55 Us Gallon Stocking

[Echinoderm]

4x Three Spot Gouramis

2x Angelfish

2 or 3x Bala, Rainbow, or Red Fin Sharks

Perhaps 2 New World Cichlids???

I know almost nothing about the Cichlids so I'll research.

Is this good? It seems pretty to me.

Could be a really bad idea.

Thanks for the help.

 

[drobbyb]

Bala sharks get far too large for a 55 gallon tank as they reach over 12 inches in length and they need to be kept in groups. Not sure on the other shark species, but I think they need to be kept singly (1 shark per tank.)

The smaller New World cichlids would work as in rainbow cichlid, convicts, Apistos, rams, etc.

Also 55 gallons is a good tank size to keep a nice group of rainbows, most people like M boesemani and M. praecox.

 

[Wills]

Hi yeah sounds like your on a good plan. Speaking from experience I had angels and three spot gourami's and they were an absolute nightmare always fighting. I like the idea of 2 angels and a good cichlid to go with angels is sometimes a festvum cichlid or 2. As drobby said rainbow cichlids are nice as well as are the various apisto species (IMO apistos would go really nice with angels). I would avoid the convicts that drobby mentioned they are really vicious fish and would annihilate your angels and any thing else in the tank. Also as Drobby pointed out the balas get way way to big and I think the red finned sharks you said are also known as tin foil barbs each of these fish reaches 1 foot long. However there is a nice alternative for this size tank, rose line sharks as they are often called or their other true name is Denison Barbs have a look at them very nice and nicely suited for a 4ft tank.
So how about something like

2 Angels
3 Apisto Agazii (1 male 2 female)
5 Denison Barbs

to start things off I think you still have room for some more like some bottom dwellers maybe cories or some kind of medium sized plec? Hoplos could work in there as well?

Wills

 

[Echinoderm]

Bala sharks get far too large for a 55 gallon tank as they reach over 12 inches in length and they need to be kept in groups. Not sure on the other shark species, but I think they need to be kept singly (1 shark per tank.)

Oops, I think I used the wrong name. I probably don't mean Balas.

I had Rainbows a long time ago. From what I know, you should have 1 or 3, but never 2. I made that mistake. They fought each other constantly and one jumped out of the tank.


Thanks for the Advice

 

[drobbyb]

I would avoid the convicts that drobby mentioned they are really vicious fish and would annihilate your angels and any thing else in the tank.

This isn't always true. I kept them with angels before and had no problems, but this was years ago. I suppose they shoud be thought of like bettas are, some are nasty and others are copasetic. FWIW, I had no problems with mine.

 

[SBL]

I ahve a pair of HRP's and have had to move them between 2 29s and seem to not mess with any fish except my Bichir in one, but the Bichir challenges the male on purpose. One has a Betta and the Male seemed facinated by the betta but, the betta attcked him instead and learned the betta owns the top of that tank.

 

[Wills]

I had Rainbows a long time ago. From what I know, you should have 1 or 3, but never 2. I made that mistake. They fought each other constantly and one jumped out of the tank.

Hi yeah I was not sure which you meant to start with but guessed the tinfoils rather than the black rainbows and redtails. With the rainbows and redtails it is best to keep a single specimen as they are not tolerant of their own kind in the same tank unless it is a large tank, I have seen 2 kept in a 4ft tank and the sub shark was so thin and sickly looking it was disgusting and it must have been terrible for the fish its self. So to avoid stress on the fish and you I would stick to one also avoid anything that looks similar for example loaches.

Drobby with the convicts was it a lone fish? If so was it male or female? If it was a pair I think you were really really lucky with them but I can understand if it was a placid female but usually convicts are not just aggressive but will physically hunt fish down and kill them especially if its a pair and the inevitable breeding starts.

SBL I dont think there is any good way of saying this but that is just bad advice. A bichir should never be in a 29 gallon tank and although it could mix in a larger tank with the HRPs in a 29 the bichir is not "challenging the male on purpose" its telling him to get out his tank. And as for mixing HRPs with a betta I dont know where to begin.

Wills

 

[drobbyb]

It was a pair, 1 male and 1 female. Maybe I was lucky with them. They bred in the tank, too many to count, and they did keep the angels at one end of the tank, but no damage was done to them. I traded them back to the LFS along wih all the babies because I simply did not have room for such prolific spawnings.

I can only speak for my experience with them, and apparently some people get lucky. Sorry for any confusion this may ave caused.