Stocking List

[codeajohnson]

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if this stocking list would be all right for my 55 gallon aquarium?

-15 cardinal/neon tetras (not sure which yet)
-15 galaxy rasboras
-6 khuli loaches
-6 bandit corydoras
-4 german rams
-1 common plec

Would this be too much for a 55 gallon tank? It is heavily planted btw. Thanks for any help!

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if this stocking list would be all right for my 55 gallon aquarium?

-15 cardinal/neon tetras (not sure which yet)
-15 galaxy rasboras
-6 khuli loaches
-6 bandit corydoras
-4 german rams
-1 common plec

Would this be too much for a 55 gallon tank? It is heavily planted btw. Thanks for any help!

Firstly I wouldnt put a common pleco in a 55 gal, get smaller pleco's like BN

 

[Jazzzz]

The common plec will get big quickly we have an arragment with a reasonably local store for when ours get to big.

 

[dnn3]

plus you have to consider how much waste a commen plec makes.made that mistake once.it doesn't matter how clean your glass and ornaments look if you water is cloudy.

 

[codeajohnson]

Thanks for the replies. So, the common plec would be the only problem?

 

[Corleone]

I think so. I'd swap him for a bristlenose - active, stay small (4-5 inches), and personally I like the male's headgear when they're mature, makes them more distictive than common plecs. Rubbernose/bulldog are also small plecs, and more readily available in my area. If you can afford it, zebra plecs are the most attractive small plecs, but might cost more than your entire current stock list - and I'm aware how much galaxy rasboras can cost.

Edit: As for the cardinal and neons, if you don't know which you have, its fairly easy to tell. Look at the red stripe. It'll cover the back half of the body in neons, and run all the way from the head to the tail in cardinals. Some great fish in there, too.

 

[ALW]

zebra plecs are the most attractive small plecs,

Thats debatable, back to topic, depends on what you want a pleco for. Do you want it to eat algea, if so then either go for a Bristlenose or Rubbernose. If you want an attractive pleco then you can go for a Blue Phantom, Green Phantom, Flash, Queen Arabesque or a Zebra just to name a few. Zebras will cost between £75-£200 each. Although none of the laters are very efficient Algea eaters, most wont touch it they are the most attractive of plecs. You could also have a look at http/www.fishforums.net/content/Plecos-a...Under-8-Inches/ and use http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/common_names.php to get an idea of what they look like.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

zebra plecs are the most attractive small plecs

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

IMO BN's are the best for communitys, stay small, love algae, quite placid and hardy

 

[codeajohnson]

Thanks for the replies!

All right, I think I will do the BN plec then! Being that common plecs are pretty common (hence the name), is it likely that my LFS will take one in or is that a fat chance?

As for the Neon/Cardinal thing; I was just unsure of which one I wanted to get. But thanks for the advice on how to distinguish between the two!

 

[ox5477]

Nobody has said anything about the rams. a regular 55 is more tall then wide so your floorplan of the tank is actually pretty limited. Rams are cichlids and need a good amount of space to claim as their own territory. I would reduce the number to two rams just to make sure you have ample floor space for them. If you have alot of wood/rock and plants, you could maybe do the four.... but if your planning on a more open tank, then would go with the two so only occational territorial disputes break out.

Incase your wondering too... doing the in between of three would prob be worse than the other two. If two of the rams pair, the third will get hurassed and prob be stressed enough to get sick and in the worst case, die. So go with either two or four

Ox

 

[shortymet55]

Go with Cardinals over Neons. I think they have much better looks (The little extra red goes a long way IMO). Also, they get a bit bigger, which I think is good.

 

[codeajohnson]

Thanks for the replies! My tank is pretty heavily planted, with enough plants and driftwood to break up the line of site; so hopefully I will be all right with the 4 rams. As for the cardinals, I was actually leaning towards them since I have heard that they are hardier than neons. Thanks again for the replies!

 

[tangokitty]

You can always return two of the rams if the others pair off and bother the remaining ones.