55 Gallon New Stock

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PRW1988

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Well after many years of having cichlids in my 55 gallon I've decided to go back to community tanks.

I'm currently thinking of stocking the tanks with various species of tetras, cory catfish and a BN pleco (or 2).

I was wondering if the following tetras will have any issues:

36 neon tetras
12 Serpae tetras
24 glowlight tetras
24 head and tail light tetas
12 cory cats(not sure species yet)
12 cory cats(same thing)
2 BN plecos (hopfully M and F)

The other idea I had was doing a livebearers tank. something I've never actually done before, unless you could keeping a tank of guppies lol, I'd like mollies, but what goes well with them. I've read that swordtails prefer a bit cooler of water, would it be possible to keep them with my mollys? And also, what would be a good stock on a 55gallon with livebearers??


Thanks in advance.
 
I would stock the following:
* 30-40 of one species of schooling fish or 2 species if split 50/50
* 10-20 Corys (depending on aquarium dimensions more could work, 1-2 species split 50/50)
* 1m 2f bristlenose plecos
* 1 pair peaceful cichlids

I think 96 schooling fish is kinda pushing it out the other side of overstocked.. it is, of course, possible but I would not recommend it.

I assume that you do know that neons are quite fragile? Cardinals make a better alternative.
 
@PRW1988: Lol thats a LOT of tetras! Too be honest i think if you just went for all those tetras you will probably get bored of them quite quickly and will also find it difficult to moniter their health, keeping diseases under control etc. Tetras though stunning in large shoals aren't just decorations. I've heard that Serpae Tetras can be a bit nippy towards each other + other fish, though i've never kept them personally.

If you would like a sociable shoaling fish with lots of personality which grow to a nice size (2-3inches) then i'd totally recommend Golden Barbs- they are robust fish which shoal but they are also very friendly like livebearers or goldfish and will come to great you at the front of the tank etc. They also differ slightly in pattening so it can be possible to tell them apart, which is quite a novelty for shoaling fish. Not to mention they look stunning- they really do have shiny gold colouration on them, which becomes stronger as they grow up (in petshops they are often not noticed much as they are often stressed & underfed, making them appear duller in colour and less interesting in behaviour etc). I've had my shoal of golden barbs for 1-2years now and i have never had a single problem with any of them and they have definitely turned out to be some of my most favorite fish ^_^v .

Mollies do very well in hard alkeline water (which is unusual for fish), so if this is your local PH then they would make very good fish for the tank. They do often do better in slightly brackish water, though this doesn't mix well with a lot of catfish & tetras out there.
Personally what i'd recomend if you go down the livebearer route are Swordtails- they grow to a good size, are robust fish that come in a wide range of colours & patterns, and are very inquisitive and active in tanks, exploring all levels etc (IMO definitely more interesting/clever livebearing fish than guppys). What are the measurements of the tank :) ?
 
I like tetras... LOL.

I've decided to do a tetra tank. The peacful community tanks I used to have when I was younger were really nice. Since I moved it's been cichlids all the way...

I dont mind the sound of Golden babrbs... Rosy Barbs are nice too... But I want to do a large school of neon tetras, so what do you guys think of.....

36 Neon tetras
24 _______ Tetras (Serpae or Head and Tail light... not sure)
12 Albino Cory Catfish
12 Peppered Cory Catfish
3 BN Plecos (1M/2F)
and what could I put as a center piece fish. The Center piece isn't needed now, but the main stock is lol.
 
I've heard that Serpae Tetras can be a bit nippy towards each other + other fish, though i've never kept them personally.
I always had a really good experience with these, as long as they were kept in large groups.

I like tetras... LOL.

I've decided to do a tetra tank. The peacful community tanks I used to have when I was younger were really nice. Since I moved it's been cichlids all the way...

I dont mind the sound of Golden babrbs... Rosy Barbs are nice too... But I want to do a large school of neon tetras, so what do you guys think of.....

36 Neon tetras
24 _______ Tetras (Serpae or Head and Tail light... not sure)
12 Albino Cory Catfish
12 Peppered Cory Catfish
3 BN Plecos (1M/2F)
and what could I put as a center piece fish. The Center piece isn't needed now, but the main stock is lol.
What are the dimensions of the aquarium? If that is a standard 100×50×50cm (I am assuming you meant imperial gallons), then that is overstocked and you will need to do considerably more maintenance to keep the fish healthy than is normal for a community.
The centrepiece is normally a pair of peaceful cichlids, although a gourami would also work.
 
I would definitively go for a large shoal of tetras, although you might find they don't shoal too well when they are at ease. I am keeping cherry barbs; beautiful fish and hardy. Their colour really stands out against the green of the plants. Another option if you want good shoaling behaviour are harlequin rasboras.

Personally I have never had problems with serpae tetras either. It is like Kat says, in larger groups they establish a hierarchy and that is it.

Everybody says that cardinals are hardier but here in Mexico we find them very difficult to keep alive. Neons we have a lot, but you should introduce them in an established tank; they can't stand the fluctuation of minerals very well. So introduce them only in a more mature tank after several months.

Centrepiece fish: you can take a trio of a gourami type, a pair of angels or smaller cichlids like apistos or rams.
 
