adding new fish to 55g ???

segsig

New Fish
Nov 22, 2008
5
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0
#1
Just another post looking for suggestions to add fish to my 55g FW tank--if I can... here is a list of what I have now



1 tri-color shark

1 gold dojo loach

1 red minor serpae tetra

4 neon tetra

1 lemon tetra

1 black skirt tetra

3 pleco algae eaters

1 cherry barb or small reddish/black tetra (not really sure as it came from my 30g)





can I add more sharks or guarami's or angel fish? any suggestions and help would be appreciated--thanks in advance..



Steve
 

sweetpickles7

Superstar Fish
Feb 13, 2007
1,239
0
0
Central Illinois
#2
Well depending on what type of pleco algae eaters you have, it will most likely get quite large. If anything i would add more to your schooling fish and make there numbers larger. I cant really tell you unless you know what kind of pleco you have and i can base it off of that.
 

segsig

New Fish
Nov 22, 2008
5
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0
#3
adding fish

not sure the exact type of pleco's but two are smaller black/grey and the third is a bit larger and brown with yellow mixed in. I'm sure I can get the exact names from the LFS.
 

misterking

Superstar Fish
Aug 12, 2008
1,124
0
0
Manchester, UK
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#4
If anything I'd bump up your tetras. Serpae tetras and Black Skirts can be very nippy and this is amplified when they're kept solitary. Tetras need to be in shoals of at least 6 or they become nervy, and they look much better in shoals anyway.

And I agree that three plecos is too much for a 55g unless it's something like a bristlenose, and even then plecos can become quite territorial the older they get. I'd keep to one bristlenose pleco if I were you. Also plecos produce quite a lot of bioload so you could end up with water issues. But as sweetpickles said, without knowing what type of pleco you have we can't make a good guess.

Tricolor sharks grow HUGE. They need to be kept in at least a small shoal and I wouldn't even keep one in a 55 - we're talking 40cm a fish when fully grown, and they're also very active and need lots of swimming space. Lone tricolor sharks will quickly become nervous and may take to jumping out of the tank.

Without sounding rude (because I don't mean to be!) I would seriously consider revising your current stocking before adding anything else because this current set-up could leave some very miserable fish and an overstocked tank.
 

homebunnyj

Superstar Fish
Jul 13, 2005
1,299
4
0
Western NC
#5
You really need to up the numbers of each type of tetra to at least six. Schools of a dozen or more look nice. And I, personally, would ditch the black skirt. No matter how many of those suckers I've had, even up to a dozen, they still nipped fins. I will never own them again. Some apparently have better experiences with them than I have had.

Yep, you have a bit of a tankbuster in the tri-color shark. You'd be better off without it. Also, the advice about the plecos is right on the money... commons will get too huge, and I think you might already know if you had a bristlenose, by -- yep -- the bristles.

You know, dojo loaches are fun to watch, especially when you have more than one of them. They enjoy having others around, and they chase each other up and down the tank, and sometimes they all pile up together for a nap. They're funny-looking buggers; I named mine Larry, Leonard, and Lloyd. I had them in a 55 with my goldfish. They're from cooler waters, so you really shouldn't set your tank temp higher than 75 or 76 degrees with them in it. Also, you need to make sure your substrate is not made up of sharp-edged particles, as they tend to burrow. This is true for bristlenose plecos as well. Small-diameter gravel and sand work nicely for them.

I don't see why a gourami or an angel wouldn't work as a centerpiece fish, although there is a chance that an angel could snack on your smaller tetras. Also, it's good to have tall plants, either silk or real, to help angels feel comfortable... or so I've read. I've researched angels quite a bit, but never quite taken the plunge of acquiring them. Lots of plants should give the tetras some hiding places, though.

Question: What is the history of this tank? How long has it been up? How long have the current inhabitants lived in it? Has it been trouble-free? Depending on the answers, it might not be an appropriate time to add *any* fish. Patience is definitely an asset to a fishkeeper.