waterman]

I have a blood parrot in my 55 gal. Eventually added another so that it would have a better company, but that ruined its life - and that of the other parrot. They both hid from each other all the time and eventually the new one grew sick and didn't make it. My parrot has a very strange personality and scares easily. I would say my advice would be to introduce however many parrots you're going to get to the tank at once, and not to add any more as time goes on. This is based on my experience with parrots and nothing else.

Do not know how well they will coexist with the EBJD.

Since you will have so many corys make sure to supplement their feed with something which sinks - they do like algae tabs and brine cube debris. They are fun in groups and very friendly.