Stocking 55 gallon tank

[mecke316]

Stocking 55 gallon Pentagon corner (tall tank)

First of all let me start by saying that I was patient and all my levels are at 0. I saw a Nitrate spike and did a 25 percent water change. Everything is good now. Currently I have 3 sunburst platys and 3 bleeding heart tetras in the tanks. I also have some Java moss in the tank which is doing well and spreading. Here is what I plan on stocking the tank with. Please let me know your thoughts.

1 Betta
1 Clown Loach
1 Rainbow shark
6 ghost shrimp (if they are food so be it)
2 or 3 Cory cats
4 or 5 small angels, hoping they pair up so we can get some breeding going
5 or 6 neons

I plan on putting in some tall plants to get the Betta a place to hide and hang out, same for the angels. I have seen that the bottom Clown Loach and Rainbow shark can get along, guess i will try to protect the Betta, should be plenty of room between them. I am planning on going pretty small on size for all for now. Does anyone see any problems with the set up.

Also let me say that I have an aqua clear 300 HOB filter with the setup of foam( bottom layer), biomax (middle layer0, foam (top layer). It has been a while since I had a tank and have been doing as much homework as I can. Does anyone see any possible problems with this layout.

Also, for lighting I have the standard light that came with it at this point, there is another spot for a second one and I plan to buy another fixture for that.

One more thing, any suggestions on feeding this tank

[mecke316]

Any help in what plants to get would be helpful as well. They are difficult to find that tall. Thanks

[Maine_Fish]

Originally Posted by mecke316 Stocking 55 gallon Pentagon corner (tall tank) First of all let me start by saying that I was patient and all my levels are at 0. I saw a Nitrate spike and did a 25 percent water change. Everything is good now. Currently I have 3 sunburst platys and 3 bleeding heart tetras in the tanks. I also have some Java moss in the tank which is doing well and spreading. Here is what I plan on stocking the tank with. Please let me know your thoughts. 1 Betta 1 Clown Loach 1 Rainbow shark 6 ghost shrimp (if they are food so be it) 2 or 3 Cory cats 4 or 5 small angels, hoping they pair up so we can get some breeding going 5 or 6 neons I plan on putting in some tall plants to get the Betta a place to hide and hang out, same for the angels. I have seen that the bottom Clown Loach and Rainbow shark can get along, guess i will try to protect the Betta, should be plenty of room between them. I am planning on going pretty small on size for all for now. Does anyone see any problems with the set up. Also let me say that I have an aqua clear 300 HOB filter with the setup of foam( bottom layer), biomax (middle layer0, foam (top layer). It has been a while since I had a tank and have been doing as much homework as I can. Does anyone see any possible problems with this layout. Also, for lighting I have the standard light that came with it at this point, there is another spot for a second one and I plan to buy another fixture for that. One more thing, any suggestions on feeding this tank

My 2 cents...

The betta and angelfish might not be a good mix.

A single clown loach might survive, but probably won't thrive. Groups are better. I'd say 3-5 as a minimum. Plus, they will eventually outgrow your tank. Here's a good resource about clown loaches: http://www.loaches.com/species-index...a-macracanthus

The ghost shrimp will likely be snacks, as you already noted.

If by "neons" you mean neon tetras, they could eventually end up as snacks as well (when the angelfish get larger).

Your filter will turn over your water about 5 times per hour (plus or minus). I like to aim for at least 10x per hour. Problem is, if you were to add another HOB filter, or go with a larger filter (like an Aquaclear 500/110, for example) the current might be too much for the angelfish. If this was my tank (and I had my heart set on the angelfish), I might keep the Aquaclear 300, and add a couple sponge filters to the filtration system.

Sounds like fun...good luck!

[Angelclown]

Yes clown loaches need to be in groups, otherwise they get lonely. They are social fish, meaning they like the company of others. They get huge, over 10 inches easily. Also make sure your tank is cycled completely. Clown loaches are very sensitive to water condition changes, they are susceptible to ich and other diseases. If anyone gets sick, you will have to half dose any medicine you get to treat, because clown loaches are sensitive to the medications. Clown loaches need at least a 6 foot tank.