Well, after a unfortunate turn of events, my lfs's stock of serpae tetras were all sick :\

So I went with the next best thing... I got.... (you'll like this Tokins... TETRAS)

60 Neon Tetras
12 Green Cory Catfish
3 Paradise Gouramisv(1M,2F)
6 Marbled Hatchetfish
and 6 Varatius Platies... Yes I know, don't ask me why, they just jumped at me... They may even get their own tank lol


What are the dimensions of the aquarium? If that is a standard 100×50×50cm (I am assuming you meant imperial gallons), then that is overstocked and you will need to do considerably more maintenance to keep the fish healthy than is normal for a community.
The centrepiece is normally a pair of peaceful cichlids, although a gourami would also work.


Stand Dimesion 55gallon, US gallons. 4 feet long, 1 foot deep... Cant remember the height. I know that I could overstock the tank easily but I do also have 14 years experience in the aquarium hobby :) plus 175 gallons of filtration on the tank and a Sunday every week devoted to it... and my 8 other aquariums and 4 terrariums lol... What can I say, I'm keeping a zoo :p
 
What are the dimensions of the aquarium? If that is a standard 100×50×50cm (I am assuming you meant imperial gallons), then that is overstocked and you will need to do considerably more maintenance to keep the fish healthy than is normal for a community.
The centrepiece is normally a pair of peaceful cichlids, although a gourami would also work.

Stand Dimesion 55gallon, US gallons. 4 feet long, 1 foot deep... Cant remember the height. I know that I could overstock the tank easily but I do also have 14 years experience in the aquarium hobby :) plus 175 gallons of filtration on the tank and a Sunday every week devoted to it... and my 8 other aquariums and 4 terrariums lol... What can I say, I'm keeping a zoo :p
All worth mentioning at the start! :p Also that isn't quite a zoo yet.. best I've managed so far was 32 aquariums and 4 terrariums.. you still have some catching up to do!

Ok, then I will leave you to your own experience.. you will need it with the neons more likely than not! But the paradise fish? Keep in mind that they are coolwater..
 
I would change the paradise gouramis for banded gourami. Paradise fish are extremely agressive, more so than any other gourami and it is best to keep them in species only tanks. Banded gouramis come closest in colour and pattern to the paradise fish and are better suited for a community set-up.
 
All worth mentioning at the start! :p Also that isn't quite a zoo yet.. best I've managed so far was 32 aquariums and 4 terrariums.. you still have some catching up to do!

Ok, then I will leave you to your own experience.. you will need it with the neons more likely than not! But the paradise fish? Keep in mind that they are coolwater..

The paradise Gourami seem to be doing fish so far. I'll keep an eye on them though. Tank temp is 79F. And I've had 30 aquariums and 4 terrariums running at my old house :p Not that much catching up to do :lol:

I would change the paradise gouramis for banded gourami. Paradise fish are extremely agressive, more so than any other gourami and it is best to keep them in species only tanks. Banded gouramis come closest in colour and pattern to the paradise fish and are better suited for a community set-up.

Any Paradise Gourami that I've kept has not been agressive. I kept some before with Cardinal Tetras in a 20gallon when I was younger, never had a problem.
 
You have been very lucky then with your paradise fish! In earlier years I ventured more on the gourami forum and people were always complaining about their agressiveness. Even my lfs advised me not to take them when I wanted them for the same reason, and that means something!
 
An LFS not selling you the fish may not be because of strictly aggression. It may be due to the fact the Paradise fish wouldn't get along with your stock simply. I have lots of hiding places and lots of plants in my tank. I've never had any agression issues in such a set up... Except when I had a flowerhorn...

Now... On to todays question, my hatchetfish are dropping like... Trees :lol: (bad pun :p) I got 6 of them, and down to 2. Water stats all check out, temp is 79F, filter was just cleaned (yes I left old material to seed). So I'm not sure why, only thing I found online is that they're not as hardy as silver hatchetfish... Any clue?
 
I have always gotten the impression that Marbel Hatchetfish are specialist fish that need a lot of care and definitely a mature tank set up. Very sensitive to water quality & tricky to acclimatise to tanks. Have you tried feeding them any live or fresh foods like fresh brine shrimp? I've heard that helps them a lot (they will eat flake food but they don't do too great on it in the long term). Try adding some floating plants to the tank (if it hasn't already got some) to help them feel more at home & reduce their stress levels ^_^v . Also keep an eye out for Whitespot as they are very vulnerable to it.
 
I have always gotten the impression that Marbel Hatchetfish are specialist fish that need a lot of care and definitely a mature tank set up. Very sensitive to water quality & tricky to acclimatise to tanks. Have you tried feeding them any live or fresh foods like fresh brine shrimp? I've heard that helps them a lot (they will eat flake food but they don't do too great on it in the long term). Try adding some floating plants to the tank (if it hasn't already got some) to help them feel more at home & reduce their stress levels ^_^v . Also keep an eye out for Whitespot as they are very vulnerable to it.


The remaining 2 are fine eating flakes. But if you say they're tricky to aclimate that could explain a lot as it's been 3 days. And 3 were dead by day 2... Now, 4 dead. I'm hoping the other 2 will survive, they eat and swim happy and healthy looking... If I got a school of silver hatchets, would the marbles school with them?
Edit--> Floating plants in :) Well, not really a floating plant, just a nice big and too tall for my tank one lol, it overflows on the top a bit which actually looks quiet nice. And ty for whitespot tip, I'll keep my eye on it. I will get pictures soon, was too busy tonight with my christmas party lol
 
You should try water lettuce, it is an excellent plant for fish like hatchets.
 

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