# 55 gallion fish tank questions and fish



## jacobbonilla (Apr 22, 2010)

ui have only 2 fishs a sailfin leopard pleco and a baby flowerhorn aka FH. im getting 2 55 gallon tanks this summer or slowly to house the pleco in first as i got a 25 gallon tnak right now and the pleco is 12-14 inches long. is 55 gallons good enough for a full grown fh and pleco? each having their own 55 tank. also cna you help me make a tank set up for each fish im thinking sandy bottom, maybe 2-3 anachris plants in each and some bog wood for the pleco tank and maybe bog wood for the fh tank? is this good? i dislike fake decore. also how much filters do you suggest for both tanks i was thinking of getting filters that can go up to a 55gallon tank. some say they use 2 i use one but idk which is better? some of my outlets dont work so yea.. my pleco is very messy though flower horn not so much.


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

your fish are severly cramped right now and probably suffuring from stunting. Just be aware 55gal is bare minimum for these fish. I personally would not suggest it. The width of a 55gal is shorter than your fishes lenght, a proper tank should allow the fish to easily turn around. You need heavy filtration on these tanks. Way above a 55gal filter. I run a rena xp3 on my 55gal, IMO I would look a filtration for 100gals at least and your best option would be a sump filter.


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## Peeps (May 24, 2010)

Can you get one big tank instead of two 55 gallons, I think that would work out better. And I agree with Mika on filtration, you need way more. It's better to over filter tanks. You should be using two. Especially with a pleco.


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## PostShawn (Dec 22, 2009)

I agree. If you can look into an even larger tank, especially for the pleco. If you can get a 90+ that would be a good start. Your fish will really appreciate it. A 55 is only about 12 inches wide and your pleco wont even be able to comfortably turn around. A 70-90-100 gallon have a foot print of 19 inches and will be a lot easier on your pleco. Some of the bigger tanks get a 25 inch width too but then you are looking at something like a 125 gallon which would be more ideal but a lot bigger. I have a 55 with a couple plecos but they are babies. I plan on a 120-180 or so in the future. 

Just as an example, I live in a large metropolitan area, Los Angeles. You might not have as many options if in a smaller town. But these are just two quick searches of current tanks for sale for cheap in my area. 
200g for $250 http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/for/1760040571.html
125g for $200 http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/for/1759603753.html
Finding something like these might be the best option. 

Just giving an opinion here. Best of luck though on whatever you can get a hold of in your area and with your fish.


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## jacobbonilla (Apr 22, 2010)

wow man thats hella cheap for a 125g and 200g tanks im guessing they hella dirty though eh?


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## PostShawn (Dec 22, 2009)

I got my 55g for free from my father-in-law. It sat outside for two years. It needed major cleaning and I rebuilt the wooden stand which was rotting out on the bottom. But you can save a lot of money getting tanks this way. I see people that sell tanks less then a year old. They get into it and figure out they are way over the head and real fast too. So they just look to unload quickly. What area do you live in? Maybe people here can find you a nice deal for a good tank.


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