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New aquarist looking for advice

2K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  Unlimited13 
#1 ·
Just bought a 55 gallon aquarium, and had it set up for about 3 weeks now. Got it fully cycled already using material from my old 10 gallon aquarium. I'm looking for advice on stocking it. Currently, I have: 6 cory cats 2 angelfish 1 red tail shark 1 Rhino pleco Looking to get 2 more angelfish. I have 2 emperor 400s for filtration, and a aerator.
 
#3 ·
First off... Welcome to the Forum. :razz: You have good and bad news with your current setup. Your filtration is great for your tank size, but your stocking is already over the recommended amount for your size tank. Also the Pleco can grow to over 10 inches, and is not suitable for the tank. You would be much better off with one of the dwarf Pleco species. If you rehomed the pleco, you could go with 2 more Angelfish, and you would be right at capacity for your tank.
 
#8 ·
Stocking

first of all, alot of people on here get WAY too technical about stocking parameters. in my 55 Gal i have 5 angels, 7 marble hatchets, a male beta, 3 corys, 2 SAE,and a gold nugget pleco, and about 50 ghost shrimp. the tank is moderately planted and has lots of driftwood. the main concern on stocking lots of fish is how much maintenance your willing to do. i do 20% WC once a week and a 45% every month. its time consuming but with the amount of fish i have in my tank, in order to keep good water quality thats what it takes. and dont ask me my water parameters because i havent checked them in 3 years. LOL take it slow on stocking, dont shock your tank or the other fish, get lots of maintenance fish!!! corys, SAE, Nitrate Snails, shrimp. im going to add a group of 10 jumbo Cardinals to this tank next week. take your time and experiment.
 
#10 ·
GOOD NEWS... found a store to take my Rhino Pleco back. Picked up an Inspector Pleco, and 2 other Angelfish. I'm guessing the Inspector pleco is the same thing as a Snowball Pleco?? About the Red Tailed Shark. . He is a HUGE bully, only if there are other fish in the aquarium that look just like him. I had a black Molly in there, and he chased it 24/7, and ended up having to separate them. Ended up setting up my old 10 gallon tank, and putting my molly in there. He gets a long great with the other fish in my tank. Too cool looking to get rid of! IMO
 
#11 ·
What is the current size of your redtail? He may be behaving himself now, but that doesn't mean he won't change as he matures/grows - especially since you have already seen aggression towards the one molly. Unless you have had him prior to getting this new tank you have only had him for three weeks at the longest, and seen aggression in just that short time. Being cool looking is not a good enough reason to keep incompatible fish, jmo.
 
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