55 gallon stocking ideas?

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Juventus7shop

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Hey everyone! So I'm looking to get a 55 gallon tank for Christmas, so I'm looking for some cool ideas for a beginner. The only thing I'm picky about is that I don't just want a tank with a ton of small fish, although your ideas might change my mind. I'm open to anything and everything. I'm just trying to get a grasp of what I could do with a 55 gal. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!



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Hey everyone! So I'm looking to get a 55 gallon tank for Christmas, so I'm looking for some cool ideas for a beginner. The only thing I'm picky about is that I don't just want a tank with a ton of small fish, although your ideas might change my mind. I'm open to anything and everything. I'm just trying to get a grasp of what I could do with a 55 gal. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!



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So im going to assume you know about cycling and stuff, filters and all that jazz. If you dont, i can explain them :)

So you can do a community, it doesnt have to be a bunch of tiny Tetras and Barbs, it can have Angels and Rams and Apistos and stuff like that... Discus could be a possibility but they are a pain i think. So yeah, option 1 is a community which doesnt always mean small fish. This usually details naturally and serenity...

Option 2 would be a group of African Cichlids. There are a thousnad species you could have, and many have a bunch of color forms. For an active and colorful tank, these are the way to go.

Option 3 would be a pair of larger SA/CA Cichlids. These often show off cool breeding colors and they all demonstrate wonderful parental care, which is interesting to see.

Finally, a wet-pet. A single larger fish, usually a Cichlid, that you will really get to know. They can show wonderful (or demonic) personalities and they are often like dogs living underwater.

Pick an option or two that interest you, and then we can work out a more specific list of fish to occupy the tank :)


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...
 
So im going to assume you know about cycling and stuff, filters and all that jazz. If you dont, i can explain them :)

So you can do a community, it doesnt have to be a bunch of tiny Tetras and Barbs, it can have Angels and Rams and Apistos and stuff like that... Discus could be a possibility but they are a pain i think. So yeah, option 1 is a community which doesnt always mean small fish. This usually details naturally and serenity...

Option 2 would be a group of African Cichlids. There are a thousnad species you could have, and many have a bunch of color forms. For an active and colorful tank, these are the way to go.

Option 3 would be a pair of larger SA/CA Cichlids. These often show off cool breeding colors and they all demonstrate wonderful parental care, which is interesting to see.

Finally, a wet-pet. A single larger fish, usually a Cichlid, that you will really get to know. They can show wonderful (or demonic) personalities and they are often like dogs living underwater.

Pick an option or two that interest you, and then we can work out a more specific list of fish to occupy the tank :)


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...



Thanks Lazyorbeams for responding. Yes, I've done my research and will definitely cycle my tank. I plan on doing this right, but thanks for asking.

Anyways, after looking at those options, I've narrowed it down. I don't feel experienced enough for a wet-pet, and I'm not a huge fan of the African cichlids. But I would definitely be interested in a community tank or some SA/CA cichlids. But before I consider cichlids, I would like to see what options are there for a community. Thanks again!


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I would recommend a rainbowfish community. There are many different kinds that all work fine together, they are super colourful and active, and they aren't tiny.

Some really common, colourful species that are easy to care for are: boesemani, neon dwarf, turquoise, red Irian, Lake Tebera, and parkinsoni.

Rainbows are super active and easy to feed and do great in groups, and do good with other semi-large fish that can compete for food such as Denison's barbs and angelfish. I would highly recommend them. I've kept over 20 different species.
 
If you want a community but maybe want 1 fairly big fish you can get a keyhole cichlid. Mine is wonderful he resides with 4 loaches, 3 bolivian rams, 1 honey gourami, 3 oto's, and yes nerite snails. My loaches apparently don't like to eat snails.

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I really like rainbows also. My tank has no top on it and when I put flake food in the go nuts and end up splashing me. It's fun to watch them. Lots of choices and great colors. Mine follow me from one end of the tank to the other wanting food. I keep them with plecos.

