Help stock this 55

[Metalhead88]

A little while ago, I upgraded from a 55 gallon to a 90. I planned on selling the 55, but never got around to it.

So.......I have this 55 gallon, spare heater, filters, decor and everything that I need to set this up except for substrate. I'll be using sand.

I'm in the brainstorming phase here and I'm fairly certain that I want to set this tank up. I promised my wife that we could get a kissing gourami about 5 years ago, so there's about a 75% chance that a kissing gourami makes it into this stocking. I'm leaning towards more of acommunity tank with less aggressive fish than I usually keep. I usually keep central and south american cichlids, I'd like to do something a little different but also not too far off.

A few fish that come to mind
Angelfish - I haven't ever kept them. Seem cool.
Kissing gourami - Promised wife. She wins.
Electric blue jack dempsy - Goes against what I'd like to do and more of what I usually do. I've always wanted an Electric blue JD....I know its a reach, but I'd love to fit it in there somehow.

I'm thinking 2x angelfish, kissing gourami, and some corries. I think I'd be fully stocked at that point. What do you think? Any other ideas?

 

[Byron]

The Kissing Gourami (Helostoma temminkii) would on its own not really have sufficient space in this tank...it requires at minimum a 90g. It should however be in a small group of its own, which means a much larger tank than that.

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/helostoma-temminkii/

 

[Metalhead88]

Oh wow, I didn't realize that they got so large. So lets scratch that kissing gourami haha.

 

[Byron]

Oh wow, I didn't realize that they got so large. So lets scratch that kissing gourami haha.

I hope you can explain this to your better half.

 

[Metalhead88]

I hope you can explain this to your better half.

Wish me luck.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Oh wow, I didn't realize that they got so large. So lets scratch that kissing gourami haha.

YES!! They get much bigger than people realize.

 

[Naughts]

I think I fell in love with tropical fish when I was at primary school. They had a big tank with a pair of kissing gouramis (which often kissed) and dozens of neon tetra. So pretty!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I think I fell in love with tropical fish when I was at primary school. They had a big tank with a pair of kissing gouramis (which often kissed) and dozens of neon tetra. So pretty!

I agree, they are very pretty.....but people don’t understand how big they actually get.

 

[Naughts]

I agree, they are very pretty.....but people don’t understand how big they actually get.

Yeah but...you're a male so you don't understand that Metalheads wife is not gonna get over this.
Or maybe I'm projecting LOL.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Yeah but...you're a male so you don't understand that Metalheads wife is not gonna get over this.
Or maybe I'm projecting LOL.

Oh she will get over it! “In the name of fish!!”

 

[Metalhead88]

Hahaha. All so true.

So 2 angles, a bunch of corries, and what else? Anyone have any suggestions?

I was thinking cherry barbs. I've had them before and they aren't as nippy as other barbs.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

 

[Byron]

Hahaha. All so true.

So 2 angles, a bunch of corries, and what else? Anyone have any suggestions?

I was thinking cherry barbs. I've had them before and they aren't as nippy as other barbs.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

More problems here, the angelfish. This is a shoaling species that lives in smallish groups in the wild and in an aquarium should be five or more. However, that can pose issues down the road, if a pair (or more than one pair) should form. At that juncture, either a very large tank is needed, or the fish may have to be separated.

Keeping three or four angelfish is frankly as no. Two can work but only if they are a bonded male/female pair. This fish must select its own mates from the group, and they will bond. This bond may last the life of the fish, or sometimes not. They will obviously regularly spawn and tankmates have to be carefully chosen.

A lone angelfish would obviously work, free of all the above problems, except being un-natural not every angelfish will take to this forced solitary confinement. Sometimes they seem to, but other times they most definitely do not, when they begin to tear into any other species.

Many of the neo-tropical cichlid species are much the same.

 

[Metalhead88]

More problems here, the angelfish. This is a shoaling species that lives in smallish groups in the wild and in an aquarium should be five or more. However, that can pose issues down the road, if a pair (or more than one pair) should form. At that juncture, either a very large tank is needed, or the fish may have to be separated.

Keeping three or four angelfish is frankly as no. Two can work but only if they are a bonded male/female pair. This fish must select its own mates from the group, and they will bond. This bond may last the life of the fish, or sometimes not. They will obviously regularly spawn and tankmates have to be carefully chosen.

A lone angelfish would obviously work, free of all the above problems, except being un-natural not every angelfish will take to this forced solitary confinement. Sometimes they seem to, but other times they most definitely do not, when they begin to tear into any other species.

Many of the neo-tropical cichlid species are much the same.

Thanks for all the info.

Seems like I go back to the drawing board on this one.

I'm still liking corries, a small school of something else. And somewhat of a centerpiece fish.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

 

[Byron]

Thanks for all the info.

Seems like I go back to the drawing board on this one.

I'm still liking corries, a small school of something else. And somewhat of a centerpiece fish.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

There are two major options now that you have basically a clean slate to work from. One is to have a tank of all relatively small shoaling fish (like the cories) that fill every level of the water. The other is similar but using one or two larger shoaling fish with other smaller-sized species. Here I am thinking of fish like Bleeding Heart Tetra, Congo Tetra, a group of Pearl Gourami, etc. The Gourami are not strictly shoaling, but this species is very peaceful and beautiful in a group of five or six or seven.

 

[DoraCory]

Well, if the wife wants kissing gourami then she should have kissing gourami, along with a shiny new tank that's big enough