Large fish for 55 gallon…

[Oli]

Thinking about refreshing my tank in the future and just wandering about options for “large” centrepiece fish that won’t ruin my plants. I currently have 2 adult angelfish, cardinal tetras and Platys. I am aware that there may not be a lot (if any options) for what I am looking for but if anyone could give their opinion I’d be grateful and open to options. This is what I am after.

-Tank must remain heavily planted
-I want at least one “large” (7+ inch) fish
-I love the cardinals and anything compatible would be cool, although not essential.

Discus seems like a great route but I work a lot and am not 100% sure i could give them the care they need. I am happy with my tank at the moment but always thinking about the future as I get bored easily.

 

[Oli]

55 gallon ^

 

[gilpi]

I think your angels are a good center piece, they can grow quite big. A seven inch plus fish is cutting it close for a 55 gallon since I believe it's only 12" deep (front to back) and a fish this size would also be a threat to the angels in a tank this size, never mind it just being too big for this tank. Most likely a fish this size would be a cichlid? Other than discus I don't think your plants or the smaller fish stand a chance but then, discus get pretty big as well and would you keep just one? In a bigger tank you could probably get away with a severum. Basically, if I wanted to keep the fish with a heavily planted tank, I would just leave it as is.

 

[Colin_T]

Assuming the water chemistry is suitable, festivum cichlids, or severums (as mentioned above), or 1 kissing gourami (pink or green form) or a couple of snakeskin gouramis.

You could try a Geophagus brasiliensis but they dig and will ruin part of the plant scape. They might also eat the cardinals.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

Personally II'd get a 75 gallon or 90 gallon for two angel fish of that size and use them as the center piece. I really don't think a 50 gallon is large enough - but then again you don't have a lot of fish in it.

 

[GaryE]

If you are able to be more patient, time will give you that fish - the angels. You can always find someone who will tell you a 55 is great for a 300 pound baby kraken (I think I hear that person's keyboard now), but it is a sad fact that no matter how big it looks to you, a 55 is not a big tank once you start thinking larger fish. And it certainly isn't if you already have prey items in there (cardinals and angels).
If you get a big plant eater, the waste issue will ruin your enjoyment. They can be cowlike messy.

 

[Oli]

Hi guys thanks for the responses. I was more thinking of getting rid of the angels and everything else in the tank and starting again as opposed to adding another “large” fish to the tank as it is. Whether or not this changes anyones opinions. I guess for now its best to keep the Angelfish, perhaps I will change some of the smaller fish to keep myself from growing bored

 

[Wills]

If you have softwater a South American cichlid could be a good hero fish something like a Rotkiel Severum would be a good choice, or Electric Blue Acaras. If you have hard water go for something like a female Salvini or Nicaraguan. With the South Americans you'd keep them with big disk tetras like Bleeding Hearts or Columbians, mid sized characins like headstanders and hemiodus and medium sized cats like Flagtails or Portholes. If you have hard water and its the Central Americans keep them with livebearers like Swordtails and Rainbowfish like Dwarf Neons or Kamaka and Rift Lake Synodontis like Multipunctatus or Petricola.

Wills

 

[Oli]

If you have softwater a South American cichlid could be a good hero fish something like a Rotkiel Severum would be a good choice, or Electric Blue Acaras. If you have hard water go for something like a female Salvini or Nicaraguan. With the South Americans you'd keep them with big disk tetras like Bleeding Hearts or Columbians, mid sized characins like headstanders and hemiodus and medium sized cats like Flagtails or Portholes. If you have hard water and its the Central Americans keep them with livebearers like Swordtails and Rainbowfish like Dwarf Neons or Kamaka and Rift Lake Synodontis like Multipunctatus or Petricola.

Wills

Hi wills, my water is relatively soft. I have had Severums and Electric Blue Acaras before but the Severum destroyed my plants. I loved the EBA’s, I had two but they used to pester the hell out of all other tank mates and also between each other. I have considered getting 5 or 6 as the only inhabitants and seeing how they get on together. However I fear that may result in the same situation as my Angelfish (started with 5, 2 paired off and attacked the rest)

 

[Oli]

Thought I’d drop a pic post water change/clean…

 

[Rocky998]

Thought I’d drop a pic post water change/clean…
View attachment 157610

I love that piece of wood! And those two angels look beautiful in there!

 

[Back in the fold]

That tank is awesome ! Don't change a thing.

 

[Wills]

Hi wills, my water is relatively soft. I have had Severums and Electric Blue Acaras before but the Severum destroyed my plants. I loved the EBA’s, I had two but they used to pester the hell out of all other tank mates and also between each other. I have considered getting 5 or 6 as the only inhabitants and seeing how they get on together. However I fear that may result in the same situation as my Angelfish (started with 5, 2 paired off and attacked the rest)

Its always the risk with pair of cichlids that they take over the tank. I've kept all different kinds of combinations, species only group, pairs, all male, all female and the most successful for me has been the single specimen groups - though gregarious cichlids sit a bit outside this. For example the reason I mentioned the Nicaraguan and Salvini is because they are really easy to sex so you can get 2 females and kind of predict what might happen. However if you have softer water better sticking to South Americans. Have you thought about having a group of Dwarf Cichlids? Something like a harem of Apistogramma Nisjeni would look good and the males actually get pretty big and stunning! Thinking of Souths that do well by them selves that max out around 6 inches is quite hard only things I can think of are Keyholes or Krobia Xinguensis, but not really great on their own and not as colourful as some of the dwarfs.

Wills