# 55Gal need help picking fish



## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

I have a 55Gal tank with a 90Gal biofilter, floating moss, etc. I want to have 3-5 Angels, 1 Rainbow shark, either 1 pleco or cat(if they need to be in groups, thats fine) and I don't know what other fish can be with these guys. 
Here is a list we are picking from, can any of these go with each other, with my chosen fish, how many do I need of them; Dwarf Powder Blue Gourami, Dwarf Red Fire Gourami, Golden wonder Killie, Boesmani Rainbow, African Feather Fin Cat, Angelicus Botia, Sunburst Wag Platy, Australian Rainbow, Opaline Gourami, Synodontis Decorus, Pitcus Cat (There are a couple more, but I can't fine the rest of my list...sorry.)
Also, my Banana plant isn't doing that well, it gets medium light, 7.2-7.5pH and medium hard water, what can I do to make it ok?


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## Spgrooms (Jul 25, 2009)

Well Hi there secuono, welcome to the forums!!

First off I'm hoping that you have cycled the tank or you are planning on cycling it soon before adding the expensive fish, if you have no clue what I am talking about read over this forum: http://www.fishforums.com/forum/general-freshwater/7125-nitrogen-cycle-basics.html

The fish you have picked seem to be pretty good, I'm not an expert on all of the fish that you picked but I will cover the ones that I have kept so far...

Angel fish will adapt to almost whatever you give them, provided you acclimate them properly, they are a great fish and fun to watch, the ones I have/had always come to the front of the tank and stare at me whenever I watch them and they just look absolutely beautiful, I fed them daily, not hard to keep angelfish!

Plecostomous, make sure that you don't add him to your tank too early in your cycle, this should be the last fish you buy more than likely and only buy him when there's signs of algae, otherwise you might starve him and you'll get frustrated when you find him dead, I personally think that plecos are beautiful tho and a great addition to any tank, as long as you add him at the correct time he'll do fine.

I haven't kept any of your other fish, I could look up tons of info on them online and spill all of that out to you but that wouldn't help you near as much as someone else that has kept the fish before telling you their experience with them, I'm sure someone else here will come along and help you more with your fish selections  Hope I helped!


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2009)

secuono said:


> I just got a 55Gal tank and want to add some fish. These are the ones I would prefer but need help picking and more info about them and their needs; Angel Fish, Pleco, Coroydoras Catfish, Loach, Large Tetras, Rainbow Shark, Red Tailed Shark. Any and all info would be greatly appreciated!!


secuono,

Welcome to the forum and more importantly, welcome to the madness! 

as for your stock list, the angels would love the 55, the corys, the rainbow shark and red tailed sharks are bottom feeders. you could add either one Rainbow or one Red Tail in the 55 as these guys wll go for each other. or, if really want both, make sure there is a ton of hiding place.Both sharksminnows are terrotorial and will attack other fish if if feels like their "place" is being threatend. this would pose a problem with angels as they are also terrotorial. 

What sort of a pleco are u lookin for? if its the common brown or albino, i wouldnt suggest u get one as they grow HUGE. Dwarf Corys are cute and fun to watch.

I havent kept loaches so i wouldnt be able to help you. Large Tetras would be fine with the sharks but would go for the angels. i wouldnt suggest keeping them together.

IMO you could get:

4 Angels
6 Cory
2 Dwarf Pleco
maybe loaches as well but like i said, am not sure about them.

hope this helps.

Cheers!


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

I don't want fish that are too small, (2in smallest and 5in largest, suckers can be up to 7in.)but at least one fish that gets 5in or so would be nice. Also, I'll start filling the tank and cycling it. Haven't bought any fish yet until that's done. I've heard plants need co2, is that true and if so, where do I buy it?


