Stocking 20 And 55 Gallon.. What To Do With What

[loveforfhishies]

so i got a 55 gallon tank. which is now done being cycled i so far have 9 zebra danios, 2 tiger barbs, and 3 plecs.. i think i want the 55 gallon to be a community tank and my 20 to have a different type of set up.. so what should i do with what.. i went to all the fish stores and none have any fish im interested in.. they all look kinda boring and plan.. i like the style of cichlids. and this thing called a leaf fish..

 

[Breeze7050]

If you like cichlids, I would make the 55 a cichlid tank with lots of rocks and hiding spots and several different cichlids. The 55 has more room, that's why I would use it for cichlids - you could get more and make a really cool set up with the right rocks. iMO a 20g isn't quite big enough for a good stock of cichlids.
You could then make your 20G a nice community tank - put the danios in there, up the number of tiger barbs to at least 6, and put your plecs in as well. That would about fill the 20 up - what kind of plecs are they? You may be able to add a few small cories or loaches for the bottom if your filtration is high and you keep up on your WC's - but NOT if you have the common plecs! Those get huge.
HTH

 

[loveforfhishies]

im not sure what plecs they are.. but how much rock would i have to put in my 55 gallon to make it good for cichlids. i should mention the 55 gallon is a hex tank and its more deep then wide and long.. and what kinda cichlids would be cool to put in there that wont fight with eachother?

what is WC's

 

[Breeze7050]

WC = water change. With it being a hex, that makes things a little different. I think you may be better off posting in the cichlids section of the forum!