55g Stocking Ideas

Jasey

I am deciding what to stock in a 55 gallon. I would like to get a couple of gouramis. Do these fish get along well with each other or do they like to be solitary? I would like to finish out my school of long-fin black skirt tetras to have 4 or 5 in total. Also, a school of neon tetras, maybe 6? I would like maybe 3 ghost shrimp too.

My boyfriend insists on getting a pleco because he loves them, but I am afraid it will grow too big for our tank. I would like a bottom dweller/algae eater. There are several catfish at the LFS: pictus, upsidedown, that I can remember. There are also some cories. I don't remember seeing an otocinclus. What are some suggestions for fish like plecos, but don't get as big?

Zule

I'm sure other members here could give you more in-depth suggestions, but I'll throw in what I know. A school of six cories would be great to liven up your tank. They're also good at picking up scraps of food in the substrate that other fish miss. If your boyfriend really wants a pleco, do some looking around for some sort of dwarf pleco. Clown and bristlenose plecos are some that would easily and comfortably fit in your tank. If my experience, Petco usually only carries the Common Pleco, but I've seen a few others at Petsmart. Maybe if you have a store in the area that specializes in just fish, you might find one of the smaller variations of pleco.

As for the Pictus Catfish, they can grow quite big and are very active swimmers, so the norm for them is 75 gallons. Upside-down catfish would be good for your tank, but they prefer to be in schools, so take that into account if you decide on those.

As for the gourami's, I don't know much about them, so I'll leave that to someone else. All I know is some are classified peaceful and some are semi-aggressive.

I hope that helps, good luck with your tank.

Jasey

Thanks for the information Zule! I did see a Bristlenose Pleco at the LFS, but I didn't know they don't grow as big as the Common Pleco. That is great news - something smaller than a Common Pleco but still a large resemblance. I guess Pictus Catfish is out of the question.. I remember the tag said they grew up to 12 inches.

Zule

Yeah, the pictus get big. With some fish that's not so much of a problem, but pictus are so active that they need more space than most fish their size.
Bristlenose plecos grow to about 4 to 5 inches, so your tank would house one nicely if you chose that species.

Glad I could help.

LincolnS

why not try like 4? angels, a bristlenose, and a school of corydoras?

Jasey

We are pretty sure we would like this combination in our 55g:

- 2 Pearl Gouramis
- 5 Zebra Danios
- 5 Long-fin Black Skirt Tetras
- 1 Bristlenose Pleco
- 3 Ghost Shrimp

We would like to get a Mystery Snail, but I'm not sure if that's possible because of the preferred pH levels for these other fish. Doing research, these fish prefer slightly acidic water (6-7), while the snails prefer pH higher than 7.

How does this sound?

Zule

That looks fine to me, it should make for a very interesting community of fish.

Holly

I would get a bunch of ghost shrimp. Check into the gouramis and the shrimp. I have a feeling that they might end up as a snack! When I had swordfish the shrimp would always mysteriously disappear but they were check enough that I would buy 10-20 at a time and as they did disappear, it would take 2 months, but I would just get more.

Jasey

You're right - I probably need to bump the numbers up a bit on the shrimp. I haven't read anywhere that they will eat them. But I guess I'll see when I get them! Your method seems good - shrimp only cost like 44 cents each anyway.

okiemavis

You could get Honey Gourami instead of pearls. They're a bit smaller, and very, very, peaceful, so I'd have no worries about keeping them with shrimp. I keep mine with Guppy fry and don't have any problems! I think they're one of the most underrated gourami.