New 55 Gal Aquarium

[kirkdbergeron]

Well as you see in the title, we got a new 55 gal aqarium (well new to us) we were wondering what to put in it, would like something that gets to be a decent size, and entertaining, easy up keep, any suggestions besides goldfish?

 

[Sin-ster]

I used to keep a 100 gallon and a 55 gallon tank, both packed with cichlids. The 55 had a colorful collection of African species, while I kept South/Central Americans in the 100 gallon with lots of dither fish to keep them occupied. Realistically, I could have packed a lot more Africans in the big tank and a single HUGE fish in the 55 gallon, but I really liked my set up.

For reference, the African fish are smaller and typically more colorful. You can get a lot more of them into a tank, and realistically, slight overcrowding is good so they don't single each other out for destruction, but rather spread around the "love". These are aggressive fish, very active, and quite a bit of fun to watch.

The Central/Southern American fish are (in general) much larger, although they can run the gamut in size. Some of them exhibit amazing behaviors. My Red Devil loved to dig pits for herself and "bluff" at me through the glass. I had a mated pair of Convicts (much smaller) that spawned every few months and held off the Devil (10x their size or more) in shifts, or as a team. One day they would cut the spawn loose, and they'd all vanish. It didn't take any work on my part to get this to happen-- a male and a female, and they bred like rabbits.

As far as "easy up keep", these are pretty messy fish. However, they are also VERY hardy, so even spikes in Ph and Ammonia won't kill them if you catch it in a reasonable amount of time. I've even seen pictures of someone keeping a massive Red Devil in a bucket for a week until their tank could be replaced. If you use extra filtration, vacuuming the gravel once a month is more than sufficient; add a reverse under gravel system and you can stretch that out a lot more. Many of the most popular filters offer special inserts that you can use to control ammonia levels, nitrates and what not, so finding a good balance is easy.

There is TONS of material you can Google about setting up a tank, choosing your fish and keeping them healthy. Aside from a salt water tank, if I ever set my two up again, there's no question that it'll be stocked with cichlids. There are a wide variety of species available at every pet shop I've ever been in, with an impressive stock at Petsmart and other mega stores.

 

[charliepapa]

That's a fair-sized tank. We used to have one set up with a few small bream, a small bass, a catfish and couple of crawfish. Sort of a south Louisiana tank. We even had a small red-eared turtle in there at one point. We would buy frozen brine shrimp from the pet store and break off and melt a chunk everyday for food. Of course, the bass would eat almost anything that hit the water so he'd also get the occasional cricket or moth, which was entertaining. Actually, nothing was more entertaining than the crawfish. They would seemingly plot all day on how to catch one of the fish by climbing and perching on something in the tank only to fall off and slowly drift back to the bottom of the tank.

 

[CrkdLtr]

put some native fish in there. Bluegill(Bream) Crappie (Sacaulait) Bass. When they get too big you can have a fish fry and replace them.

 

[Dustin-R]

Fresh or salt water? What would decent size be to you? African Cichlids are a good fresh water fish that come in various colors. They usually get around 4-8 inches depending on exact species..The substrate in a cichlid tank is usually a small white rock (called Dolomite or the new Eco-Complete that don't require the constant cleaning of dolomite) that they will pick up and move around the tank (so they actually do more than just swim around)

 

[Sin-ster]

Fresh or salt water? What would decent size be to you? African Cichlids are a good fresh water fish that come in various colors. They usually get around 4-8 inches depending on exact species..The substrate in a cichlid tank is usually a small white rock )called Dolomite or the new Eco-Complete) that they will pick up and move around the tank(so they actually do more than just swim around)

That's a pretty good photo representation there, and it barely scratches the surface of available species.

 

[tmlowe]

my did had a few perch in a tank at one point. better yet, find some piranhas

 

[Snookie]

 

[grits]

55 gal is plenty big enough for a ball python.

 

[Nail Gun]

How about a cat? You'd have to lower the water level a bit though.

 

[kirkdbergeron]

How about a cat? You'd have to lower the water level a bit though.

I think I would rather the "cat" ole snookie is showing us LOL!

 

[kirkdbergeron]

I used to keep a 100 gallon and a 55 gallon tank, both packed with cichlids. The 55 had a colorful collection of African species, while I kept South/Central Americans in the 100 gallon with lots of dither fish to keep them occupied. Realistically, I could have packed a lot more Africans in the big tank and a single HUGE fish in the 55 gallon, but I really liked my set up.

For reference, the African fish are smaller and typically more colorful. You can get a lot more of them into a tank, and realistically, slight overcrowding is good so they don't single each other out for destruction, but rather spread around the "love". These are aggressive fish, very active, and quite a bit of fun to watch.

The Central/Southern American fish are (in general) much larger, although they can run the gamut in size. Some of them exhibit amazing behaviors. My Red Devil loved to dig pits for herself and "bluff" at me through the glass. I had a mated pair of Convicts (much smaller) that spawned every few months and held off the Devil (10x their size or more) in shifts, or as a team. One day they would cut the spawn loose, and they'd all vanish. It didn't take any work on my part to get this to happen-- a male and a female, and they bred like rabbits.

