# 55 gallon tank idea - Freshwater Sharks?



## snakejawz

im currently cycling my 55 gallon long (48L*13W*21T) and am really wanting to make a shark tank. i am an intermediate fish owner and have had several different tanks over the years. i am keeping this as a display tank in the main room of my house, normally quiet except for 1-2 nights a week when my friends come over (can get somewhat loud then)

i have looked at all the types of freshwater sharks and the Bala seems to catch my eye the most given his more shark-like appearance than the others.
i would also like to keep live plants if possible.

my tank currently has 2 heaters, 2 over the top box filters and 1 custom under gravel with a 8" filter cartridge, 2" of gravel, 10+ half-fist sized rocks and 2 plastic plants.

current live denizens: 4 feeder goldfish and some mando grass

general makeup i have considered:
1-2 bala sharks
1 tinfoil barb
4-6 rosy barbs or rainbow fish
and a pleco.

i would like to keep this tank understocked to keep maintenance easier so suggestions are welcome and criticism is appreciated, if not rude. :fish:


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## snakejawz

Ok, i have read up on 55's and bala's in this forum abit.

it seems every post says i should have twice the tank or none of the shark.

i have kept many 10gal and several 20gal tanks for a long time but have never had a bigger tank.

i really need help because i dont want to overstock this tank.


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## Chrispy

well from what i have heard Bala sharks do swim a lot and can get up there in size. they just need room to swim thats all. Maybe you could try a smaller type of shark.


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## snakejawz

i have thought about that but most smaller sharks will eat plants.

i just really want sharks..... but if i can make a pretty show tank with a few different schools of fish and live plants, that will also be impressive.


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## vintagetankgirl

About the Bala Shark...it isn't a shark at all, but a Minnow and is a very big commitment. They reach 14+ inches and need at least 200 gallons at that size, they will also live for 20+/- years if taken care of properly. 

About the Tinfoil Barb, it too gets large. Between 11 and 14 inches...definitely will need a larger tank for these fish too!

Large schools can be a show stopping site! Especially in a 55+ gallon tank. 

Research schooling fish that catch your eye, what are you looking for? Color, finnage, size, attitude? all of these things need to be listed and addressed in order to make such a decision. 

Some "fun" fish ideas:

Tetras:
Diamond Tetra (truly sparkly)
Congo Tetra (amazing color and finnage)
Colombian Tetra (great color and size, with teeth!)
Rummy Nose Tetra (interesting color combo and patterns)
Pencilfish (a range of sizes from tiny dwarf at 1 inch to up to 3+)

Barbs:
Tiger Barbs (great stripes and fun to watch)
Cherry Barbs (great color in males and fun dancing)

Catfish:
Corydoras (of any type are great schooling fish and are fun to watch, they roll their eyes)

These fish are all mixed in attitude, some aggressive some peaceful so please be sure to research and read a lot before making a choice. I like www.seriouslyfish.com for profiles of fish. 

I recommend keeping which ever fish you choose in schools no smaller than 10 fish for a bigger impact! Schools of only 6 can end up looking distracting and sparse.

I hope this helps!


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## Mr. Puffer

Well for a 55g about all you're going to be able to get for "sharks" is a red tail, or rainbow. And I would suggest only one being they reach 6-7" and are very territorial with others of their species.

I'd personally get a small shoal ( 5-6 ) of any kind of Corydora. A smaller pleco like a Bristlenose, or Gold Nugget. And a breeding pair of Kribs! Thats a nice under-stocked low maitenance 55g!

Do wait until your tanks been good and established 2-3 months, with a decent amount of algae in the tank, before adding a pleco. And do not get a common pleco... cold water beasts that shouldn't be in such a small tank.


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## snakejawz

Ok, so i understand, no monster fish in my 55gal :sad:
so what kind of "big" display fish can i get in that size of tank?

i would like something showy that i can get a shoal of, prefrreablly in the 4-6in range since i can't get the bigger sharks.

and will a rainbow/redtail shark destroy my plants?
i had a rainbow once when i was a kid but i dont remember well enough.

i would also like to have a raphael/striped catfish for an oddball but i know they love to hide, once again, are they a plant killer?

so basically, i want some medium-large fish for my tank size that wont kill each other or destroy my plants. :chair:

im not really big on ciclids except for oscars and i already know about the issues that arrise there, im also not a big fan of gourami's

mostly i like sleek shimmery fish.
i had also considered a shoal of giant Danios which i didnt add to my idea list.
the ruby bard and rainbow both get to semi-decent size 2-4in so they would be a good color fish for a shoal or school

i really would like 1 group of larger fish (giant danios?) and a bigger school of smaller ones (rainbow/barb) along with some oddball support fish.

i like the look of a healthy natual community tank but want some smaller specks of color with some bigger silvery fish.

also: wife likes the looks of tinfoil barbs/silver dollars/ round-ish silver fish, any ideas for her?


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## emc7

I like Australian rainbowfish for a showy, sleek, shiny school. 6-10 bosmeni or trifasciata "goyden river" would enliven the tank nicely. They do get rather large, so I would go with only one school. For the wife, you can't go wrong with a single angelfish.


