55 Gallon Stocking Ideas?

redtailshark34 · May 29, 2021

Hi guys!
I have a 55 gallon tank that is currently cycling (hopefully done by tomorrow!). I have a whole other post on it if you want to go check it out.

I need some stocking ideas ?
kH: 200ppm (between 180 and 240)
gH: 15ppm
pH: 7.4
I use API Master Freshwater Test Kit for pH and API Five in on Test Strips for gH and kH.
*Gravel substrate- so please don’t recommend anything that requires sand, soil, etc
*Lots of live plants, caves, and places to hide
*HAS to be able to live with a school of buenos aires tetra
*Tropical tank as well

Briar · May 30, 2021

So I have never had any tetra So i'm not to familiar but i did do a quick check online about them but platies would be a great tank mate You could also do honey gourami i think

PorshaF · May 30, 2021

Rainbow fish would be really cool in there. Maybe some flying fox? Have to check their water requirements, I just recently.saw them together in a display tank at the lfs. There are a wide variety of barbs, my favorite are Odessa barbs. Or celestial. I know buenos aires can be fin nippers so best to have similar sized fish that are just as fast and don't have longer fins. I would not suggest bleeding heart tetras, Gourami, or angel fish if your tetras are similar to the serpae that I have-
It seems like they would be from what I've read of them. Barbs are the best tankmate that I've found for mine. They don't let the serpae hassle them around haha

Lajos_Detari · May 31, 2021

redtailshark34 said:
Hi guys!
I have a 55 gallon tank that is currently cycling (hopefully done by tomorrow!). I have a whole other post on it if you want to go check it out.

I need some stocking ideas ?
kH: 200ppm (between 180 and 240)
gH: 15ppm
pH: 7.4
I use API Master Freshwater Test Kit for pH and API Five in on Test Strips for gH and kH.
*Gravel substrate- so please don’t recommend anything that requires sand, soil, etc
*Lots of live plants, caves, and places to hide
*HAS to be able to live with a school of buenos aires tetra
*Tropical tank as well

Are your GH and KH correct? Did you reverse them?
Usually GH is higher than KH.
I suppose your GH is between 180 to 240ppm(dgh 10 to 14) and not the KH, which is considered slightly hard water.

Actually Buenos Aires tetra are soft water fish but they can live in water with GH between 18 to 357ppm according to the website below:

Hyphessobrycon anisitsi – Buenos Aires Tetra (Hemigrammus caudovittatus, Hyphessobrycon erythrurus) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

You can consider some hard water fish such as Platies or Rainbow fish as mentioned by Briar and Porsha.

Xiphophorus maculatus – Platy — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Melanotaenia boesemani (Boeseman's rainbowfish) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Or the more interesting fish will be the Shell dwellers and some Lake Tanganyika fish.
Most African fish are very aggressive. So look for those that are less aggressive and not too big.

Some fish for your considerations:

Meet the shell dwellers

In the dangerous expanses of open water, it can pay to be a small fish. So small, in fact, that you can hide in a snail shell. Meet evolution’s curiosities from Tanganyika.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Breeding Neolamprologus caudopunctatus | TFH Magazine

An expert aquarist shares his breeding account of Neolamprologus caudopunctatus. Read more.

www.tfhmagazine.com

Types of Cichlids: Identification Guide with Pictures | Animal World

Cichlids are one of the largest families of fishes with more than 2000 types of cichlids, and new species are being discovered every year! Cichlids are attractive, active, are generally quite durable fish. The Cichlid family offers the widest variety of body shapes, a vast range of sizes, and...

animal-world.com

redtailshark34 · May 31, 2021

Lajos_Detari said:
Are your GH and KH correct? Did you reverse them?
Usually GH is higher than KH.
I suppose your GH is between 180 to 240ppm(dgh 10 to 14) and not the KH, which is considered slightly hard water.

Actually Buenos Aires tetra are soft water fish but they can live in water with GH between 18 to 357ppm according to the website below:

Hyphessobrycon anisitsi – Buenos Aires Tetra (Hemigrammus caudovittatus, Hyphessobrycon erythrurus) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

You can consider some hard water fish such as Platies or Rainbow fish as mentioned by Briar and Porsha.

