My New 55G

[mislisa]

Hi everyone! some of you may remember me, as i was trying to decide whether to get a 46g tank or a 72. i've decided to go with a 55g and save the 72 for my next tank in the future.
So, i've gone & bought the tank and have it all set up. i've started the fishless cycle, although i don't have the stats atm, i'll post them when i can. the tank has a white silica sand substrate (aprox 50 lbs... do i need more?) and is running a Fluval 305 filter. i have a few pieces of wood (bogwood and mopani) as well as some slate, a black background and a few silk plants. I plan on getting real plants eventually, but i'm a little nervous as i've never had real plants before and don't want to deal with the CO2 stuff. i'll probably start with a java fern or something like that.

my stock list for when i'm done the cycle looks like this: (am i overstocked???)

8x Khuli loaches
1-2x Bristle nose pleco (albino if i can get em)
~10-15x Cardinals
1x pearl gourami
~6x Harlequin Raspboras
1-2x Kribensis (or german blue rams if i can get them)

If anyone has any suggestions or concerns, please let me know!
I'll try to post a pic of the tank as soon as my bogwood sinks fully (i forgot to soak it first)

 

[Gvilleguy]

I"m not a stocking expert (particularly with the fish you listed), but I've been on the forum long enough to give your question a guilt-free bump!

Knowing your tank's settled pH will also help people recommend certain fish types.

 

[GrayScale]

The pEarl gourami wouldn't do well with the kribs IMO. However the tank will probably be large enough to where there shouldn't be an issue. Ever looked into apistogrammas?

 

[mislisa]

The pEarl gourami wouldn't do well with the kribs IMO. However the tank will probably be large enough to where there shouldn't be an issue. Ever looked into apistogrammas?

I do like apistos, but i had come to understand that they were quie aggressive... is this a misconseption?

I thought that as the gourami is more of a top dweller, the kribs should leave it alone... is there a different top-dwelling fish that you would reccomend? i'm looking for something that will stand out from the smaller cardinals and harlequins.

All input is greatly appreciated!

Oh, and the ph is between 6.5 and 7... is hard to tell the difference in the colours.