55 gallon plan

[KeddyPie]

I wrote a really long post, but I decided chances are nobody would read it... So I'm shortening it up to LESS than a page

I want to set up a 55 gallon tank arund christmas time, as I should have money by then. It is for my Dojo loaches, so I want to keep it colder (around 70 degrees). I want to get 1 more Dojo, 3 Hillstream loaches, and 3 moe Otos. (this makes for 3 DOjos, 4 hillstreams, and 4 Otos). Will thsi all be fine in a 55 gallon, or will the Otos need an increased temp?

My ORIGINAL plan before I decided on a lower temp tank was to mvoe my school of 7 bloodifns in my 55 gallon also. Can they be in 70 degree water without a lot of sterss, or should I keep them in their current 20 gallon? If I remove the Dojos, I can also add 2 more Otos to that tank, so the 7 bloodfins and 3 Otos will be in a 20 gallon tropical, while the loaches will all be in the 70 gallon mid-tropical.

I know the loaches can be in tropical, but I want the tank to be perfect for them, which is why I'm aiming for a slightly lower temperature. Are tehre any small and slightly unusual schooling fish I can keep in this slightly lower temoperature tank with the loaches, if I can not move my Bloodfins there? I was thinking about keeping some female bettas in the 55 gallon (I have three in my 20 gallon with the bloodfins until i set them up their own tank). I'm not sure if they'll be good to go in the cold water either.

Sorry for the long post I'm just trying to get as many ideas in my head as I can, so I can have a final plan by the time I can actually put it into action, which might be as late as FEbruary. In the long run, the only reason I'm getting a bigger tank is for the Dojos, as I don't like them being in a slightly cramped 20 gallon high (though since they are currently very small, they're probably quite happy)

Anty suggestions welcome
Katy - Sorry for any really bad typing, I have a nasty fever and it's way too early for me to be awake... I'll do a spellcheck on it when I'm feeling less like I ate the wrong mushrooms.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Hmm... what sort of temperature were you thinking? Theres a lot of really nice 'wild' fish, things like shiners and dace.

 

[KeddyPie]

Well, the temp of the tank will probably average at about 72 degrees, with occasional drops down to perhaps 65, and occasional spikes up to 80. Any spikes will be temporary, such as in the coldest winter months and hottest summer months. I'll probably be getting an air conditioner in the summer so they don't get above 77 or so. This means I ca't have really fragile fish either, as water temp spikes might kill em'

 

[MegTheFish]

White Clouded Mountain Minnows or Danios for sure! I have a shoal of 11 danios in my 50 gallon, they are a blast to watch. They also come in many mutations (I think thats what you would call it). So far I have longfinned blues, longfinned spotted, longfinned zebras, and normal zebras. But you can get pearls, gaints, etc. You can also get gold WCMM though I have never seen them.

 

[yvez9]

you could get killifish as well. Most killifish species do good at room temp.

 

[KeddyPie]

Unfortunatly, NOBODY around here carries Killifish, so they are out of the question Though from what I've seen of them, I really like them.

What I REALLY want to know is if the bloodfins wuold be ok in a cooler tropical tank. (still tropical since ti will likely stay in the 70's). If I don't get a response, I'll probably go on and put them in there once I get the tank (awhile in the future) and just monitor them closely, and if there is a problem I'd move them back.

If I can't, I'd ideally want a school of 10 fish, that stay under 3 inches each... Any other suggetions?