Xiphophorus maculatus – Platy — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Melanotaenia boesemani (Boeseman's rainbowfish) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Or the more interesting fish will be the Shell dwellers and some Lake Tanganyika fish.
Most African fish are very aggressive. So look for those that are less aggressive and not too big.

Some fish for your considerations:

Meet the shell dwellers

In the dangerous expanses of open water, it can pay to be a small fish. So small, in fact, that you can hide in a snail shell. Meet evolution’s curiosities from Tanganyika.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Breeding Neolamprologus caudopunctatus | TFH Magazine

An expert aquarist shares his breeding account of Neolamprologus caudopunctatus. Read more.

www.tfhmagazine.com

Types of Cichlids: Identification Guide with Pictures | Animal World

Cichlids are one of the largest families of fishes with more than 2000 types of cichlids, and new species are being discovered every year! Cichlids are attractive, active, are generally quite durable fish. The Cichlid family offers the widest variety of body shapes, a vast range of sizes, and...

animal-world.com

Yeah as weird as that sounds my gH is reading as that, or even lower. We have very soft water naturally where I live, whenever anyone comes and tests the water they say that. Super weird I know. I attached a pic of test strip below

I love your suggestions though, and I’ve always really like cichlids

Byron · May 31, 2021

You should confirm the GH with your water authority. This has a significant impact on fish. Do you have a water softener, or is the tap water straight from the municipal water authority line?

redtailshark34 · Jun 8, 2021

Byron said:
You should confirm the GH with your water authority. This has a significant impact on fish. Do you have a water softener, or is the tap water straight from the municipal water authority line?

Straight from the municipal water authority line. I called and checked with them today they said the water has a dgh of about 8-9. No softener here.

Byron · Jun 8, 2021

redtailshark34 said:
Straight from the municipal water authority line. I called and checked with them today they said the water has a dgh of about 8-9. No softener here.

Is this GH in degrees or ppm? Back in post 1 you have 15 ppm, which is equivalent to just under 1 dGH.

redtailshark34 · Jun 8, 2021

Byron said:
Is this GH in degrees or ppm? Back in post 1 you have 15 ppm, which is equivalent to just under 1 dGH.

dGH

Byron · Jun 8, 2021

redtailshark34 said:
dGH

Interesting that the source water is say 8 dGH but in your tank it tests less than 1 dGH.

redtailshark34 · Jun 8, 2021

Byron said:
Interesting that the source water is say 8 dGH but in your tank it tests less than 1 dGH.

I know that confused me quite a bit too. I might call them again tomorrow and confirm with them again, seems quite bizarre.

PorshaF · Jun 8, 2021

Maybe you can cut the square off for the Gh- lay it flat and put a drop of water on the square. Someone on the forum said before it can make the strip results more accurate(sorry I forgot whom

)

redtailshark34 · Jun 13, 2021

I called again today and was told 8dGH once more. I tested as porsha recommended and got the same readings of a gH around 30ppm. I know I don’t have a water softener, but I’m confused because the water is very soft but alkaline? My 55 gallon is still empty because I don’t want to put fish in there that can’t live in those water conditions.

Byron · Jun 14, 2021

redtailshark34 said:
I called again today and was told 8dGH once more. I tested as porsha recommended and got the same readings of a gH around 30ppm. I know I don’t have a water softener, but I’m confused because the water is very soft but alkaline? My 55 gallon is still empty because I don’t want to put fish in there that can’t live in those water conditions.

This thread is actually going in circles for no real reason. Whether the GH is 1 or 8 dGH, it is still soft water, not sufficient GH for fish requiring moderately hard or harder water, so avoid those and select soft water species.

The KH is perhaps puzzling, but water authorities in soft water areas so often add substances to the water to raise the pH/KH and prevent pipe corrosion. Have you determined what if anything is going in your water? Presumably chlorine, maybe chloramine...anything else?

The bottom line is that a GH of 8 with a pH of 7.4 allows a host of fish species, just don't choose any livebearers, rift lake cichlids, some of the rainbowfish, and a few others; that leaves quite a lot of variety and more than enough to populate a 55g tank.

55 Gallon Stocking Ideas?

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