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## charking (Aug 12, 2009)

The angel fish will grow.. my angel fish are large now.. you may also be able to find them at your local store forsale large. they are definately not too small for your tank though. silver dollars are also nice, mine are around 4/5 inches now and look great. i also have 2 parrot cichlids in my tank which is around the same size as your own.. some people do not like them but i have found them to be wonderful fish with outstanding personalities. angels also have good personalities. as for catfish leave them til the end to add these otherwise they will starve like a pleco. I have kept large tetras however i had them a few months and then overnight.. something, i'm not sure what.. possibly my plec ate them all! except from one which jumped out of my tank and commited suicide when i went to feed them once. They are nice fish. & as for a c02 diffuser you can find them on ebay for cheap.  I have also kept clown loaches but had a few problems with whitespot with these guys.. i did everything correctly introducing them the lot.. but they still had the outbreak of whitespot. they have no scales so are very prone to diseases.


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

So what is a c02 diffuser and what do you need for it? How does it work and such?


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

Here are the fish we like, but if some wont work, tell me why;
Panda Cory Cat, Peppered Cory Cat, , Sterba's Cory,
Nanus Cory Cat, Synodontis Decorus Catfish, Pictus Cat,
Penguin Tetra,
Sidthimunki Botia Loach, Dario Botia Loach, Angelicus Botia Loach,
Hairy Tiger Pleco, Starry Night Pleco, Rio-***** Pleco, Tiger Pleco,
Rainbow Shark.

I would like to keep the Rainbow shark if at all possible. I might have a 30Gal tank also, so if some of these I can't have I might want to have them in the 30Gal instead. My bf likes the angels and would like to have some in the 55 or the 30gal tank, so...they are back on the list...sorry. I am making this tank(s) for my bf, hes always wanted fish bout says its too much work, he also works too much out of the house to care for them. I've opted to do it for him since I've had fish before and wanted more at some point myself.


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## holybrown101 (Jun 6, 2009)

I would get...
3 Angelfish
6 Black Skirt tetras (larger fish make skirt tetras ideal tankmates).
2-3 Loaches
I would avoid the sharks, or would take extreme caution when introducing them.


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

can I have the tetras and angels of different kinds/colors? or is that not acceptable? I've seen a few tanks with diff angel fish thats why i'm asking


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

All angels are the same species. But don't mix blacks with non-blacks as they are slower growing, and veils can be more aggressive than non-veil (just my exp.), so I would pick one or the other (veils or short-finned). Also keep albinos alone as their eyesight is really poor compared to other angels. But otherwise, pick what you like. 

For tetra I would pick only one or two kinds and have at least 6 of each kind. 
I would also choose one kind of cory and get 4-8.

I don't know how well sharks go with the others, but I do know only one shark per tank.


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

Yep, one little shark, I know that much for sure, lol.
What about Cichlids, added or instead of another fish, same kinds or different acceptable? Also, how do you pronounce Cichlid..??


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Sick lid.


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

My little Shubunkin Goldfish. He/she is very active, the most 'sugar high' fish in the store too.








Supplies so far. I know the Betta food isnt for these fish, I was using it to cycle.


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

__________


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

Banana plant in the middle, 9 diff. kind of plant and a bunch of floating moss, anyone know it's name?








Shubunkin & Ryukin








aquaclears 50gal & marine emperor 70gal filters


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## charking (Aug 12, 2009)

red tail sharks tend to fin nip, i had a one and it attacked a few of my angels. a co2 diffuser i have never had but it puts co2 into the water. also some kinds of tetras may fin nip.. so be careful which ones you choose. good luck with what ecer you choose


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

one Rainbow Shark
a catfish or pleco(in a small group if needed)
4-6 angels
gourami and/or Cichlid, if they can go together.
This is the list of fish types I'd like, but don't know who can get along with whom and if they all can go with Angels.

