Looking To Add A Few More To Our Tank - Ideas?

[SirBT]

Mornin' all,

We've recently upgraded to a 55 gallon (U.S.) freshwater tank and as you can see from the sig below it's a little sparse (we upgraded from a much smaller tank). Now that everything has stabilized with the water and everything else [it looks great ] we're wanting to add a few more fish for a more dynamic tank. The butterflys hang around the top (obviously), the eel, blue crayfish, and the algaes around the bottom, and the goldfish is kinda random so we're looking at something hopefully a bit unique that would also swim mid-level for our enjoyment.

Any comments, etc. would be much appreciated and we'll try to get a pic posted in the pic section sometime over the weekend.

Thanks!

 

[nmcturner]

Mornin' all,

We've recently upgraded to a 55 gallon (U.S.) freshwater tank and as you can see from the sig below it's a little sparse (we upgraded from a much smaller tank). Now that everything has stabilized with the water and everything else [it looks great ] we're wanting to add a few more fish for a more dynamic tank. The butterflys hang around the top (obviously), the eel, blue crayfish, and the algaes around the bottom, and the goldfish is kinda random so we're looking at something hopefully a bit unique that would also swim mid-level for our enjoyment.

Any comments, etc. would be much appreciated and we'll try to get a pic posted in the pic section sometime over the weekend.

Thanks!

That crayfish is gonna be a problem with the bottom feeders. He will eventually try to eat anything at the bottom.

As far as a good addition I LOVE a large school of neons, but you may want something bigger as a centerpiece. In that case I like angels.

 

[SirBT]

That crayfish is gonna be a problem with the bottom feeders. He will eventually try to eat anything at the bottom.

As far as a good addition I LOVE a large school of neons, but you may want something bigger as a centerpiece. In that case I like angels.

Thanks for the reply!

I was toying with angels as I'm afraid the neons would become eel food at some point. As far as the crayfish goes, he's been getting along with everyone now for almost three months so I'm not as concerned as I would have been in the past. It was funny, when we first added the eel he tried to get territorial with her for her old favourite spot of under the driftwood but after the sand clouds settled he found a new home over by a nice circular rock on the other side of the tank. They're best friends now, though!

Thanks again.

 

[zakkp8]

I would get 3 or 4 Medium Angels, they would look really nice in your set up, or perhaps a Spotted Climbing Perch, although they grow to 6-8in, and are preditory they would make a nice addition.

 

[loachman]

Mornin' all,

We've recently upgraded to a 55 gallon (U.S.) freshwater tank and as you can see from the sig below it's a little sparse (we upgraded from a much smaller tank). Now that everything has stabilized with the water and everything else [it looks great ] we're wanting to add a few more fish for a more dynamic tank. The butterflys hang around the top (obviously), the eel, blue crayfish, and the algaes around the bottom, and the goldfish is kinda random so we're looking at something hopefully a bit unique that would also swim mid-level for our enjoyment.

Any comments, etc. would be much appreciated and we'll try to get a pic posted in the pic section sometime over the weekend.

Thanks!

That crayfish is gonna be a problem with the bottom feeders. He will eventually try to eat anything at the bottom.

As far as a good addition I LOVE a large school of neons, but you may want something bigger as a centerpiece. In that case I like angels.

Difficult to say.

Your goldfish and tropical fish can be a problem.

The tire track and crayfish (?) require larger fish as tankmates to be sure the other fish aren't viewed as food. Neon tetras are a definite no-no with a tire track eel.

 

[parker313]

I see more problems keeping the goldfish in with the tropicals than anything else right now. Especially since they are very messy fish and have a much higher bioload than most other FW fish. If possible, I would rehome the goldy before adding anything else to this tank.

 

[SirBT]

Wow - thanks everyone, all the input is great!

Jinxy (the goldfish) is our last one we still have. We used to have three but the other two grew so darn big that we had to give them to someone else. Surprised the heck out of us as they were local carnival fish the kids won in a booth and they've lived now for over a year (I never expected them to last that long at all, let alone thrive).

Jinxy is everyone's sentimental favourite though as she is a bit. . . .different. One of the goldfish we got rid of turned into a rather big bully once she got bigger, started throwing other fish out of the tank and everything. Jinxy was tossed out once and since then (several months ago now) her behaviour is just a hoot to observe.

She will sit on the bottom of the tank and not move for an hour and then it's like she remembers she's a fish and starts swimming all over. Sometimes she'll randomly tip and swim sideways and sometimes she hangs with the algaes and sticks her mouth to the wood or the side of the tank.

That being said I'm sure I'll lose the vote of finding her a new home so she'll be in the tank with the rest of 'em for the duration. From what it sounds like angels are going to be our best bet so we'll probably take a look at adding some here soon.

Thanks again!

 

[parker313]

If she's got long fins at all, I would steer clear of the angels, they can be quite the fin nippers. What temp do you keep your water at? If you add in cichlids of any kind, you're going to have to stay on top of the tank maintenance to make sure and keep the water quality high.

 

[corey01]

Wow - thanks everyone, all the input is great!

Jinxy (the goldfish) is our last one we still have. We used to have three but the other two grew so darn big that we had to give them to someone else. Surprised the heck out of us as they were local carnival fish the kids won in a booth and they've lived now for over a year (I never expected them to last that long at all, let alone thrive).

Jinxy is everyone's sentimental favourite though as she is a bit. . . .different. One of the goldfish we got rid of turned into a rather big bully once she got bigger, started throwing other fish out of the tank and everything. Jinxy was tossed out once and since then (several months ago now) her behaviour is just a hoot to observe.

She will sit on the bottom of the tank and not move for an hour and then it's like she remembers she's a fish and starts swimming all over. Sometimes she'll randomly tip and swim sideways and sometimes she hangs with the algaes and sticks her mouth to the wood or the side of the tank.

That being said I'm sure I'll lose the vote of finding her a new home so she'll be in the tank with the rest of 'em for the duration. From what it sounds like angels are going to be our best bet so we'll probably take a look at adding some here soon.

Thanks again!

if you think a year is long..goldfish can live over 20 years!!