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Thanks for all the great suggestions. Could I still have a school of smaller fish, like tetras, with a cichlids like a Keyhole? Also, which bottom feeder would you recommend?


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I really like rainbows also. My tank has no top on it and when I put flake food in the go nuts and end up splashing me. It's fun to watch them. Lots of choices and great colors. Mine follow me from one end of the tank to the other wanting food. I keep them with plecos.

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Mine do that as well. They really are entertaining fish with all the following, splashing, and energy.
 
I know nothing about cichlids. But I have boesmani and other larger rainbows with small Threadfin rainbows. At feeding time the Threadfin get kinda run over. My plecos spawned and the rainbows ate the first batch of fry so if you want to breed this is something to think of. I have corys and plecos in different tanks and breed both. Plecos sometimes hide a lot where as a good school of corys can be really active and fun to watch and they come in many colors.

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Last edited:
Would this be ok?

1 Keyhole (or something similar))

6-8 tetras or a school of rainbows

1+ Gouramis

Bottom dwellers


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Hopefully a cichlid or gourami person chimes in. I'm curious if this would work also. I've only ever had oscars and angels and never a gourami

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Alright, so now that we've discussed this, could you guys maybe give me some stocking lists please. I'm not sure how how many of each fish I could get, so if I could get some specific lists, that would be greatly appreciated. I don't know if I want cichlids or not, so it doesn't matter what options you guys throw out there. Once again, I really appreciate you guys helping me out with this.


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Would this be ok?

1 Keyhole (or something similar))

6-8 tetras or a school of rainbows

1+ Gouramis

Bottom dwellers


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Well, yes. But i would add more and switch it up to make it region specific.

Lets starts with Gouramis. Asian fish, i do believe. Can be aggressive to anything smaller and usually kill other Gouramis, meaning you either want 1, or a pair, or a larger group. They also lack the personality which, IMO, is important.

Keyhole, a very small and timid South American Cichlid. Someone said they get big... They stay around about 3 inches, usually. Give or take a bit. Not super colorful, and i stress: timid. They will not do well with boisterous tankmates like Gouramis, and may be out competed for falling food by Rainbows and bullied away from food on the bottom by pretty much any bottom-feeder except Corydoras. Not a great beginner fish, i think, due to its usual timidity.

Last, Rainbows. Australian/New Zealand describes the origins of most. These are colorful, not very aggressive, fast, and fun. May stress the Keyholes.

Bottom-feeders often aren't the center of attention and thus can be added in later. Commonly Cories, Loaches of various species, and other small Catfish are used.

So if you want Rainbows, you can do a specie tank. Or mix some varieties. Or maybe use them as a dither group for pair of Firemouth Cichlids, as they are big/fast enough to do fine with them. A group of Boisemani with some Killifish and some Pictus Cats could be nice, IMO.

Keyholes do best in a planted, serene environment with peaceful tankmates.

Gouramis can go with a lot depending on specie. The smallest are very weak and timid, the ones a size up are good community tankmates (Dwarf Gourami) and the mid-sizers are decent in certain circumstance (like Pearl or Opaline). The very biggest aren't suitable for this tank. However, Dwarf and Pearl Gouramis look nice with some of the Tetras. They shouldn't go with nippy/aggressive fish. I would think a group of 6+ Pearl Gouramis, a large school of Rummynose Tetras, and a bunch of Cories on some black gravel would be beautiful.



Lets go to Cichlids. Some fish that could work in this tank are: Firemouth Cichlid, Rainbow Cichlid, Jack Dempsey Cichlid, Convict Cichlid, Salvini Cichlid, Green Terror Cichlid, possibly Nicaragua Cichlid, possibly Texas Cichlid, arguably and Oscar, and arguably Severums. Look into all of those fish and tell us what you like, and they might be a good fit for you. Some will have to live alone. If you want details on each fish, ask and i will give what i can.

