New 55 Gallon Tank Thread

[OvercaffeinatedFishGuy]

Also here is an updated tank supply list:

1. 55 gallon tank
2. Lids, preferably with lights.
3. Two Fluval HOB filters for 55 gallons. (any recommendations besides these?)
4. Two Fluval heaters for 55 gallons (Maybe)
5. UV light filter (Again a maybe, depends on what fish I have and what set up I intend to do)
6. Decor (Wood, Rocks, Fake plants, etc)
7. Substrate (Sand)
8. API Water testing kit
9. Net
10. Sponges or brush to remove algae and clean equipment as needed.
11. Water Vacuum
12. At least 4 buckets with lids to carry fish/do water changes or a Python hose.
13. Aquarium salt for meds.
14. Black background (either styrofoam, painting, or a combination of multiple ideas)
14. API Quick Start.
14. Seachem Dechlorinator
15. Any food that is necessary for the chosen stock.

 

[Omrit]

You could do two fancy goldfish+ dojo loaches in a 55. A pair of goldfish looks good especially a high contrast pair like one black with one white or orange in my opinion.

As for tropicals you of course have a ton of options. I find Discus to be more trouble than they are worth, I think angelfish are just all around a better fish as they are easier to care for while also giving you more options for tank mates. I see Raphaels listed as being safe up to 80 and Discus tanks are usually 82-84 so they probably won't appreciate Discus temps either. The gouramis are not going to like Discus temperatures either.

But like I said a 55 has a lot of options for tropical fish.

If you want a ton of color you can do a mbuna tank in a 55, or there are some lake tanganyikan species you can do to if you want fish with interesting behaviors but with less color. You can't really mix other types of fish in these though aside from maybe small syno catfish like the dwarf petricola.

If you want more oddball fish then a 55 is fine for african river species like ropefish, senegal bichirs, african butterflyfish, and something like congo tetras for color. These are safe to mix with fish from other continents too like the gourami and raphael catfish.

From Asia: A ton of Gourami, barbs, and loaches options. Some barbs fin nip but otherwise safe to mix with other community fish.

From central America: Smaller central American cichlids which can be paired with platies, swordtails, tetras, and most smaller catfish(including the raphaels)

Then of course South America with angelfish, tetras, catfish, and various dwarf cichlids.

 

[duanes]

I would 100% get a 75 instead of a 55 but unfortunately, I don't have the space for one, the 55 I'm looking at barely fits where its going to go as it is lol. One of these days though, once I get my own place I want to have whatever tanks I want lol.

I was thinking 3 so that confirmed my original thought, I'm assuming this is without tankmates?

I agree about 3 goldfish maxing out a 55, 4 for a 75, or at least untill they outgrow it.

Just curious, what are the parameters of your tap water....?
hard, and mineral rich with high pH?
or soft, and low pH?
or neutral and somewhere in between?.

To me this is a determiner of what fish can be successfully kept.

 

[OvercaffeinatedFishGuy]

I agree about 3 goldfish maxing out a 55, 4 for a 75, or at least untill they outgrow it.

Just curious, what are the parameters of your tap water....?
hard, and mineral rich with high pH?
or soft, and low pH?
or neutral and somewhere in between?.

To me this is a determiner of what fish can be successfully kept.

From what I remember, my water is very hard where I live. Like above 7.5

 

[duanes]

If your water is hard, and high pH, I'd stay away from Amazonian soft water, and low pH S American species, west Africans,
and certain Asian species that require acidic water. (chocolate gouramis come to mind)
Gold fish will be fine,
smaller rift lake Africans will work, and some of the smaller Central Americans.

But 100 years of aquarium breeding, will not negate millions of years of survival of the fittest evolutionary conditioning, and heredity.