As far as "easy up keep", these are pretty messy fish. However, they are also VERY hardy, so even spikes in Ph and Ammonia won't kill them if you catch it in a reasonable amount of time. I've even seen pictures of someone keeping a massive Red Devil in a bucket for a week until their tank could be replaced. If you use extra filtration, vacuuming the gravel once a month is more than sufficient; add a reverse under gravel system and you can stretch that out a lot more. Many of the most popular filters offer special inserts that you can use to control ammonia levels, nitrates and what not, so finding a good balance is easy.

There is TONS of material you can Google about setting up a tank, choosing your fish and keeping them healthy. Aside from a salt water tank, if I ever set my two up again, there's no question that it'll be stocked with cichlids. There are a wide variety of species available at every pet shop I've ever been in, with an impressive stock at Petsmart and other mega stores.

I think the wife is leaning more towards the cichlids, or I am pretty close to having her talked into it, which ever comes first I do thank everybody!

 

[Snookie]

I think I would rather the "cat" ole snookie is showing us LOL!

I like DAT me!

 

[kirkdbergeron]

I like DAT me!

+1

 

[FTRrookie]

glocks

 

[kirkdbergeron]

Fresh or salt water? What would decent size be to you? African Cichlids are a good fresh water fish that come in various colors. They usually get around 4-8 inches depending on exact species..The substrate in a cichlid tank is usually a small white rock (called Dolomite or the new Eco-Complete that don't require the constant cleaning of dolomite) that they will pick up and move around the tank (so they actually do more than just swim around)

How much Eco complete would be needed for a 55 gallon tank, and what else do you mix or add with it?


And is this what I'm after?
Eco-Complete-Planted-Black-Aquarium-Substrate

 

[LongGoneDays]

Edited due to e-stalking by Vanilla Gorilla

 

[kirkdbergeron]

Bump

 

[Dustin-R]

How much Eco complete would be needed for a 55 gallon tank, and what else do you mix or add with it?


And is this what I'm after?
Eco-Complete-Planted-Black-Aquarium-Substrate

When I had mine i used the dolomite rock. I would clean the dolomite usually two-three times a month. There is a attachment for a pump that sucks up the FUNK without sucking up the rocks . I used a substrate filter under the rocks, a over the back filter, and put about 2-3 inches of rock.you can put the large rocks for them to hide and swim through. There are many types of filters ,pumps etc you can choose from. Especially for a tank of your size. Always get the correct size for your tank.. I had a 30 gallon tank an upkeep was not that bad. Every so often you will have to completely clean the tank,rocks,filters etc. Keep in mind that once it is full and fish ready it will weigh over 500 pounds. You will need a heater , cover with light ,and the 2 part magnetic glass cleaner makes cleaning the inside glass very easy. This hobby does cost to start up if you want the good stuff. Hope this helps...

 

[Sin-ster]

IIRC, it's a pound per gallon for substrate-- although it's been a while since I set one up. The primary function is to provide a breeding ground for the bacteria that will help to break down wastes and maintain your Ph; with "dirty" (active) fish, there is a school of thought that more rock is better. I would do a Google search on the subject as it relates to the fish you are choosing-- it shouldn't be difficult to find a wealth of information.

Realistically, the larger your tank, the less drastic any water changes will be once the chemistry has stabilized. This is a double edged sword, as any random spikes will also be harder to change without going overboard. Anything you can do to "naturally" stabilize the balance and prolong it's ability to self-maintain, the better-- it's much more healthy for the fish and easier on you, in terms of work.

I had 60 pounds of rock in a 55 gallon tank, with ~80 gallons worth of over the back filtration and a reverse under gravel filter (which kept the gunk OFF of the rocks and in the active filters, while still moving water through the good bacteria of the substrate). To set it up, you put the same filtration "plates" down that you would with a standard under gravel filter, but use an underwater pump that pulls water in and forces it through the grating from the bottom. My 55 was tall (show tank), but it still kept the vast majority of the crud high enough in the water to get picked up by the main filter.

Aeration is important for cichlids, especially if you're going to stock the tank a bit heavily-- which you can get away with in a 55 gallon, and I would recommend. One large aeration stone is sufficient, provided your pump is strong enough to support it; two medium sized are better.

Keep in mind that you'll want to let your entire system cycle for a few days before introducing fish. When you do begin populating, start with a couple small (inexpensive) "test" fish, just to be sure. It's hard to spend the time and money getting set up and wait to stock the tank, but it's well worth it-- I never lost a fish (to anything but ANOTHER fish) in the four years I had both of my tanks set up. If your water chemistry is wacky, you may have to balance it manually with some of the chemicals on the market. This is alright to start, but you definitely want to try and get it to stabilize on its own. Using "test" fish to help put some wastes in the water and promote bacteria growth is your best course of action, and a week of being the tank's sole occupant will do wonders in this regard.

You may be tempted to put a plecosthamus (sp?) in the tank to eat the algae. I never had one last very long with my Central/South American cichlids, and never terribly long with my Africans. They literally ate the eyes right out of its head, on numerous occasions.