55 gal tank

[Tuckerman821]

Hello, I’ve already posted a thread abt this a few months ago but my question wasn’t quite answered. I just finished cycling my 55 gal and have plants and other decorations in. In would like to do a Congo tetra community tank and im pretty set on that. But I have a few questions about stocking.
1). How many Congo’s should I keep, I was thinking about 8 or 9 males.
2). Id like to do either a big school of a smaller tetra/rasbora. Which would be better? What type or types of fish would be good with Congos? And how many in a ye group if one school or for two schools.
3.) I would also like to add 6 cories, I just don’t know if it will be an overload on the tank or if it will help. If not cories will a group of amano shrimp have room?
Thank you In advance any advice helps.

 

[Byron]

If this tank is 48 inches (120 cm) in length, Congo Tetra will be fine. I would suggest a group of 10 minimum, with male/female. You will have more interesting behaviours with both genders present. You could do 6 males/4 females, or 5 of each. My last group of this species was 5/5.

Other fish...any shoaling peaceful species that is not larger in size will work. Avoid any even remotely prone to fin nipping. Congos prefer the mid-upper level (floating plants are essential, to calm this sometimes shy fish, and it will bring out their colours remarkably) so the characins like the Rosy Tetra, etc which prefer the mid-lower level are good choices.

Corydoras are fine, but have a larger group. In this tank (assuming again it is 4-feet in length) a group of 15-20 would be good. You can mix species.

 

[Tuckerman821]

I would suggest a group of 10 minimum, with male/female. You will have more interesting behaviours with both genders present.

Where would you suggest getting the fish, none of the stores near me sell Congo and none of the websites I’ve looked at sell females. I can order a bunch of fry but won’t know what to do with the extras.

If this tank is 48 inches (120 cm) in length, Congo Tetra will be fine.

It is a 4ft tank, 48’L x 12.5’W x 21.5H.

Other fish...any shoaling peaceful species that is not larger in size will work.

I have some neons that I would like to move out of another tank, I kept them with a beta and they’ve never nipped him. Do they like to swim higher in the tank?

floating plants are essential, to calm this sometimes shy fish, and it will bring out their colours remarkably

I’ve ordered some Red Root floaters is this good or should I look another floater?

a group of 15-20 would be good. You can mix species.

A group of 8 emerald cories and a group of 8 albinos Would be good?

Another question I mean to ask earlier was about kribensis or other small cichlids. I’ve read that they have similar water parameters but I didn’t know if one they would be overstocking or two if they’d be harmful to the other bottom dwellers. I’m not set on them just a thought, if it means less of shoaling fish I’ll hold on it.

And shrimp, I have taller plants that cories are doubtful to reach. Would shrimp be an ok addition or will the other fish peck or eat them? If not I’ll keep some snails that will keep it clean, I’m just testing my limits at this point

thank you

 

[Byron]

The Wet Spot in Portland, Oregon has a good reputation (being in Canada, I've never used them, but they ship anywhere within the continental USA). They have three sizes of Congos, "unsexed," so you could ask them if you can get whatever ratio. Their medium sized fish at 1.5 inches will be easily sexed. Here's their website https://www.wetspottropicalfish.com/

Neons should be fine. Whichever characins you get, a larger group will mean better health and behaviours. You could do 12-15 neons here. Cories are fine, and most will regularly browse every plant leaf in the tank, even surface leaves, but they do not eat algae as snails and shrimp will..

I've never had "red root" floating plants, these seem to be something like Salvinia. Better than nothing, but some substantial plants like Water Sprite, Frogbit, Water Lettuce would provide better cover and shade, and this is important. When I had my 10 Congos in a 4-foot 90g tank, they swam just above mid-level. But when I thinned out the Water Sprite (necessary every few weeks or it will completely clog the surface) they would always move down to the lower half for several days until the plants grew back over the surface. And they had less colour, something that occurs with most characins. Shade is important for forest fish.

A dwarf cichlid can work very well in a tank with shoaling upper fish and cories. I had a male Bolivian Ram in my 5-foot tank for nine years. He owned the entire space, no doubt about that, and cories (I had 60-70) were just pushed away from "his" food tab, but never with any injury. Even the tetras above obeyed him! With cories (that are active during darkness) you will never have cichlid eggs or fry survive, or if they do it is the exception.

