My fiance and I should be getting a 55 gallon tank this fall and we're wondering what types of fish to look into. We'd like to to make it a nice community tank but it seems as though most of the fish we like are either aggressive or will outgrow the tank. I figured you guys know a lot more than I do about the subject and might have some cool suggestions.
Upper Jaw Species-Upper jaw protrudes past lower jaw
P. palmas palmas ('palmas' bichir)- 13"
(subspecies)P. palmas polli ('marbled bichir)- 14"
(subspecies) P. palmas buettikoferi ('buettikoferi' bichir)- 13"
P. delhezi ('armoured' or 'delhez's' bichir)- 14"
P. senegalus senegalus ('Senegal' or 'Cuiver's' bichir)- 12"
(possible subspecies)P. senegalus meridionalis- 12"+
There is, Also the possibility of a third member of the Polypterus senegalus
group that is found in the Nile River
P. retropinnis ('retropinnis' bichir)- 14"
P .mokelembembe
E. calabaricus ('Ropefish')- 15"-30" (Closer to 15''-20'' in captivity)
theres guppies, plattys and all that other basic stuff... which dont get me wrong can be very entertaining.. they are livebearers and very simple which also makes them entertaining.... for some... very very common though...
congo tetras (phenacogrammus interruptus) are really rad IMO.. they get between 3"-4"...
corys (corydoras) are super cute and ive yet to come across any that dont get along with others... they act a lot like puppies.. bottom feeders that gulp air and if they like the water they play like 24/7
ram cichlid (microgeophagus ramirezi) are also pretty cool.. but WAY picky about water conditions.. out of 5 i had 1 make it more than 72 hours... i dont recommend them for first fish.. but after some time they are pretty rad
theres a lot of really rad fish that would be happy in yer new 55.. i suggest going to yer local fish store and checking out what they have and researching stuff you like... once you get some ideas about what you might like we can give you all the help you could ever ask for....
Black Sand
anubias plant
a large school of cardinal/neon tetras
4pcs altum angelfish
albino bushy nose pleco
school of blue rams cichlids
killifishes
pearl gouramis
pencils
threadfins
chocolate gouramis
school of rummynose tetras
freshwater snails
tubifex worms
tetramin flake food
auto feeder
drift wood
an extra aerator (batt operated) in case of outages
Black Sand
anubias plant
a large school of cardinal/neon tetras
4pcs altum angelfish
albino bushy nose pleco
school of blue rams cichlids
killifishes
pearl gouramis
pencils
threadfins
chocolate gouramis
school of rummynose tetras
freshwater snails
tubifex worms
tetramin flake food
auto feeder
drift wood
an extra aerator (batt operated) in case of outages
Unfortunately the altums can eat the pencilfish, threadfins and all tetras if you mean mixing them altogether. Chocolate gouramis are not advisable at the moment. They are far too delicate and will not do well in large tanks. A 20g is preferably the maximum when keeping these gouramis.
Either a stocklist of scalare angelfish, rummynose tetras, blue rams, bristlenose pleco and corydoras or the second option of small species of botiine loaches along with barbs, danios and rasboras. One is from South America, the other is from Asia. It's up to you.
Well I would go for what I am getting into now haha
Check out Peacock Cichlids. They are great for color, they are community, have territories but not aggressive. They are a great fish so far, 4-6" so you can have a few in there for life. They are a little more pricey, but there is not reason you can not add them over time one at a time. Or try and find a real good deal on a bunch of babies.
I love them, once my girl friend gets her tank setup and I can clear her fish out I plan to get 1 or 2 more.
Unfortunately the altums can eat the pencilfish, threadfins and all tetras if you mean mixing them altogether. Chocolate gouramis are not advisable at the moment. They are far too delicate and will not do well in large tanks. A 20g is preferably the maximum when keeping these gouramis.
Either a stocklist of scalare angelfish, rummynose tetras, blue rams, bristlenose pleco and corydoras or the second option of small species of botiine loaches along with barbs, danios and rasboras. One is from South America, the other is from Asia. It's up to you.
well I wont compete with his point of view.....there goes his and there goes mine...every fish has different attitudes and ways ..even the same class of fish have different attitudes...nothing is ever certain
but as far as my consciousness is concerned I haven't seen an angelfish ate a pencilfish, a threadfin and all the tetras
I am talking about the Pterophyllum altum. This is another species of angelfish, not the Pterophyllum scalare that you often find in petstores. Their jaw structure is entirely different and far a stretch in comparison to the P. scalare.
thanks for the help guys. Now I have some fish to check out. I really like the bichirs so far. Saw a Senegal at the store today and it was awesome. Guess I'll see what I can learn and go from there.
