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Hi. I am addicted to fish and since my mother told me that I could not buy any more tanks I am setting up my old 55 gallon tank. I've already checked and it doesn't have any leaks.

I've been thinking about the fish that I've wanted to get for awhile and looking at their profiles (eliminating the one I want least of two incompatible ones) and I've come up with a list of fish that I'd like to have.

I am not saying that I want to have all of these in a tank. They are just several possibilities.

Cichlids:
Angels 6”/Pair or 3
Rams Cichlids /Pair 2.2”
Firemouth Cichlids 6.7” Unsure Compatibility

Anabantids:
Dwarf Gourami 3.5”
Pearl Gourami 4.7”
Catfish:
Bristlenose Pleco 4.7” Pair/Bottom Feeders
Panda Cories 1.8” Schooling/Bottom Feeders
Leopard Cories 2” Schooling/Bottom Feeders
Characins:
Hatchetfish 1.4” Top Dwelling/Jumpers Schooling
Bleeding Heart Tetra/ 2.4” Schooling
Cyprinids:
Yoyo Loach 4.3” Groups of 3+/ Bottom Feeders
Black Ruby Barb 2.4”/Groups of 3+
Banded Barb 2”/Groups Of 3+/
Cherry Barb 2”/Keep in Pairs
Rainbows:
Boesman’s Rainbow 3.5”/Schooling
Are There Any Other Fish That You'd Reccommend? I will be planting the 55 gallon so any fish that don't do well with plants aren't great. Is there anything that I should know about any of these fish?

Plants That I'd Like To Have In The Tank:

hygrophila polysperma
hygro "sunset"
hygro "ceylon"
hygro augustifolia
various Cryptocorynes
echinodorus tennellus
dwarf sagittaria
java ferns
rotala rotundifolia
bacopa caroliniana
anubias nana
crinum onion plant

I know that these are long lists and I'm not expecting tons of information but any experiences or thoughts on them would help.

What fish would you put into a 55 gallon?

The filter that came with the tank isn't great. What type of filter would you reccommend?

Basically, before setting this up is there anything I should know?

I would recommend a pair of angels or a trio of Pearl gouramis, a school of hatchetfish and bleeding heart tetras, some yoyo loaches, a shoal of cories, a bristlenose, and a pair of rams.

There are many combinations you could have out of that list, as you know.

Bosemani rainbows are beautiful but very active I believe, so I'm not sure if keeping them with slower moving fish like gouramis and angels is a good idea. I've never kept rainbows though, so I'm not sure how active they actually are.

I've never kept banded or black ruby barbs, so I'm not sure if they are nippy. If not then you could do a school of each and then get a trio of Pearl gouramis or dwarf gouramis (1male/2females), plus the loaches, bristlenose, and cories.

For a filter, I suggest getting a Rena XP3 cannister filter. It is great for the money and does a good job of keeping the water really clean.

Your plant list sounds good....and very familiar...I believe you sent me a PM on another site...(my name is different here).

I would have atleast 130 watts of light over the tank, more if you'd like.



*Kristin*

About the fish... I'm not much for suggesting stock lists because peoples' tastes vary so drastically, but maybe I can help information-wise. The firemouths are going to be the biggest question mark, I see you already noted that. They are the largest and potentially most intolerant fish on the list. Since many of your other fish choices/options aren't built to be able to withstand or escape attack, I would drop the firemouths.

I would also like to note that Boesemani rainbowfish are somewhat large (I've heard over four inches) and active schoolers. If you went with a group of these fish, it would limit what you could do as far as other open water fish, simply because they would dominate that area.

With schoolers, I feel that the more you have of one species, the better off they are and the better they look. Some people like to mix and match fish, but it results in poor stocking.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."