55 Gallon Plan.

[Betta_Shark5678]

Hey, it's me again!

I was just wondering if you could go over my 55 Gallon plan one more time, I changed it a little.

Substrate: Play sand.

Plants: Java Fern, Amazon Swords, Green Cabomba, Wendtii Red/Brown, Sunset Hygrophila, and Anubias petite nana.

Fish: 1 Golden Gourami, 8 Platys (7:1 Female:Male ratio is what I have!), 9 Guppies (2:1 female:male ratio), 2 Striped Rubbernose Plecos (have 1, and I love it!), and 6-8 Kuhli loaches.

The tank comes with the filter, and I'm getting a test kit in at most two weeks (had to order it off amazon), but the tank should be fine with just the Gourami in it for the first week. I'm thinking I'm going to add two platys at a time, daily the second week until they're all in there, unless the Gourami will attack them if I do that. The third week I'm going to add in the Guppies, males, then females later in the week. After guppies, Kuhli Loaches. Then last I'm going to add in the Plecos.

Is that overstocked?

I'd like to get a bubbler, and I'm not quite sure about one thing, is a bubbler, and an airpump the same thing? The bubbler I want says it has an airstone pump in it on the petco website. This is the one.

I might be getting it on the 4th!! With is why I'm going over my plan right now I was planning on getting it this week, so the 4th should work perfectly.

Any extra advice is helpful!!
Thanks!

 

[Betta_Shark5678]

Sorry to ask again, but I'm getting the tank really soon, and I really need to know so I don't have too many fish, and not enough tanks!

 

[onidrase]

stocking sounds fine to me. depending on the filtration it may give you some wiggle room for any fish you see in the future that might strike your interest.

three spot gouramis (golden, blue, and opaline) are all rather aggressive. I'd try an alternative of either a pearl gourami trio (1 male 2 females) or a moonlight gourami if you aren't heart set on a golden (or don't have the golden already)

I think the other fish would have plenty of room to avoid aggression, though.

 

[Betta_Shark5678]

Thank you!

Personally I'd rather have a dwarf gourami, or a trio of them, but the golden comes with the tank. I was thinking about also getting a group of 6 corys, but I really like the Pleco I have, and since they stay small I thought I'd just get another one!

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Fish: 1 Golden Gourami, 8 Platys (7:1 Female:Male ratio is what I have!), 9 Guppies (2:1 female:male ratio), 2 Striped Rubbernose Plecos (have 1, and I love it!), and 6-8 Kuhli loaches.

I'm concerned that you are trying to mix a sub-tropical Rubbernose who needs strong water surface agitation with tropical gouramis and loaches that will not appreciate 500-1000 gallons per hour of water movement in your 55 gallon tank.

Variatus Platties could work pretty well with the Rubbernose, as these are more sub-tropical and would be happy in the 20-22C ballpark that the plec needs for excellent oxygen levels in the water, just like those needed for "hillstream loaches."

 

[hensonc4098]

Just watch the pleco as well if you've got swords - mine ended up damaging the leaves and getting kicked out into another plant free tank for it

 

[Betta_Shark5678]

I already have a Pleco, he was given to me with my Platys, and Guppies. The Gourami comes with the tank. I realized they were slightly different in temperature, but I thought that I could just keep the temperature around 21-23 degrees. If this wouldn't work I could probably give one of them away. What would you suggest?

lol hensonc. My platys were eating the plants I threw in the current tank for the Pleco, so I'll be watching them too.

 

[hensonc4098]

Haha It's more when they "stick" to things, they rasp away at them with their mouth to get the algae off to eat. Amazon sword leaves aren't the toughest and a few weeks worth of pleco sanding can start to wear the leaves away. They don't mean to damage the plants, but they do

 

[Betta_Shark5678]

Aww. I'll be sure to keep an eye on him!

I'm getting the tank on Thursday! Any advice about what I should do with the temperature difference? Or should I just do what I planned originally, keep it around 21-23 degrees? Any suggestions for other fish would be okay too. I have a few weeks before I'd be adding in the Kuhlis, I could just get something else (maybe the Corys?), or should I get rid of the Pleco? I don't have room for anymore tanks, but I know somebody who is planning on getting a 10 Gallon, so I could give my small Pleco to them? I'm not sure what fish they want in that tank, but they said that they'd consider taking the Pleco of my hands if they had to. I'd rather keep it, but if I have to...