55 gallon tank ideas

[Uncle Drew]

Hey I am just getting back into the hobby and I am looking for some ideas for my 55 gal tank. It is roughly 4ft long, 2ft high, and 16in deep. I am trying to get some ideas for fish and either thin out or add some plants to my current list, let me know what you all think! I like to have a nice contrast of reds/greens.

As far as plants I am thinking of getting:
Brazilian pennywort
Hygrophila Angustifolia
Ludwigia Peruensis
Echinodorus red flame sword
Hemianthus Callitrichoides
Water Sprite
Rotala Nanjenshan
Cabomba caroliniana

For stocking I am thinking:
2-3 Angel Fish
8-rummy nose tetra
12-cardinal tetra
1-Red Tailed Shark
7-some type of corydoras- open to suggestions, I've kept just about every kind

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF, and back to the hobby.

Plants first. You have some species that are high light requiring, others moderate. I don't know your lighting, nor how much you have delved into plants and lighting previously. So I will just note this and move on to the fish.

Angelfish. Never three, or four. Two only if they are a bonded pair. Otherwise, a group of five minimum, which you could just do in this tank. But keep in mind that a pair may well form, and then you could have issues like removing the others to avoid injury and death.

Rummynose and cardinal tetras are not advisable with angelfish. Linear shaped fish like these are too much of a temptation for angelfish to eat. However, given the angelfish issue, you may be re-thinking them anyway.

Red Tail Shark. This fish I cannot recommend. Other substrate level fish will be impossible (unless the individual RTS happens to be abnormal and not aggressive as is the norm with this species) so that is limiting your options in a major way, and no cories or loaches. As well, this species (RTS) frequently takes a strong dislike to fish with vertical bar patterning.

I'll leave it at that so you can re-think things, rather than suggesting different species since some of the above basically eliminates these.

 

[Uncle Drew]

Hey thanks for your comments! I have had some success with planted tanks. Though I am rethinking some of the plants I had listed before due to lighting issues. Here is my current lineup, though I am still trying to think of some foreground ground cover that will not have a super high light requirement.

Ludwigia Peruensis-mid/back (right side)
Rotala Nanjenshan-back
Echinodorus red flame-mid/fore (middle & left)
Hygrophila Angustifolia-back (middle)
brazilian pennywort-floating (top left side)

As far as fish go I think I will definitely get rid of the red tailed shark. I had a red tailed shark years ago with angelfish and it was always pestering them so that would make sense if they dislike fish with vertical stripes. It was just territorial in general. I thought maybe I had just purchased an unusually aggressive one. I really like the idea of having shoals of rummy nose and cardinals so I will have to rethink my centerpiece fish as I do not want to be spending that much on feeders.

 

[Byron]

Hey thanks for your comments! I have had some success with planted tanks. Though I am rethinking some of the plants I had listed before due to lighting issues. Here is my current lineup, though I am still trying to think of some foreground ground cover that will not have a super high light requirement.

Ludwigia Peruensis-mid/back (right side)
Rotala Nanjenshan-back
Echinodorus red flame-mid/fore (middle & left)
Hygrophila Angustifolia-back (middle)
brazilian pennywort-floating (top left side)

As far as fish go I think I will definitely get rid of the red tailed shark. I had a red tailed shark years ago with angelfish and it was always pestering them so that would make sense if they dislike fish with vertical stripes. It was just territorial in general. I thought maybe I had just purchased an unusually aggressive one. I really like the idea of having shoals of rummy nose and cardinals so I will have to rethink my centerpiece fish as I do not want to be spending that much on feeders.

Your experience with the RTS was the norm. It is unfortunate that this fish is so readily available in stores; it is very attractive, but few realize the terror it will likely become.

A suggestion for lower plants...the chain swords, Helanthium tenellum (used to be and may still be seen as Echinodorus tenellus) or the slightly larger H. bolivianum. I have these growing like weeds under moderate (some might say low) lighting.