New 55Gal Tank

[smudgeman]

hi I really dont post here often last time I really posted was when I got a 30gal tank for like $30 that I had to resilicone.
Now I have a 55gal tank with wood stand + power filter + 2 hoods & 1 light (other light missing) + lots of meds/declor for $50
pretty sweet deal.

Right now I have:
3 swordtails (2 female 1 male)
2 dolmation mollies
1 adf
3 polka-dot loachs
1 pleco (6in)
1 betta
had another adf but it died.... bought it pale but figured it might recover and would be happy being healthy in a good tank but didnt make it after a day.

any stocking tips???
want to get a couple more loachs but thats all the store had.
thanks.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

What kind of pleco is it?

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome back Smudgeman. Congrats on the pick up.
Did you get the tank from someone who was using it at the time or was it in a shed somewhere? The reason I ask is to try to judge whether or not the filter is ready for more fish. If it was in storage and not actively being used, it would be best to wait a while before adding any stock to the tank. In that circumstance, you probably would not have a functioning biological filter. Since the care of the fish becomes much more difficult when you have more of them, a new uncycled tank can become almost too much work if it is well stocked.

 

[smudgeman]

Welcome back Smudgeman. Congrats on the pick up.
Did you get the tank from someone who was using it at the time or was it in a shed somewhere? The reason I ask is to try to judge whether or not the filter is ready for more fish. If it was in storage and not actively being used, it would be best to wait a while before adding any stock to the tank. In that circumstance, you probably would not have a functioning biological filter. Since the care of the fish becomes much more difficult when you have more of them, a new uncycled tank can become almost too much work if it is well stocked.

its a common pleco as far as I know.
no the tank needs to cycle just asking for recommendations for the future.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

To be honest I'd rehome the plec, they get absolutely huge, over a foot at least... cuts into your stocking quite a bit.

 

[chrischeyne]

male or female betta as this well restrict what type of fish u can have eg- if it male nothing with a long tale as the betta will bit at the tales
chris

 

[smudgeman]

male or female betta as this well restrict what type of fish u can have eg- if it male nothing with a long tale as the betta will bit at the tales
chris

its a male... I wanted to put him in his own tank 10gal with the mollies and the adf and maybe something else.... but significant other thinks he was sad he was in the 10gal so wanted him back in the 55gal. idk,

but I think he will probably need to be put in the 10gal for his own good.
I think ultimately I want around 5 polk-a-dot loachs and other misc fish.
Though new surprise is I found a fry in the tank the other day... only one but still cool.
last time there was a fry it was a baby molly. I think this time it might be a swordtail since the female was hiding out for a few days.
Wierd that all of the fry got devoured but one isnt it??

anyway thank for the advice so far.

 

[waterdrop]

All getting eaten except one is quite normal evolution at work, the toughest (in some way or another) has survived and its own offspring will be in some very tiny way a bit tougher too perhaps.