Setting up a 55 gallon tropical freshwater tank. First timer.

[Ravenjinn]

So I had fish when I was a teenager and now I'm trying to do a 55 gallon tank for tropical freshwater.

I've done the research on fish compatability and have picked out about 14 species and a total of 25-30 fish. I'm thinking this might be alittle much for a 55 gallon tank. The size of fish are between 1.5" and 6", most are in the 3" range. I also have varied them by bottom dwellers, middle and top.

I have a Penguin 350 filter, live plants, frogs and snails. I'm thinking about a second filter since I'm planning on so many fish.

Does anyone have recommendations or advice on population of fish, how many top dwellers, middle and bottom dwellers I should have?

PS: Also my BF wants to go to the beach and pick up some shells and driftwood for the aquarium. Since it is freshwater I don't think it would be a good idea. Would boiling the shells make them safe? I'm VERY uncomfertalbe about adding driftwood from someplace other then the pet store, would boiling the driftwood or any other treatment make it safe for a freshwater aquarium?

[Tbx]

Originally Posted by Ravenjinn

So I had fish when I was a teenager and now I'm trying to do a 55 gallon tank for tropical freshwater.

I've done the research on fish compatability and have picked out about 14 species and a total of 25-30 fish. I'm thinking this might be alittle much for a 55 gallon tank. The size of fish are between 1.5" and 6", most are in the 3" range. I also have varied them by bottom dwellers, middle and top.

I have a Penguin 350 filter, live plants, frogs and snails. I'm thinking about a second filter since I'm planning on so many fish.

Does anyone have recommendations or advice on population of fish, how many top dwellers, middle and bottom dwellers I should have?

PS: Also my BF wants to go to the beach and pick up some shells and driftwood for the aquarium. Since it is freshwater I don't think it would be a good idea. Would boiling the shells make them safe? I'm VERY uncomfertalbe about adding driftwood from someplace other then the pet store, would boiling the driftwood or any other treatment make it safe for a freshwater aquarium?

I am pretty sure the shells would be fine straight out of the ocean a little salt is good in fresh water tank it lowers the risk of disease or sickness. In a 55 gallon you could probably fit between 40-50 fish in it If you have enough filtration you might want to look in to getting a fulva 404 canister filter.You should get more mid dwellers than anything else having the middle has a lot more room so you could get like 20 mid dwellers 10 top ones and only like 6 bottom as the bottom feeders tend to stay at the bottom and do not vary between the levels unlike the mid and top dwellers.

[harley3k]

TBX is undoubtedly more experienced about stocking than I am. I just thought I'd add my 2 cents though. I think its hard to determine how many fish is appropriate without knowing what kind of fish we're talking about. A Betta for example gets stressed out space without enough to call its own. (2 gal? off the top of my head) My silly Mbuna behave themselves better when they're completely over stocked, and a breeding Convict Cichlid would reduce your tank space in 1/2 by aggressive territory protection. Well as I said, my experience is limited to what I've read, and my own tanks..., but good luck!

[Tbx]

I was just estimated with the average communities fish in my head I was thinking of groumies platies white clouds and chines algae eaters and other loaches. harley3k Is right it depends on the type of fish thanks for clearing that up for them it would suck if they tried to get 30 cichlids to live in a 50 gallon.

[Ravenjinn]

6 Silver Hatchet Fish
7-11 Neon Tetras
3 Red Platy
Possibly 1 Betta
3 Glass Catfish
3 Upside Down Catfish
Possibly 1 South American Puff if I can find one. Otherwise they are too agressive.
1 German Blue Ram
3 Siamese Algae Eaters
1 Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami
1 Rainbow Shark
3 Cory Catfish
3 Japanese Algae Eating Shrimp
2 African Dwarf Frogs
2-3 Mystery Snails

I'd love to get a Discus but I think they are Brachish and will get too big for everything else I want to put int he tank.

Does this help at all?

[Tbx]

Originally Posted by Ravenjinn

6 Silver Hatchet Fish
7-11 Neon Tetras
3 Red Platy
Possibly 1 Betta
3 Glass Catfish
3 Upside Down Catfish
Possibly 1 South American Puff if I can find one. Otherwise they are too agressive.
1 German Blue Ram
3 Siamese Algae Eaters
1 Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami
1 Rainbow Shark
3 Cory Catfish
3 Japanese Algae Eating Shrimp
2 African Dwarf Frogs
2-3 Mystery Snails

I'd love to get a Discus but I think they are Brachish and will get too big for everything else I want to put int he tank.

Does this help at all?

no discus are fully fresh and you could have up to 6 in a 50 but they need live plants. Your stocking lists are good except for the puffer there jaws can bite easily through most fish.

[Ravenjinn]

I do have live plants for the tank. are Discus happy with only 1 int he tank or are they schooling fish?

The puffer I finally found is said to be the most peaceful and non aggressive of all puffers. Gets 2-3" and was listed as good with other puffers and in community tanks with tank mates. It has many names and is not well supplied, i've only found one place online to sell them and nothing locally. Its called a Colomesus asellus or South American Puffer. The website that carries them is http://www.petsolutions.com/South-Am...er+I57030.aspx. and http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...7RNWN%26sa%3DN

I'd like to hear your opinion about them. I really don't want them eating my other fish.

[Andyoybna]

Try to get your tap water tested before you do anything, and of course get the tank cycled, the easiest way would probably be to ask the LFS for a bit of gravel in one of their tanks, stick it in a pantyhose in the bottom of the tank, and let it run for a few weeks, and add some pure ammonia to start the cycle, and multiplying bacteria. Test the water probably weekly, once you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and you have nitrate, your tank is cycled, and safe for fish.

As far as your stocking list, that could work, although you would be looking at probably weekly 30-50% water changes for that amount of fish, and I really don't reccomend the chineese algae eaters, as they stop eating algae as they get larger, and they become aggressive, a good alternative would be maybe 4-6 ottocinclus catfish.

I would also reccomend getting at least 3 blue rams, and maybe scratching off the gourami, as they can be aggressive, although some people have had good experiences with them, every gourami I've ever had has been aggressive.

With the puffer, they're more aggressive towards their own species, but they can/will attack other fish, so I would stay away from them.

Oh... Back to the getting your tap water tested... Try to get your PH, GH, and KH, and see if there is any chloramine, ammonia, chlorine, or phosphate in your water as well.

If you have hard water, and a high PH, many of the fish you listed will not work unless you get an RO/DI unit, for example Neon tetras need nuetral to acidic, soft water, as well as the ghost glass cats, rams, and hatchetfish.

If you have chlorine/chloramine in your water, you need to get a dechlorinator. If you have phosphate, you want to either get an RO/DI system, or use some sort of phosphate removing media or else you will have algae problems.

[twood63]

I have a 90 discus tank and the needs for clean water is a must bi weekly water changes I do add salt to my tank for health. The temeratures for the discus is higher than most of the fish you have listed. My tank temperature averages 88 to 90 degrees. Anything less than 83 I have found makes them suseptable to different illnesses.

I have in my 29
20 tetras neon and Glolights.
7 mollies having babies 9 so far
3 algea eaters
1 male and female Betta Male making a bubble nest.
And its heavily planted. They all love the interaction it seems. My boss fish are they Bettas though they are like shepard dogs moving the fish back and forth in the tank. And the Bettas occasionally eat a baby now and then.


I hope you enjoy watching as much as The family and I do.

T