Stocking

[dcfeeiv]

my aunt is giving me a 55 gal tank
provided enough hiding places
1 betta
2 angelfish
10ish rasboras
20ish platies

good idea or bad idea?

 

[iairj84]

I would say no to the betta. Get him/her a smaller 2.5 gallon or 5 gallon and make them much happier than that big tank with the angels to fight for food...

The 20 platies seems pretty high unless you went all male or all female you would very quickly be overrun with fry, even with the angels eating a good amount you would still have a lot of leftovers... I would lower that number to a more manageable level and maybe add another species, maybe tetras of some kind or something similar.

What are your plans for the tank? Planted tank?

 

[dcfeeiv]

probably all male platies
b/c i have platies in my 5 gal and one of the girls was preggers when i got her
good point on the betta, right now hes in a 5 gal
minus the betta does that seem like a good setup and properly stocked?
of course added over the next few months

 

[iairj84]

Well if you're going to go all male you could probably have 10-15 or so platies, but to be honest that's a lot of fish without a whole lot of color. I would see if your Local fish store would allow you to exchange your fry for some other types of fish. Most will take healthy fish if only for store credit. Then you would be able to pick and choose a little more without having to spend much more of your own cash Don't get me wrong about the platies they're great fish and my swordtails are some of my favorites, but I also can see how the tank would be a little more exciting with more colors mixed.

 

[wendywc]

I second lessening the platies number and adding a group of cories or small loaches (angelicus/dwarfs or yoyos) instead. Also personally, I would add a group of tetras, like rummynoses or glowlights.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hm i would also say no to the betta, i could see the angelfish and the betta having a lot of issues with each other. You could have 20platies, but in an all-female or mixed gender group you would definately get a lot of fry (which you need to either rehome or cull, as you wouldn't be able to raise them all considering how many fry female platys can give birth to on a regular basis).
How about some bottom dwelling fish though? Personally i'd go for a sand substrate as having a sand instead of gravel substrate will open up a lot more stocking options when it comes to many bottom dwelling fish like all kinds of loaches and catfish etc.