Agree with
@TwoTankAmin on this. Although the tank is only 55L, the points about how it's the outer perimeter footprint that needs full support, and having it overhang the edge is right. You might feel more comfortable since it isn't a huge tank, but if it breaks, that's still a lot of water causing damage, and still a crisis and a risk for losing all the fish you've stocked it with.
Just picked up a little 55 litre tank. Wandering whether it will be okay on this bedside table?
There is a tiny overhang which I’ve tried to show in the picture… thanks
I have 60 litre tanks, and they're not large tanks. That's not quite 15 gallons, for our US friends.
You need to start thinking about the stocking in terms of this being a nano tank. Since you're an experienced fish keeper, you should be able to do more with it and still maintain water quality, you just have to mentally make the switch to size down the stock, as well as the tank. Small tank means less swimming space, so smaller fish will suit it beautifully.
It will be pretty heavily planted and aquascaped as most of my tanks have been. I’m definitely thinking some cardinal tetras, maybe 10ish. Maybe some rams for the bottom, but unsure whether I could do a little group or whether they are aggressive like other cichlids and best in pairs or solo. Failing that maybe some corys? Then some kind of centrepiece. Maybe a gourami. Something that gets 3/4 inches…
I don't love the stocking ideas here, I'm sorry. Cardinal tetra need more horizontal swimming space than a 55L can provide, IMO. especially for a group of 10-12, which are a decent sized group. In a tank this size for schooling fish think of nano type tetra/rasbora. Their smaller size means the shorter swimming space and larger group numbers can work much better in a nano tank, and they'll look beautiful and thrive in a well planted and scaped 55L. Think fish like ember tetra, chili rasbora, emerald or galaxy rasbora,
Sundadanio axelrodi. kubotai (one of my favourites on my list of fish I want to own!) you know, fish of that sort of size that you can keep in a good number, and will suit the tank size and still look just as stunning as cardinals. But bear in mind that they're peaceful fish and couldn't live with anything aggressive, like a larger gourami, or a mating pair of rams.
Some rams, or apistos, might work, but yes they're still territorial and would need seriously careful thought about what else, if anything, could be in the tank. I don't know apistos or cichlids well, but
@GaryE and others would have better advice there!
A larger gourami would be cramped in a 55L, the only ones that might work would be dwarf or honeys I think. Honeys are lovely and generally peaceful, and I think are okay in this size tank, but dwarf gourami are really riddled with disease right now, and often seem to be a problem, I can't remember the disease name,
@Essjay can hopefully help here!
The main reason I responded is for the question of cories! I love my cories to bits. My 60L has a thriving colony of pygmy cories breeding merrily away, and one of the dwarf cory species like pygmies/hasbrosus/hastatus would work well. These little ones need larger group numbers than the larger commonly kept species, really needing a group size of ten or more to be happy, they're so social. But you can keep that amount in your size tank, if the other stocking is carefully considered. They are shy and peaceful, so wouldn't do well with anything that might attack them or much larger fish.
Larger commonly kept cories like pandas, bronzes, sterbai, paleatus etc need to be in groups of at least six, and a 55L is too small for these guys in that number. Also being social fish that live in massive groups in the wild, most suggest at least six is needed for them to show their best, and that's just too much for a 55L, especially with other stocking, and definitely not with territorial fish like rams/apistos, since cories have no concept of territory, and will constantly annoy and be attacked by territorial ground dwelling fish. Not a good combo.
I have larger tanks for my bronzes/sterbai etc, and being able to see them enjoy their larger group number and using all of the space in a large tank, I can just tell visually that six of them cramped into the same size tank as my pygmy cories wouldn't be fun for them. So think dwarf fish for nano tank, and think about compatability between the species in a smaller space. You don't always need a centrepiece fish, a schooling group and some ground dwellers. A large group of the tetra or rasbora, plus a decent sized group of one of the three dwarf cory species I mentioned would get along fine together, suit the tank size, and provide both the flashy display of beautiful colour in the top/middle, and the active bumbling busyness in the lower/mid areas that people love with corys. But then I wouldn't add anything else to that, personally.
Or you could go the other way and keep a breeding trio of apistos alone, but you'd have to carefully consider and get advice about other stocking with them.
Or maybe a single honey gourami with some nano tetra/rasbora could work.
If you make a separate thread asking for stocking advice, you'll get more suggestions and info that way when it comes to stocking. Keeping it in this thread means less people will see it, since they'll think it's about fish stands and not stocking.
Time will tell how sensible this decision was I guess… either way I am in a short term rental at the moment, hence why I only have a 60 litre. In 5 months time I will be in a new house and likely have some sort of 4ft+ tank to transfer everything to!
