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ok my 55g is cycled, and i have been doing some ideas for my 55g setup and heres what i came up with to start

4 Dwarf Gourami
2 male guppies
6 females guppies
4 Panda Corydoras
6 neons



Last edited by monkeyboy at 19-Jun-2005 13:21

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

i would increase the panda cories to 8-10, and possibly go with only 1 pair of gourami and possibly a pair of something else.

I think 4 dwarf gourami is 1 too many unless you are getting females too. They do like some company but they also like to setup territories and with 4 there is likely to be one bullied because it doesn't have it's own space. Cory need to be in groups of at least 6 and pandas are known for liking company. Since you have nothing else in the bottom of the tank I'd go with 8-10 if you can find them and afford the price but at least 6. Same thing with the neons you can fit a bigger school than 6 and the more the better. I would also do 8-10 of those or more. The only problem with the guppies are that with the fry they could populate that whole tank by themselves within a month. The gouramis may help but they aren't going to get all the fry especially since you will need some decorations(real or fake plants, rocks, etc,) for the gouramis to setup territories around and to give the fish places to hide so they won't be as skittish.

I've had guppies in my 10gal for a while, and while they are pretty, they bore me somewhat. Now that I'm getting a 50g, I want something more interesting. Unless you are really into guppies, may I sugesst bigger fish? I'm getting angels and pearl gouramis, and you may want them more than dwarfs(they're beautiful). And instead of the guppies, how about some nice tetras that aren't nippy? Glowlights are nice, and same with cardinals(I think they're nicer than neons). Also, if you can get your hands on some dwarf neon rainbows, make a school of those. They're REALLY nice! (I've always wanted some).
You've got a 55gal! Do something interesting with it! Guppies will quickly lose your intrest, believe me!

You can get some really interesting colored guppies if you go somewhere besides walmart. A tank of solid neon blue guppies with a few other fish maybe red gouramis would be quite pretty and interesting. A trio of high quality guppies can go for $30-$50 so don't put the guppies down too much. My boyfriend hates tetras and would go with even ugly guppies over tetras.

had guppies in the past. and enjoyed them very much.. as far as larger fish. thats down the road. i want to go with fish that are fairly easy to take care of, compared to alot of other fish. and since i have just had bettas up to this point. and got lucky with my tanks (didnt buy them new), i'd rather start 10-12 small with fish that are $1-$3 each than 6-10 larger fish that are $5-$20 each and not know how to handle them.

if i had the experience behind me, i would have set the water params right and stocked it with the figure 8 puffers i seen the other day

Last edited by monkeyboy at 19-Jun-2005 14:53

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

I guess it's a matter of personal preference...
Sorry if I touched some nerves, just trying to give more options. Anyway,I wish you well with your aquarium and hope you like your fish!(by the way....red flame gouramis are really nice, like sham said!)

well i found out i have to wait another few weeks since i have to go out of town this weekend so, further investigation for my fishes.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

definately go for a larger school of corries You might find it quite expensive though to get a nice school of 8-10 Pandas at once, that is if you can even find that many at once I'm getting 3, but that is all they have and I'm getting them cheap If you are just dead set on corries that look like pandas, you might want to get some metaes, they are hardy little guys and gals, and look similar (well, kind of) to the pandas, and are quite loveable and breed like crazy with the right water parameters and carealso they are a bit cheaper than the pandas...that or maybe get a school of 4-6 pandas and 4-6 metaes, or 4-6 of something else that is similar, I know my schwartzies (sp?) school well with my metaes *shrug* just my opinion...congratulations though on setting up the new 55 I know it is always fun to do...heidi




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Is it possible,
That we are each others soul mates
and when there is a man
they are just there for added enjoyment?"--SITC
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"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I haven't seen mataes before. My panda school took 6 months to find 8. I bought them as I could find them and sometimes that was 1 at a time. It's not really bad though because it spread the cost out and stocked my tank slowly. You just need more patience.

First congrats on getting a 55g

We all should remember stocking is a matter of personal preference. People will post here to see if they're overstocked, to check compatability, or for stocking suggestions but we shouldn't put down what someone is interested in simply because we don't like it.

Platies were my first fish, then I moved on to lots of everything else; I now have eight tanks running. Now I'm back to livebearers, having recently set up a 10g guppy tank. I have a wild guppy male that mated with my blue metallic female and I ended up with absolutely gorgeous fry.

Anyhow, as far as this tank...I'd personally go with larger gouramis instead simply because of their size. You could get pearl, moonlight or snakeskin; any of them would make nice centerpiece fish. Gouramis, even dwarf, will eat fry though...not sure if that's a concern you have with the guppies.

2M and 6F guppies is a good ratio. I'd also up the number of neons; they're small, add little to the bioload, and a large school looks fantastic.

For bottom feeders you could have a large group of cories, or a small group plus some loaches (my personal favorite ). Have you thought about maybe a plec for algae control?

Good luck

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

ok since people had suggested larger fish. what about 2 angels, 2 gouramis, and 2 Pictus Catfish? i know i hav always heard of angels and gouramis together, but how about adding the cat?

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Well i think maybe you can't have it in the 55g,the pictus will eat small fish like neons.and the pictus need larger tank.
what about some corydoras?
Robby

Last edited by robby1619 at 21-Jun-2005 10:24

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I know human beings and fish can co-exist peacefully.

right, thats why i thought of going with just the 6 (2 of each) or maybe and something else that would work with them.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

monkeyboy, I think you should still consider your first option.

Dwarf Gouramis are great fish with awesome colour.
And a big shoal of pandas would be cool.

Well, whatever you choose, good luck with the setup.