stocking ideas for a 55 gal?

Sarah84 · 12-13-2006, 11:34 PM

Well currently have 2 black mollies, 4 white clouds, and 3 kuhli loaches....
i want to stick with a community tank. what other species could I add? Killifish? Rainbow? or? Any ideas would be great

Tommy Gun · 12-14-2006, 12:55 AM

Wow, so many options, so little space in a tank!!!!!

I think you could bump up your loach population with at least a couple more Kuhlis. The larger the group, the better for them and you since they will feel 'strength in numbers' and you will see them much more often.

I would almost say get some more Mollies in contrasting colors, but then your fish tank would be full of them in a few months since they breed faster than a rabbit could ever hope for. I also thought a school of some small tetras, but then I think your White Clouds would get lost in the mix.

I think stocking a 55 gallon tank, or any larger tank, with community fish is just hard to do because there are so many good choices and it would all rely on your own preferences. It it was my tank, I would either try to get the most fish I could in the tank and make sure that they were really, really active so the tank was just a flurry of activity. Or, on the other hand, I would stick with the fish you have, up the loaches, add a clown or two zebra plecos and one large, but very slow and 'meek' fish into the mix and off hand, I cant think of what would qualify right now since it is way past my bed time.

So, I realize that I just rambled on without giving you and real ideas, so I would just ask you to explain what type of tank you feel is ideal for your likes and dislikes such as active, colorful, quiet, natural, etc....

Brandon · 12-14-2006, 06:42 AM

What about a small eel? You can find some with awesome colors and that are not aggressive!!! Just a thought!!

fernival brainard · 12-14-2006, 03:42 PM

I would add 1 angel fish, and maybe a few gouramis and of course, what comm. tank would be complete without a betta?

If you have live plants, you could add some platys, they breed like crazy but they do well with eating the algea that wants to grow on the edges of plant leaves.

If you have small gravel or a sandy substrate, a FW flounder could go in there too.

fern

Sarah84 · 12-15-2006, 04:50 PM

I want an active tank, yet I don't care for danios.. (i had 3 long finned ones waaaayyyy back when I started my tank, and they seemed agressive to the other fish, not just their own kind.. unlike white clouds are only nippy at their own kind so i find)
I want colorful, I have a brite blue substrate, and thinking about getting a bluish or black background.. not sure yet. my kuhlie loaches are a hoot, esp in the evening!
my PH in my tank is 8, and it seems to be steady at 8.. I don't know if that limits my choices or not.
Some thoughts I had were:

1 0r 2 dwarf gourami - or some other bigger colorful fish
1 dalmation or silver molly
possibly adding a male guppy, although I don't want to have a fry problem!!
<my ideas of schooling fish for the tank> any more ideas?
a school of Harloquin Rasboras (4 -6)
a school of tetras (a small tetra) (4-6)

adding my 10 gal residents..
2 female guppies
3 cory catfish
2 platys
(although they have a fungal infection in that tank I dont know who's gunna make it.) -how long should they be quarentined until i transfer them? only one guppy is clearly sick.. I dont want to risk any other fish

Currently in the 55 gal
2 black mollys
4 white clouds
2 Otos
3 Kuhlie loaches

how many more fish to you think i can put in there?
I count...... approx 30 fish?

I am kinda looking for an active colorful tank... yet they all kinda fit together at the same time.

Any input woudl be great