Remaining Stocking Suggestions

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marnel

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jul 19, 2006
Messages
16
Hi, I'm realitively new to the hobby as of 4 months and am loving it! I have a 55gal tank that's currently stocked with the following:

2 GBR's
5 Peppered Corys
8 Zebra Danios
1 Chinese Algae eater

I'm sure i'm getting close to a comfortable stocking limit but i'd like to add something that would occuply the middle region of the tank as my danios seem to enjoy the top and everything else is crowding the bottom.

Can anybody recommend a good fit with the current stock.

Thanks :D
 
How about some Rummynose tetras? They would add a splash of color to the tank. If you can get some that are good quality, you could add a school of 8 to your tank. You could probably add any type of tetra. I'd avoid any with long fins though because danios can be nippy.

How big is your CAE? They tend to get more aggressive with age, so it may not be a good tankmate for the other fish you have, when it gets full grown. I'd especially be worried about the GBRs which occupy the same level as the CAE.
 
My CAE is young at the moment he's only 2 inches, that's good to note as i was not aware of this. I only picked him up because I'm not a fan of keeping plecos because of the size they get and it looked like the CAE grew to about 5-6 inches.
 
I'd go with a tetra type too; I've had my eye on these black neons I keep seeing, they seem really great. Something like 4 of those would look good I'd think. Or, alternatively, you could go with a minnow type since they'd get on with the danios I'd have thought :)
 
I also forgot about Rasboras. A school of 8 Harlequin rasboras would also add some color to the tank.

There are some plecos that won't get too big. You may have to order them online though if you can't get the locally. Some are Bristlenose plecs, Rubbernose or bulldog plecs, and Clown plecos. I'm not sure how the last 2 are at eating algae, but I know bristlenose plecos do a great job. They get about 5 inches. There are also alot of fancy plecos that stay under 6 inches. Most of them are more carnivorous though, so if you are looking for an algae eater, these may not be for you.

A smaller alternative to plecos and the CAE would be otocinclus cats. Your tank seems pretty established, so you could probably exchange the CAE for a group of 5-6 otos when he gets pretty big.

Its deceiving when you buy the CAE small. You wouldn't think they'd be aggressive, or get as big as they do (around 8 inches). I'd definitely think about exchanging him for something more peaceful when he gets around 4 inches or so. You still have some time to find another algae eater type that you like.

or you can get a pair of angelfish
Depends on how nippy the danios are. Some will be ok with angels in the tank, especially if they are in a big group. But I would hesitate to add angels with danios because I like my angels to have pretty long fins...with no shredding. ;)

I've never kept angels with danios but I did buy my angels from a LFS that kept angels and danios together, albeit the tank was smaller than a 55g, and the angels' fins looked horrible.

The angels would also be a perfect target for your CAE. The tend to try to suck the slime coats off other fish, preferably slow moving fish, and it could kill them. I'd atleast remove the CAE before adding any angelfish.
 
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