Help?

newbie336

I have never been on a forum before. I have no clue what I'm doing. I hope this gets out because I really need advice. :)
I got a 55 gallon tank for Christmas. I have never owned any tank before. I have been reading all kinds of books and doing a lot of research online. I have pretty much narrowed it down to what kind of fish I want. I was going to get a BGK, but I want to wait until I get more experience. This is my list of what I'm looking to get, but I don't know if it's too much or if they will all make good tankmates..... 1 - Angelfish, 8 - Cardinal Tetras, 8 - Rainbowfish, 4 - Pictus Catfish, 3 - Bronze Cory Cats and 1 - Blue Gourami. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks
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AnnieC

The Cardinals will probably not last very long with the other fish you are considering. Also, that amount of fish seems like it may be a bit much, unless you were considering moving them to something larger. A BGK will also need a larger tank, if/when you do decide to ever get one.

newbie336

Thanks. Do you think if I didn't get the pictus the cardinals would be okay?

AnnieC

I wouldn't put them with the pictus, gourami or the angel, and depending on which species of rainbowfish you are getting, I probably wouldn't keep them with them, either

newbie336

I don't have my heart set on either the cardinals or the rainbow fish. I would just like to have a colorful school that would get along with the angel. Any suggestions?

RCinAL

Maybe try some Glo-fish. You can't beat the color and they should be fine with Angel fish.

tanker

If you look at the profile for the angelfish it recommends them to be in a group of 4/5.

How about a group of angels, group of diamond tetras, and a group of cories for the bottom?

What sort of water do you have? These are fish that like soft water.

newbie336

I can't seem to get my water report but I think I have changed my mind on the Angels. I am now thinking about going with a pair of Kehole Cichlids, maybe some cherry barbs and redtail rasboras and some harlequins for top swimmers. I do like those diamond tetras to. I am basically trying to find a centerpiece fish, some middle level schooling fish of two types (if possible) and some top swimmers. I still want the Cory cats for the bottom but I think the Pictus Catfish might be too aggressive. There are just so many fish to choose from!

aura09

I would maybe go with a peaceful tropical comminity tank as they are more hardy and good begginer fish plus you can have more! :) angelfish get really big 8x6! you should check out aqadvisor.com just put in your tank and filter and it has a list of fish and it will tell you if that fish can get along as well as other things like your stocking percent! its pretty cool. but def set it all up first and let your tank cycle for a week or two. use prime and maybe if you want some bacteria supplement. and then add your fish slowly as its a new tank and will be stressful for them. maybe 1-3 for big fish or 5-7 small ones. but goodluckk on whatever you chose to do! :D

p.s and for a show fish maybe a Pearl Gourami they get along with small neon tetras and what not. they are pretty too :)

Byron

Newbie336, welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

We have a fish profiles section, click on the second tab from the left in the blue bar at the top to go there. Freshwater fish are divided into the categories like Characins (the tetra, hatchetfish and pencilfish are all here), Catfish (corys and other bottom fish, except loaches), Cyprinids (rasbora, danio, barb, loaches), etc. Read through and find things you like. Each profile has advice on minimum tank size [for that spcies understand, the more species you have the bigger the tank needed], numbers of each species (shoaling fish must be in groups), compatible fish, etc.

Your water parameters are important, both hardness and pH. Some fish have specific needs, others are adaptable to some degree. This is also mentioned in the profiles.

The tank also has to cycle; read up on that here:
A Beginner's Guide to the Freshwater Aquarium Cycle

Byron.