Some shrimp should survive, some likely won't. Almost all fish have crustaceans as part of their diet, so shrimp are naturally seen as food. But I gather it depends upon the shrimp species, and the fish.

 

[Tuckerman821]

Thank you for the website, I haven’t seen it and will look at it.
I’ll look at neons and other fish and decide what and how many. And the way I read this is only one other species of shoaling fish( so Congos and neons for mid level fish)
I have some water sprite in another tank so I’ll just spread it to this one.
And I’d like a pair of kribs, can I keep the same amount of shoaling fish or would this mean keep less? Or less cories?
And for shrimp i looked at mostly amano, but played around with the idea of vampire/bamboo. (Would like more algae to be eaten off of plants than caught out of the water)
Thanks again

 

[jimwg]

Where would you suggest getting the fish, none of the stores near me sell Congo and none of the websites I’ve looked at sell females. I can order a bunch of fry but won’t know what to do with the extras.

It is a 4ft tank, 48’L x 12.5’W x 21.5H.

I have some neons that I would like to move out of another tank, I kept them with a beta and they’ve never nipped him. Do they like to swim higher in the tank?

I’ve ordered some Red Root floaters is this good or should I look another floater?

A group of 8 emerald cories and a group of 8 albinos Would be good?

Another question I mean to ask earlier was about kribensis or other small cichlids. I’ve read that they have similar water parameters but I didn’t know if one they would be overstocking or two if they’d be harmful to the other bottom dwellers. I’m not set on them just a thought, if it means less of shoaling fish I’ll hold on it.

And shrimp, I have taller plants that cories are doubtful to reach. Would shrimp be an ok addition or will the other fish peck or eat them? If not I’ll keep some snails that will keep it clean, I’m just testing my limits at this point

thank you

I have 2 female kribs in my 75 gallon tank with 12 congo tetras (7 males and 5 females I ordered on line) 3 female boesemani and a male and female turquoise rainbow fish. All is well with the world

 

[Byron]

Numbers are not the real issue, it is the species. Compatibility is key, and this is more than just peaceful or aggressive or whatever. If this were my 55g (and 4-feet length) I would do 10 Congo, 12-15 neons, 15-20 cories, 9-12 of one of the "Rosy" tetra species, a single dwarf cichlid or a pair, and maybe a group of 9-10 hatchetfish of the larger species (those in Gasteropelecus or Thoracocharax). This assumes good floating plants, and maybe lower plants like the swords.

I have never bothered with shrimp so can't offer advice, except that some do get eaten and others rarely do. But algae on plants depends upon the species of algae...nothing will deal with "problem" algae such as black brush algae, that can only be resolved by establishing or restoring the light/nutrient balance. Snails, shrimp, and some "algae eating" fish like otos or Bristlenose will only eat common green algae or diatoms. The common green algae we rarely even see, but it is there.

 

[Tuckerman821]

Numbers are not the real issue, it is the species. Compatibility is key, and this is more than just peaceful or aggressive or whatever. If this were my 55g (and 4-feet length) I would do 10 Congo, 12-15 neons, 15-20 cories, 9-12 of one of the "Rosy" tetra species, a single dwarf cichlid or a pair, and maybe a group of 9-10 hatchetfish of the larger species (those in Gasteropelecus or Thoracocharax). This assumes good floating plants, and maybe lower plants like the swords.

I have never bothered with shrimp so can't offer advice, except that some do get eaten and others rarely do. But algae on plants depends upon the species of algae...nothing will deal with "problem" algae such as black brush algae, that can only be resolved by establishing or restoring the light/nutrient balance. Snails, shrimp, and some "algae eating" fish like otos or Bristlenose will only eat common green algae or diatoms. The common green algae we rarely even see, but it is there.

I understand what you mean about species compatibility, the only think I have problems with is numbers. I hear both sides of the 1 inch of fish per gallon and haven’t really noticed and differences in my other tanks that go both ways and do fine. My only problem with figuring out stocking is what number is too much fish. Something I believe will come with experience.