# What do you think of this combination??



## anthony1238 (Mar 18, 2008)

Hi, I'm fairly new at this aquarium hobby, I had a 20 gallon years ago that my father mostly took care of. Now I have my own 55 gallon tank for my apartment and want to start a easy, community tank. I began my fishless cycle about 2 weeks ago but didn't get to add any bacteria untill a week ago. I added a pack of Bio-Spira and now I'm see traces of Nitrites which is a good sign. I have 2 Aqua Clear 300s(but i guess there called Aquaclear 70's now) for my filters. Seeing that my tank is starting to Cycle i've been trying to find the right fish, I want a good amout of color and everyone to get along but not be boring. 

Let me know what you think about this combo, feel free to tell me its all wrong. 

1 Blue Gourami
1 Flame Dwarf Gourami
1 Black Veil Angel 
2 Corys (not sure what kind)
1 Pleco (again not sure what kind)
2 clown Killifish
1 Praecox Rainbow Fish
6 Neon Tetra
6 Red Platy
And i would Like to get a Blue Lobster\Crayfish if it won't bother my Pleco.

So that looks like 21 fish and 1 Invert. In a 55 gallon tank, Is that to much?


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

Well, to start off, I love your tank.  

Ok, now to the fish.
-Cories should be in groups of 6 or more for best results.
-You would need a smaller pleco, such as a Clown Pleco or Bristlenose Pleco, as many way too big for a 55 gallno tank.
-The Angel will eventually see your Neon Tetras as a snack. It will eat anything that size or smaller.
-Rainbowfish should be in groups of at least 3, if not more.
-The platies will get bigger than you think (3-4", sometimes more). I have 3 Red wags ranging from 2.5-3.5", and they eat and poop a lot. The platies will also have babies at least once a month if a male is present. Even if you dont see them, you have to account for the waste the babies produce.
-The lobster/crayfish is beautiful, but not good for a commmunity tank at all. It will ambush your fish when it gets the chance, and eat them. Not a good idea.


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## anthony1238 (Mar 18, 2008)

thanks for the compliment, what should I do to resolve those issues without over crowding the tank, maybe no angelfish and get a few more rainbows? would i be able to add 4 more corys? which ones should I get first?


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## herefishy (Dec 14, 2006)

Cories.


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

I think I would do this:

-1 Gourami (you pick what type)
-6 Cories
-1 Clown/Bristlenose Pleco (there are more smaller types on the market, but these are popular).
-3/4 Rainbows
-8 Neon Tetras
-At least 4 Killifish. 6 is better. You should get more plants in yoru tank if you plan on doing that, though.

You may be able to fit 3/4 platies if you are good with your water maintencence schedule.


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## herefishy (Dec 14, 2006)

Killies can be very territorial, Cody. Unless you research them fiirst, take heed in what you buy. Males can get very aggressive with the females.

There are also annual killies. These fish are short lived. There are also some killies that get rather large and will make a meal of other fish in the tank. Just be careful and do your homework before buying any.


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## Ashkat (Mar 11, 2008)

Ooo.. I love your tank too! Where did you get that 'ruins' ornament? Any idea what company makes it?

~Ashkat


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## crazy4fish (Dec 31, 2007)

i like cody's list and would say that about 3 platies would be ok. and after what herefishie said about killfish i would be careful about getting them. if you dont want the killifish because of their agressiveness i would suggest rummynose tetras or cherry barbs in their place. :wink: 

oh and i think that you should get the cories first. this will help keep your tank floor clean as you add more fish


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## anthony1238 (Mar 18, 2008)

Ashkat said:


> Ooo.. I love your tank too! Where did you get that 'ruins' ornament? Any idea what company makes it?
> 
> ~Ashkat


Thanks, I actually found it at a local Petco store. Edit: found the link http://www.petco.com/product/10920/...ents-BR-Greek-and-Roman-Ruins-Collection.aspx


i saw that the killifish were not aggressive, but i'll take your advice. any other fish that would be compatible that i should look at ??


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## crazy4fish (Dec 31, 2007)

there are tons of other compatible fish out there. are you looking for any certain size, color, or swimming level?


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## anthony1238 (Mar 18, 2008)

I'm more looking for colors, thats what drew me to the rainbow fish and the neons. I love the look of the Red platies, and the red sword tails. those with a mix of the Blue or flame gouramis i think looks good, any nice bright blue fish out there? or maybe yellow?


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hi
really nice tank you have there 
where did you get the plant in the middle of the tank from ?


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## herefishy (Dec 14, 2006)

Color? You could always change the whole scheme and get African cichlids. There is a ton of color in that family of fish.


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

I second the African Cic idea.