SEMI
Gold Veil Angel, Marble Veil Angel, Half Black Angelfish, Koi Angel, Opaline Gourami, Gold Gourami, Blue Gourami, Blue Paradise, Chinese Algae Eater, Gold Algae Eater

PEACEFUL
Bolivian Ram, Gold Barb, Panda Barb, Pearl Gourami, Giant Gourami, Balloon Molly, 
Platinum Lyretail Molly, Black Lyretail Molly, Hi Fin Lyretail Swordtail, Black Sailfin Molly, Dalmatian Molly, Ghost Glass Cat, Silver Molly, Gold Dust Lyretail Molly, Rio-***** Pleco, Starry Night Pleco, Tiger Pleco, Oil Catfish, Bumble Bee Vatfish, Glass Catfish, Synodontis Decorus Catfish, Sterba's Cory, Agassizi Cory Cat, Emerald Green Cory Cat, Pictus Cat, Upside Down Catfish, Porthole Catfish, Four Lined Pimelodella Catfish, Paleatus Corydoras Catfish


This is what they are this morning.
nitrites= 0
nitrates= 5.0
ammonia= .25 - .50
reg. pH= 7.2 - 7.6

Redoing the pillow, gonna do water changes soon(only quick way to lower ammonia, right?)
I turned on their light and the water is crystal clear as well!! Everything is so bright and clean looking. ^.^


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## charking (Aug 12, 2009)

one rainbow shark.. they like to live in groups dont they? i thought it was the redtails that can only live one in a tank.. i'm 100% sure.. because a store near me has 5 in a tank & they're big. angels will get along fine with some other cichlids.. aslong as they are not fin nippers.. cichlids can go with gourami's i think.. well mine did lol. anything goes with my cichlids aslong as they dont have long flowing fins, can swim quite fast and are big enough not too get eaten. however if you decide to get some cichlids they will be happier if they had some hiding spaces.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Angels are cichlids, but keep them with small cichlids that use the bottom such as apistos and rams (not Mbuna!). Cichlid come from all over the world, they aren't all compatible.

Tetras and cories like to be in big groups of the same kind. Best not to mix and match.

Gouramis and angels will both want to control the middle of the tank, so if you want both you need to pick really mild gouramis such as pearls. 


From your list, I would suggest angels, Bolivian rams (1 pair or 4 small), and one kind of cory (get 6-8), 1 kind of tetra (8-10). But thats a lot of fish, don't add that many all at once.


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## Hydr0 JoE (Jan 13, 2009)

the red gravel running between the blue gravel looks sick dude


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

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## temptresskitty (Aug 8, 2009)

Your tank is going to look awesome. The way that you did the rock, I really never thought of doing that, till I started to see others setting up pictures online and stuff, and seeing the way that they design the tanks.. I really wish I had another tank larger then the one that I have, to be able to start all over with a tank and actually put some sort of design in the decor beyond the bought decor from the store.


Ok, so my input on your fish.. Red tail sharks need to be one by itself, they are very territorial. They can not be kept with the Rainbow shark as they will fight with one and other very much.. They are too much alike that the red tail gets aggressive. Mine is constantly skimming across plants in my tank, and the ground, and all over the decor, eating anything and everything... It is growing nicely. I personaly like mollies and platy, those are another kind that I have in my tank. Danio are always good too. I do not do much for the expensive yet... No money to do so. Weather Loaches are also good, mine likes attention already. And swordtails are great too. Very beautiful in colors.



Amber


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## charking (Aug 12, 2009)

my angels seem to be fine with my parrots and convict? maybe i'm just lucky


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

how old are they? Most any SA/CA will school together and play nice until they grow up. And, yes, you can get lucky. Cichlids have individual personalities, and you can get a oddball group that gets along or a textbook stocking where they all kill each other.


That blue and red gravel, what keeps it from mixing? I would think you'd have to spray it with epoxy to get it stay separate like that.


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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

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## secuono (Aug 12, 2009)

golds don't mess with it too much. The Ryukin plays with it every now and them, but usually just follows his friend. I try to clean the blue first, then the red. pick up and move any colors that have landed on the wrong side.

1 Rainbow Shark, 1 Opaline Gourami, 1 High Fin Pleco, 4 Black Skirt Tetra and a pair of Koi Swordtails. We are going to get at least 2-4 more Skirts and maybe another small troop of fish, not sure what kind yet.


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## charking (Aug 12, 2009)

well i've had my parrotts for around 2 or more years? and one of my angels, and the marble one the people who sold him to me had him for 4, the convict is atleast a few years old also


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