New to Cichlids and New Tank (sort of)

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dgebhart

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 4, 2013
24
1
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Sacramento, CA
I am new to cichlids (not aquariums in general) and I recently bought a new 55 gallon tank that is 48" x 18" x 18". I bought it on craigslist and it was a great deal because the guy was moving. Anyway, the point is it came with fish. I would have preferred to start my own tank from scratch, but the deal was so great it wasn't worth it. I am not sure the guy I bought it from was exactly the best aquariumer (is that a word?), so I wanted to ask some people with experience about the tank.

The fish are:

1 Koi
1 Green Terror
1 Jack Dempsey
1 Pink-Tailed Chalceus
1 Trinidad Pleco

Is this the right amount of fish for this size tank? I am thinking of maybe re-homing some fish, as I want to start a breeding pair.
Another thing I am considering is re-homing a few and getting an oscar, but I am not sure how many I would have to get rid of. I am also concerned about the koi. Is that ok in this tank? It seems to get along with the chalceus.
 
Koi needs to go,they get way to big and need slightly cooler water. A jd and Gt can each individually live in a 55 but together is a bit of a tight fit IMO. No comment on the other two cause I haven't kept those before.

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Koi get big fast and are messy. They are a coldwater fish to boot. A JD and a GT could get along FOR A WHILE in a 55 but I would consider this arrangement temporary. There will come a point where one asks the other to leave. The pleco is fine as long as it is of good size. I don't know anything abbout the Pink Tail.
 
Long term, that's too much fish for that tank.
Jack Dempsey might be ok, maybe with a school of silver dollars, long term.
Green terror will out grow the tank.
Pink tail might be ok in there long term. Not sure on tank mates though.
Get the koi out of there.
Not sure about the pleco.

Sorry man but long term the tank is over stocked.


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i agree with most of the above.koi will get big,and need to have no heater in a tank.if you google the pleco,you can get info.generally most plecos will outgrow a 55.some of them grow slowly.you can post pics and fish to sell in the marketplace section.since your a new member you would need more posts(5-10 maybe?) before your allowed to create a "for sale" thread.if you wanted to breed something,keep the JD,try to find out what sex the it is,then get a possible mate.
 
Surprised no one mentioned that isn't a 55g. A 55g dimensions are normally 48x12x20 inches. Your tank seems closer to a 75g's standard, which is 48x18x20.

That gives you a bit more breathing room, but still not much. Agree with the others to get rid of the koi, and you can probably keep the JD+GT for a while in there, but since you're looking for a pair then get rid of everything but the GT or JD, and find him/her a partner.
 
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