If everyone grows up together, they will get along. I have a 55 gallon tank and I have two clown loaches and two bristlenose plecos.

Oh also clown loaches grow slowly, so you have time to save for a bigger tank for them.

[mecke316]

Okay. Sounds like I need to add a couple clown loaches to the list. Is their anything I can replace the neon tetras with, I don't want more snacks. As for the filtration I guess I will stay with my current filter, gravel vacuum and do water changes religiously. As for the fish on my list, any feeding tips. Worried about the shark and Betta not getting what they need also, ideas for plants would be great. Thanks for all the input.

Chris

[wooferkitty]

they grow real slow in my experience and deff do better in groups as for the ghost shrimp just about all your choices of fish will eat them eventually. if you are hoping for your angels to pair off skip the neons also remember angels get big an adult pair can be real bully's I have seen it as for the shark it will grow slow I had a red tail until my old turtle decided it was lunch. bypass any meds and use a quarantine tank with the same water quality as your main (not always possible but do your homework way cheaper than using all sorts of meds) also the betta could get hostile with juvenile angels.

all in all sounds like a lovely tank take your time and show us some pics

[ZebraDanio12]

Just pick a bigger tetra to replace them with.

[mecke316]

So here's the update... I saw a deal on the angel fish that I couldn't pass up. I got 3 for 10, I was told they were going to be juveniles on the phone, they are far from juvenile. Nice good size healthy angels. Hoping I got a mixture of males and females. One is jet black, one is pearl white, and the other is mixed. I also saw a beautiful light blue Betta that I couldn't pass up. I got them home, did all the normal stuff and put them in the tank. They all seemed to get along wonderfully. They were spending a lot of time together and were not aggressive to each other. The Betta seemed to have enough and went to the top for a while. Seemed like he was a little stressed out. Turned out the light, let them be, and this morning everyone looks happy. The tetra and the platys kinda just got out of the way and let them do their thing. I will keep a close eye on any ammonia spikes as this is the first time i put this many bigger size fish in at one time.

I guess for the next week or two I am going to decorate and plant the tank, at least one side. I have java moss in there. Does anyone have any recommendations for live plants to add. I have ideas for everything except for what kinds of plants. Please help. Thank you to everyone on the board being nice to the new guy on the boards.

After planting and decorating some more I am adding a rainbow shark and 3 clown loaches and a couple cory cats. I think I will be done. Oh and I am going to put in about 10 ghost shrimp this week. I am sure they will be a snack, but I hope to have enough hiding places for some to last a while. I will post pictures soon.

Again, need help on plants. This aquarium is tall, a 12 inch plant wont do. I will use them if that is all I have. Thanks for any input.

Chris

[lohachata]

NICE.....who wants to be nice...you just haven't met me yet....
here....try this guy for plants....you really have to be patient with pants...they don't often come at the size you may want for your tank..i have had amazon swords reach 4 feet tall..same with several species of aponogeton..

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/aucti...nts&1358265009

or i might have a couple of these guys left....they get very tall....

[mecke316]

So Amazon swords, and what are those guys? I see you are selling a bunch, but may not guarantee or let me pick what I want. I like the pic you posted, what are they?


Chris

[lohachata]

the pic is of Aponogeton Ulvaceus....at the time of the pic the plants were about 6 or 7 weeks old i think...i sold a bunch of them at a show but still have some left..but they are not cheap..nice thing about these plants are after they flower for a bit and the leaves start dying back you just pull the bulb..put it in a cool dark place for a month or so.. put it back in a tank and it grows back..i have 2 of them in a tank that are about 3 feet tall and are putting out seed pods...
i also have a few madagascar laceleafs hanging around.....very cool plant that will also get big...




the link i gave you is for a guy in new york that has really nice plants...contact him and tell him what you want..i am pretty sure he will work with you..