Also; wet-pets. They aren't really harder than anything else. If you planned on taking care of a group of Cichlids you would have just as much if not more on your hands as a wet-pet. So this can still be an option for you.


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...
 
In my 55 gallon I have 5 pearl gourami, 4 females and only one male. Also kuhli loaches for bottom and about 30 Cardinal tetras. It's a nice tank. I love pearl gourami, they are peaceful, lovely to watch and they interact with each other. They like a planted tank and don't care for fast moving fish. The Cardinals are too small to bother them and they add lots of color, especially against black sand. A large school of one species is appealing to the eye and the fish are more comfortable too.



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Thay sounds like a nice set up you have there. Activity at different levels and a variety of color. How does something like that sound OP?

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You got some good starter ideas to lead you along your way. One of the more productive things for you to do would be to take a trip to the lfs's around you and see what they carry. Write down the names of anything that sparks your interest, then do some research on them and see if that species could be compatible to your tank. Also, that would give you an idea of what is available around you. We are all quite happy to guide you a bit more, but I am always a bit reluctant to shoot in the dark too much, because it stinks to suggest a fish that you end up with no way to acquire. There are hundreds of options for a 55g tank, and it really gets down to figuring out what you like. I had my heart set on angels when I started keeping bigger tanks, and that is what most of my stocking centers around.
As a really basic and not at all fool-proof formula to keep in mind when trying to start stocking a basic community, a good thing to remember is that different fish occupy different parts of the water column and you should try to make communities fill the top, middle, and bottom of the tank without any one area being too crowded. Skipping an area is fine, just make not to overcrowd another area. :) Most dwarf cichlids will occupy the bottom level, as will cories, catfish, and some plecos. Gouramis will stay more on the top level, as will hatchetfish and danios. Most tetras will fall dwell in the mid to lower level as will angelfish. I consider most rainbows to be "all over" sort of fish. Mine have always made use of the whole water column as do guppies, mollies, and platies. Also, too many territorial fish means fighting, as will too many sets of breeding fish.
 
Thank you all so much for your suggestions! I was planning on visiting my lfs soon to see what's available; I'll provide some updates after my visit. Also, which bottom feeders would you recommend and how many could I keep in a 55 gal? Once again, these responses are amazing and I'm very grateful to you all.


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Thank you all so much for your suggestions! I was planning on visiting my lfs soon to see what's available; I'll provide some updates after my visit. Also, which bottom feeders would you recommend and how many could I keep in a 55 gal? Once again, these responses are amazing and I'm very grateful to you all.


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With bottom feeders it depends on what else is in there. For a community, use Cories or smaller Loaches (Khuli,Yoyo, etc.) and use larger Catfishes like Syno or maybe Pictus for a 55 with larger more aggressive fish (i suggest Syno over Pictus, for the reasons that Pictus can eat small fish and they have long barbels which can be nipped). If you had a tank larger than 55, Bichirs, some Eels, and the larger Loaches and Catfish come into play.


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...
 
With bottom feeders it depends on what else is in there. For a community, use Cories or smaller Loaches (Khuli,Yoyo, etc.) and use larger Catfishes like Syno or maybe Pictus for a 55 with larger more aggressive fish (i suggest Syno over Pictus, for the reasons that Pictus can eat small fish and they have long barbels which can be nipped). If you had a tank larger than 55, Bichirs, some Eels, and the larger Loaches and Catfish come into play.


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...


Thanks, I'll probably end up going with a school of Kuhli loaches or Corys. I'll update this thread when I visit my lfs.
If anyone has ideas for fish that haven't been brought up yet or ideas for a cichlid tank, I'll consider those as well. Thanks!


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Angelicus loaches are extremely entertaining to watch, and a group would be fine in your tank.


Fishobsessed7

Money Can't Buy Happiness, But It Can Buy Fish Which Is Pretty Much The Same Thing
 
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