idears for new 55 gallon

[SonicMarauder]

first off, im new here but not entirely new to aquariums.... ive had a few and know the basics as far as testing the water and performing maintainence on the water and equipment(like when to do partial changes, cleaning etc.)

well anyways after my dogs knocked my 30G over by chasing my sister stupid cat who decided to take refuge behind it a few years a go i decided i wouldnt get another tank untill my sister either moves out or that stupid cat dies.......... well sis has be out for like 4 years and the cat FINALLY died after a good run of 15 years of age... not soon enough

ANYWAYS

im getting an all-glass 55 w/ under gravel power heads etc...... the whole deal and i have a 10 gallon now that houses 3 serpae tetras a corydora a black cardinal tetra and a colombian red-blue tetra(i call him the di*khead for reasons ill explain in a second)
heres what i wanna do... i love watching my serpaes, but the di*khead is aggressive towards them, im guessing cause he's not in a school like he should be. he's already killed 1 serpae. i originally bought 4 but the littlest one got attacked... all the fish are still pretty much in their juvenile state except for the di*khead. so i wanna move the serpaes into the 55 when its up and cycled for a week or so cause ive always kinda wanted to let my new tanks cycle for 7-10 days. so i want to move the serpaes into the 55 and let them enjoy a nice expansive playground and add a few more and get a nice school going.

^^^ all that depends on this

i havent missed a shark week on the discovery channel since i was like 3..i love sharks.... coolest animal EVAR....and since its extremely hard to have a tank big enough to hold a real shark.... i wanna get a bala shark and heres my questions.....
i know the bala wont go in untill the tank has matured...... but will a 55 be good for 1 bala due to its huge potential size?
and if its good for 1 bala... would the bala pick on/eat my serpaes when it gets bigger?

i know small bala groups prefer 75 or above so i was just wondering
i

 

[Masta_Cheef]

SUUUUUCCCKKK! 30g of water + crashing into = nice mess on floor = pissed off owner.

Are you sure that it's a black cardinal and not a black neon?

You should also get a few more cories as they like to be in schools, too.

Balas really need to be in schools of 3 or more. Last I remember reading, they needed like 125 for 3 (or thereabout). I thought it said that they get to like 10" plus each, so that's a pretty big fish, but I could be wrong. It'd prolly eat your serpaes, or will chase them to death.

Congrats on the sharkweek. I like it, too. I used to watch it religiously, every year --wink wink--

If you really wanted, you could take back the aggressive fish, and get some more serpaes to increase their school's size. I'm sure they'd more than appreciate it, and with the aggressive gone, then you'd be good to go.

 

[Lotus]

I had two balas in a 55g, and they really weren't happy. They do need a lot of swimming room, and are very skittish. When they got to about 10" we gave them away.

 

[FroggyFox]

I agree...I'd exnay the shark idea unless you're planning on getting a larger tank.

For the fish that you have I think I'd agree, get some more of the same types of fish you have since they all school. (and decide whether to keep the aggressive one or not...)

You also might want to read up on cycling....you said cycling for 7-10 days which leads me to assume that you mean leave the tank sitting empty running for that long...which pretty much doesn't do anything. You need to cycle the tank, and all of the things that are in your current tank can help speed up that process...but you really ought to read up on it. There are some great sticky threads about cycling/setting up a tank stickied to the top of the beginner forum for starters...and then of course we're all here if you have questions

Welcome to MFT!

 

[SonicMarauder]

SUUUUUCCCKKK! 30g of water + crashing into = nice mess on floor = pissed off owner.

Are you sure that it's a black cardinal and not a black neon?

yeah i was pissed im still kinda pissed at my sister to this day eventhough i had my revenge back then.......... my sisters mouse she had as well became lunch for my cousins python...... and i told her the cat ate it

and yeah it was a black neon my bad


ANYWAYS
poo i wanted a bala a lot too.... but i aint gonna keepem if i know i cant makem happy

so..... need some suggestions.. i wanna have atleast 6 serpaes.... for some reason i like them more then any other tetra maybe its cause they are like a sinister color red that reminds me of a kid in gym class that was smaller then everyone else but nobody messed with him cause he kinda twitched and looked psycho... he ended up stabbing his older brother for giving him a wedgy

but yeah i want atleast 6 serpaes...maybe more so what can i fill the rest of the space with.... i need ideas the di*khead prolly keep the 10 gallon and maybe just get 2 more red-blues while the cory and the serpaes get the mansion tank. the petstore only has a 1 week return policy and ive had the di*khead for awhile now

so 55g
atleast 6 serpae's
couple more cory's
*insert fish*
*insert fish*
*insert fish*
*insert fish*
nothing with fancy or long fins due to the serpae's fin nipping tendacy