If you dont want to do that, some yellow fish can be Zebra Danios. They are actually a goldish/silverish color, but they are very fun to watch in a group of 5 or more. They are hardy, and are the spazzes of the fish world (crazy fish swim everywhere).


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## crazy4fish (Dec 31, 2007)

i think the african cic idea is good too. but incase you dont want to change everything and have to research all over again.... a few colorful community fish are....

guppies, kuhli loaches, celebes rainbowfish, threadfin rainbowfish, danios, cherry barbs, rummynose tetras, hachet fish, cardinal tetras, black neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, clown rasboras, and there are cichlids that would get along in a community tank like checkerboard cichlids, lemon cichlids, and dwarf cichlids.

do you want to stick with the community tank or go with the african cichlid idea?


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## okiemavis (Nov 10, 2007)

I like the idea of cichlids! While I love my community tank, I do wish I had more intelligent fish sometimes. If you look in the cichlid forum for a topic called "cichlids are awesome" (or something like that), you'll find some great stories. One person had a cichlid that would spit gravel at the glass every time he walked by for attention! There are some very intelligent fish who will get to know you personally and will eat right out of your hand!

If you decide to go for the standard community, I'd recommend getting more rainbows, they do better in larger groups. I've got 12 threadfin rainbows, who I LOVE. They stick together about 95% of the time.


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## anthony1238 (Mar 18, 2008)

yea i'm not sure if i want to go the Cichlid way yet. my tank is almost done being setup for a community, ide have to change a lot, its probably worth it for the color and the personalitly of the fish but i've been reading up on community fish and i'de have to read up a lot on Cichlid to see what i could put in there. maybe if i could put the blue lobster in with the Cichlid it might change my mind and i'll have to find some rocks. is it possible for Cichlids and a blue lobster to get along?


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## bf2king (Aug 3, 2007)

Cichlid would eat the lobster.

Another easy way to go with Cichlids is 1/Pair of something like Jack Dempsey's/Green Terror's. I have seen elctric blue green terror's at my lfs and they are sweet looking. ntm alot of personality from those fish. (not many if any tank mates though)


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## herefishy (Dec 14, 2006)

I was kind of talking about Rift Lake cichlids. More color, more personality. Usually better prices, especially with the common ones.


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## bf2king (Aug 3, 2007)

i realize this... i was talking if he wanted cichlid personality and not have 100 lbs of rock.


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## crazy4fish (Dec 31, 2007)

well if cics and lobsters cant get along i think he wanted to stick with the community tank right? :?


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## bf2king (Aug 3, 2007)

lobster would make a meal of everyfish it catches.


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## anthony1238 (Mar 18, 2008)

After watching some videos on youtube starring Lake Malawi cichlid. I think i want to go that route. as my tank stands from the pics, what would I have to change? is that gravel to big? should I use sand? Should I buy rocks or find some and clean them? how many Malawi cichlid could fit in a 55gallon? should I put them in at the same to so they get use to each other and get there territories? what ones do you recomend putting together? am i asking to many noob questions lol? god i hate noobs. 

Oh one last question. if i change the lanscape of my tank mid cycle would i have to start the cycle over? should I wait till its stable? ok thats it i swear.


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

personally id rather do south american cichlids for any number of reasons, but im biased  Id even consider a pair of severums, fire mouths (oooh i do like firemouths), maybe even keyholes or festivums.... as a center piece pair. 

Plenty of room for them to be active and still allow a community setting by adding perhaps some barbs, cory cats or small loaches, maybe a RTBS....

BUT... ive never had an experience with africans. maybe one of these days....


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## crazy4fish (Dec 31, 2007)

i would add at least a little rock or more caves. how many you can fit depends on the types you get.


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## tophat665 (Sep 30, 2006)

You could build a hell of a tank around a Mexican theme. Get one male and 3 female Swordtails or 3 male and 7 female platies (that'll be nearly as colorful as a malawi tank right there) then add a half dozen Juvi Firemouths and let them pair off. Get one or two pairs and take the rest back to the store. 

Go with a pair of Rubber Lipped/Bulldog plecos.

The Firemouths should keep the livebearer fry to a minimum. Course you'll have Firemouth fry to deal with then...

Now, you may ask yourself, self, Why is he saying so many platies? I would answer that I read in TFH that they are best kept in larger groups, 10 or more to a tank.

If you went with the swordtails, you might (and someone else should check me on this) be able to go with 3 or 4 so Bosemani, Turquoise, or red Irian, or 6 or 8 Praecox or McCullochi Rainbows.

I'd try to hit neutral to slightly basic PH, with medium hardness to make everybody happy.

I'm a natural tank guy, and I still think that's a great layout you have there.


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## crazy4fish (Dec 31, 2007)

i like tophats idea! i would go with swordtails myself.


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