55 Gallon...what To Put In It?

[SpreadtheJoy]

Hello I'm new here and not sure if this is the right area. Anyway
I've been out of the fish game for a while and am looking to start up a tank. I think I'm going to buy a 55 gallon tank. I have tons of beautiful rocks. Do you think I could do a cichlid set up with some electric yellow cichlids and maybe some Johannii cichlids and maybe some Zebra cichlids. I'd like to have a little more color variety however. But I think with all the rocks I have cichlids could work well because they do love rocks so much.

I have also I always love the Redtail Shark. What would work well with him? A large school of tetras, a blue or gold gourami (I learned my lesson not to put two gouramis in the same tank a while back) maybe some catfish on the bottom? What else would go well? With a setup like this I'd like to do more plants and not use all the rocks I have by the way.

One more thing I am assuming a 55 gallon is not big enough for bala sharks or loaches...am I correct?

Thanks in advance!

 

[minnnt]

Hello there, welcome to the forum!

You have two very different setups in mind. If you would like to go down the Malawi route then take a look in the African/Old world section. If you're wanting more of a community setup then you could plant until your hearts content!

55 Gallon would be too small for Bala Sharks like you said, but there are many loaches you could choose for a setup of this size. I would suggest going for the biggest tank you can afford/fit in.

 

[CrazyCichlaMomma]

clown loaches might be a mistake in a small aquarium.. but there are smaller loaches that would do just fine in a 55 gallon.

the african cichlids seem to grow much slower than the south american cichlids, so you could probably keep several in a 55 gallon for awhile before needing a larger tank.

 

[SpreadtheJoy]

Yeah I think I'd like to do a planted tank...and I think the biggest I could go would be about 75 cause after that the prices of tanks shoot up. I would love some clown loaches though is 75 too small? So what are everyones favorite fish for a planted tank? Also how crucial is it to get a CO2 injection system?

Thanks!

 

[Rickzayne]

Also how crucial is it to get a CO2 injection system?

not very unless you want rapid growth

 

[minnnt]

You would be looking at a tank of around 6ft to house clown loaches comfortably imo due to them needing to be in a group and reachin 10"+

Planted tanks lend themselves well to large shoals of tetra's and rasbora's etc, this would look absolutely fantastic. If you're considering a tank of around 5ft then also consider Discus, especially if going planted.

 

[CrazyCichlaMomma]

yep, i agree with minnnt. clown loaches get BIG and they like to be in large groups. A 75 gallon lends itself very well to discus and/or angelfish (i prefer angels myself), but like most South American cichlids they grow quite quickly and you would have to upgrade from the 55 to something larger sooner rather than later.

 

[SpreadtheJoy]

Bummer I was really hoping to have some clown loaches...oh well I guess. I really don't know about discus fish much mainly cause I've never given them a look cause they're so darn expensive. So...so far maybe like 20 or so assorted tetras (neon tetras, cardinal, black neon, etc) a few pictus catfish, a pair of blue gourami (I heard the males color is much better when it has a female) and I really want a redtail shark in here. I don't know why i like them so much. I think a school of Discus fish would be awesome however I just don't think I'd be willing to spend that much. So what else should I add or replace?
Thanks!

 

[minnnt]

I would go with one big shoal rather than a few of each. It will make for a better effect and impression. A few of each can look messy as there won't really be enough of them to be able to observe their more natural behaviour.

 

[CrazyCichlaMomma]

i may be mistaken, but i believe pictus cats get quite large too. i personally find them to be disruptive, they never stop moving and they make the other fish uneasy and sometimes skittish.