10g aka "solitary confinement"
the di*khead and with 2 more blue reds

 

[Big Vine]

SonicMarauder,

I've always been interested in serpaes too, even though I've never kept them. Have you thought about getting bleeding-heart tetras?

I've said this before, and I'll say it again...the LFS places very rarely, if ever, have sufficient lighting in their tanks to show the true colors of these fish. I was brave enough to pick up a few several years ago at an independently-owned LFS where I used to live...I say "brave enough," because I thought they looked rather dull, and thought I made a mistake...

Well...they looked awesome in my tank at home!

They really had some spirit and individual personality to them too, and they grow slightly larger than the serpaes.

Check em' out if you haven't looked into them already.

Big Vine

 

[SonicMarauder]

heres some thoughts... i want some fish that looks like sharks but are good community fish....and since balas are out i did some research

red line torpedo barb still gets big but everywhere ive checked they dont get any bigger then 6" however ive heard these fish get pricey and need to be in schools which would make a nice dent in my fish compacity

also a red finned black shark came to mind but i heard they get grumpy and dont like small fish

i just want something thats got that classic shark shape to it

if i could only convince my rents to let me move into the garage and id turn half the garage into a big bala shark tank and be happy.......... hmm now all i gotta do is win the lottery

 

[Lotus]

You could look into syndontis or pimelodus catfish (various species). To me, they look a lot more like sharks than balas or redline barbs. Some of them may eat your tetras eventually, depending on the species.

I believe the cost of redline barbs is coming down, but no one seems to know if it's because they're exporting more and destroying the habitat or if they're breeding them in Asia.

 

[Smalltank3]

OK hold up.......
My brother has a 30 gallon tank with platies danios 1 bala shark and rasboras.
He had 3 serpae tetras with a bala shark and it did no harm. My brother had a parrotfish that ate the tetras so he sold it. A bala can be happy in a 30g and up. His bala is doing great and in a 55 with serpae tetras and 1 bala he has plenty of room to swim. The torpedo barbs are cool too. If you wanted this is what I was thinking.
1 Bala Shark
6 serpae tetras
3 Torpedo barbs(Denison Barbs)
5 corys
I think that would be an excellent community.

 

[FroggyFox]

Just because something may work for someone...doesn't necessarily mean its a good idea. Part of responsible fishkeeping is to do research and put together a tank that is a good combination of fish who get along and an atmosphere that is healthy for the fish...not just somewhere that they can survive.

 

[stef25]

i have two balas in a relatively small tank and with hindsight, i wouldnt do that again. try to resist the urge ...

 

[SonicMarauder]

as far as the soapopera in the 10g is going i added 2 more serpaes and another bronze corydora in hopes to supress the di*khead fish's territorial aggression....

the one serpae that used to hide up in the corner behind my powerhead is now lower level schooling quite well with the other serpaes when i added the two newbies and the di*khead seemed to leave them alone... this is good... although he still gets nippy during feeding time but thats okay

the new cory is significantly smaller then the one thats in there but thats no biggy it follows the the big one around where-ever he goes. when i came home from class today they were both just chillin on one of the blades of one of the amazon sword plastic plants i have in there

now heres what really wierds me out..... now my black neon tetra is pickin on the serpaes which are like twice his size every so often..oh well... when i get the new tank and everything he's gettin some buddes too


as far as the tank layout.. i'm not much for goofy lookin tank layouts so ima try to set the 55 up like a realistic biotope.. maybe amazon etc. depending on what i finally decide to put in the tank.
i want the fish to be happy and if a fish is happier in a school ill try to school them which primarily rules out balas and maybe torpedo barbs idunno yet
but i know for sure that the 55 is gonna have atleast 6 serpaes, 3 corys, and maybe some black neons... depending on what i decide with the barbs or if i can even find them... ill have to ask around at lfs. idunno if petsmart would get me some... hmmm