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## Tallonebball

Hatchet fish are a good silver/round fish that will school together well.


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## snakejawz

i had thought about angels but my previous experience with them had been bad, they seemed alittle more advanced to care for.

and hatchet fish sound nice, if a little small.

wife says she likes the angel, but thinks the hatchet fish are ugly.

i guess silver dollars are out since the eat plants right? if not then she would love a few.

so im starting to think:
3-4 giant danios
1-3 silver dollar or angel fish (solitary angle or group of silvers?)
a small school 6 or so rainbow fish
1 rainbow shark
and a bristelnose/bushmouth pleco they are soo cool looking

nobody mentioned the raphael/striped catfish, anyone have experience raising them other than me? lol


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## Tallonebball

Yes silver dollars do eat plants, but there are tough plants like java fern, anubias, and amazon sword that can handle them...
Anglefish are fine either group or solitary, they can be aggressive to each other in a group though, its not a bad aggressive though...
Rapheal catfish are fine but striped catfish can get rather big...


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## vintagetankgirl

For a white rounded fish I recommend either the Diamond Tetra (shimmery white) or The White Skirt Tetra (matte white). They reach from 2-3 inches and school nicely.

Let her see a picture to get a better idea.


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## lohachata

in a 55 gallon planted tank; i would put a school of about 10-12 congo tetras.. maybe even a few more... they get about 4 inches long and are quite beautiful.... a very peaceful fish too..


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## frogman5

if u dont want to do the whole community thing u could do an oddball tank 

with some bichirs and a knife fish but just a suggestion

would also be able to get away with a larger catfish also


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## frogman5

african knife or black ghost knife are good ideas for knife fish

and for bichirs go with some delhezi or senegals


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## snakejawz

yeah i've always like knife fish but i thought they were picky about water.

so now looks like:
1 rainbow shark
1 rubbernose or bristle/bushmouth pleco
1 shoal of rainbow fish
1 shoal of giant danios
1 angel fish
1 striped catfish

or is that too much?
oh and bichirs are awsome, i would work them in if this was a semi-aggressive tank.


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## Mr. Puffer

Black Ghost Knifes get too large for a 55g to turn around. They can get up to 20" in length but tend to be more around 16-18" in length.

Also there aren't any Bichir's that will be able to live comfortably in a 55g either. The smallest get 12-14" long and a 55g just doesn't have a sufficient amount of turn around space for a big fully grown Bichir. And although most websites state Bichirs as being semi-aggressive they really are quite peacefull. They just get a bad wrap because they cannot see very well, and are an oportunity hunter... something passes infront of their face and its small enough to eat... then it gets eaten.


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## Ghost Knife

Mr. Puffer said:


> Black Ghost Knifes get too large for a 55g to turn around. They can get up to 20" in length but tend to be more around 16-18" in length.
> 
> Also there aren't any Bichir's that will be able to live comfortably in a 55g either. The smallest get 12-14" long and a 55g just doesn't have a sufficient amount of turn around space for a big fully grown Bichir. And although most websites state Bichirs as being semi-aggressive they really are quite peacefull. They just get a bad wrap because they cannot see very well, and are an oportunity hunter... something passes infront of their face and its small enough to eat... then it gets eaten.


Actually, Black Ghost Knives can stay in a 55G up until around 10" or so, which is about the first year to year and a half of their life. They can be kept with any Community or Semi-Aggressive fish that are not on the small side.


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## emc7

> or is that too much?


 I would go with either rainbows or danios. That would be enough to fill up the tank. Belive me, four 'goyden river' fill up the top half of my 55 just fine. And one big shoal is better than 2 little ones. A shoal of 12 zebra danios might look cooler than a shoal of 6 giant danios. 

I don't know anything about striped catfish, but I'd guess that one semi-agressive bottom fish is enough (choose the shark or the catfish). You would be amazed how fast a fish can zip end to end of a 55 to attack another.


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## Mr. Puffer

emc7 said:


> I don't know anything about striped catfish, but I'd guess that one semi-agressive bottom fish is enough (choose the shark or the catfish). You would be amazed how fast a fish can zip end to end of a 55 to attack another.


I completely agree there.... I used to have a 6" red-tail that would chase my 6 3" tiger barbs from one end of the tank to the next in the blink of an eye. I would say go with the shark as its going to be out and about more in your tank, and you will see him/her a considerable amount of time more then the catfish. Not to mention a fully grown red-tail or rainbow is a very neat fish to watch!

Edit: I can't clearly remember if anyone suggested this earlier in the thread or not, but perhaps get 4-5 discus? They aren't the easiest fish to keep as their water conditions need to be absolutely perfect. But if you're up for the maitenance they require... they are well worth it. Very friendly, very colorfull, and just all around perfect fish for a planted show tank!


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## snakejawz

nobody mentioned the discus because im going for a low maintenance tank.

also note: a red tail and rainbow shark have distinctly different personalities. a red tail likes to harass other fish while a rainbow usually is best left alone.

and i wanted the striped catfish cause the love to come out at night and clean up the tank.

also, i like the idea of a school of 12 smaller tetras/danios. my wife had tossed the idea around of a large shoal of cardinals or neons....pretty pretty.


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