I have a new child and it's a 55 gallon tank

[laritheloud]

I'm overwhelmed with the possibilities!

I definitely want a goldfish tank someday, but my hopes is to wait until my (human) children are a bit more grown so I can move their toys out of the living room and clear out the space for a 120 gallon showpiece tank. SO. That leaves me wide open for what to do with a 55 gallon!

My husband is interested in rainbowfish, but I'm a little nervous despite their beauty. I tend to be a bit of an anxious person and what I want are peaceful, friendly fish, where I don't have to worry about fin-nipping, violent sparring, or injuries. Even my diamond tetras are borderline too much for my nerves, though they keep their fighting within the group. 🤣 Knowing that, what are your best recommendations for really friendly and peaceful fish? 

I know we really want a smaller-sized pleco for this tank, and we're doing another planted tank with a sandy substrate this time, but other than that, we are wide open. 

[Travis]

Have you kept a large group of female Powder Blue Gouramis or male Honey Gouramis?  

[laritheloud]

On 6/13/2021 at 2:36 PM, Travis said:

Have you kept a large group of female Powder Blue Gouramis or male Honey Gouramis?  

I have honey gouramis I'm putting into my main tank this week, they're just finishing up the quarantine period. I *THOUGHT* they were all females, but one of them appears to be a possible male after all. I love and adore them, and I'm interested in trying other peaceful gouramis. I'm only nervous about Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus for the powder blues. Are there any special precautions I can take with them?

How about Pearl Gouramis?

[Travis]

I haven't personally kept Powder Blues but I have heard that if you can get all females they are much less aggressive and still have the blue coloration. It seems that Pearl Gouramis are a similar situation where females are less aggressive and they suggest more females than males if you get a mixed group

[laritheloud]

On 6/13/2021 at 2:43 PM, Travis said:

I haven't personally kept Powder Blues but I have heard that if you can get all females they are much less aggressive and still have the blue coloration. It seems that Pearl Gouramis are a similar situation where females are less aggressive and they suggest more females than males if you get a mixed group

I'll keep looking into them more, maybe I can find some locally bred powder blues with proven healthy stock. I'm definitely a gourami fan, but I want to be a bit careful with my stocking plan for the 55 to try and keep it as friendly as I can. 🙂 Thank you!

[sudofish]

I have dwarf neon rainbowfish and if I was to do it over again I'd honestly pick something else. Mine rarely school/shoal together, the big ones constantly harass the smaller ones who stay small because they don't get to eat as much as the largest ones who are hogs. Maybe it's just my particular fish but I just wanted to let you know I think you're right to avoid rainbows if a peaceful/relaxing fish to watch is what you're after.

[laritheloud]

On 6/13/2021 at 8:02 PM, sudofish said:

I have dwarf neon rainbowfish and if I was to do it over again I'd honestly pick something else. Mine rarely school/shoal together, the big ones constantly harass the smaller ones who stay small because they don't get to eat as much as the largest ones who are hogs. Maybe it's just my particular fish but I just wanted to let you know I think you're right to avoid rainbows if a peaceful/relaxing fish to watch is what you're after.

THANK YOU. This is exactly what I was worried about with rainbows. My Diamond Tetras -- at least my alpha male -- tears up the fins of the other males when he's in a major breeding mood, though he leaves anything that isn't his own species alone in the tank. It stresses me out! We have two juveniles that just joined the school and it'll bump their numbers to 8. I also reduced their feeding from twice a day (With one fast day) to once per day, and noticed an increase in him going after the other males. I'll probably go back to two small feedings per day for them and see if it makes a difference. 😬

Rainbowfish are beautiful and look awesome/active, but I don't think it's what I'm looking for. I'm leaning towards fish like cute platies and/or peaceful gouramis, along with some friendly loaches for the bottom (I have corydoras in my 29g).

[CorydorasEthan]

On 6/13/2021 at 1:09 PM, laritheloud said:

I'm overwhelmed with the possibilities!

I definitely want a goldfish tank someday, but my hopes is to wait until my (human) children are a bit more grown so I can move their toys out of the living room and clear out the space for a 120 gallon showpiece tank. SO. That leaves me wide open for what to do with a 55 gallon!

My husband is interested in rainbowfish, but I'm a little nervous despite their beauty. I tend to be a bit of an anxious person and what I want are peaceful, friendly fish, where I don't have to worry about fin-nipping, violent sparring, or injuries. Even my diamond tetras are borderline too much for my nerves, though they keep their fighting within the group. 🤣 Knowing that, what are your best recommendations for really friendly and peaceful fish? 

I know we really want a smaller-sized pleco for this tank, and we're doing another planted tank with a sandy substrate this time, but other than that, we are wide open. 

Here's a few suggestions: guppies, endlers, corydoras (try different species than you already have to make things more interesting), neon tetras, honey gouramis, otocinclus to name a few of my favorites for a peaceful tank.

[laritheloud]

On 6/13/2021 at 8:36 PM, CorydorasEthan said:

Here's a few suggestions: guppies, endlers, corydoras (try different species than you already have to make things more interesting), neon tetras, honey gouramis, otocinclus to name a few of my favorites for a peaceful tank.

I am really loving the live bearer / gourami tank idea!!! Thank you for the suggestions!

[Colu]

Pair of pearl gourami's and nice group of rasbora and some bristlenose  catfish you could also add some nerite snails they would be great together

[KaitieG]

How about a 3 or so Hillstream loaches too--they're so cool to watch! 🙂 Or if you got the "right" group going, Angelfish are awfully calming to watch--and beautiful!

[laritheloud]

On 6/13/2021 at 10:35 PM, KaitieG said:

How about a 3 or so Hillstream loaches too--they're so cool to watch! 🙂 Or if you got the "right" group going, Angelfish are awfully calming to watch--and beautiful!

I absolutely want to try hillstream loaches sometime, but I'd feel more comfortable keeping them in slightly cooler than tropical temperatures, I think! They are SO cute!

Also, different topic, but does anyone have a filter recommendation for a 55 gallon tank? I am thinking of trying my first canister filter.

[ARMYVET]

Platys and swordtails are awesome as well as some of the mollies.....all will go with guppies and no interbreeding possible.  All come in a pleathora of colors and are a real joy to watch swimming around.  They are actually playfu at times and peaceful as can be towards everything else.  

My plan is have a 150 gallon live bearer tank with all of these and tons of plants and driftwood.

My relaxation ZEN tank

[ARMYVET]

On 6/14/2021 at 4:52 PM, laritheloud said:

Also, different topic, but does anyone have a filter recommendation for a 55 gallon tank? I am thinking of trying my first canister filter.

I pick the filtration based on the livestock I am putting in the aquarium,  Whether it is high flow or low flow species. ect ect

 

[laritheloud]

On 6/14/2021 at 5:46 PM, Joe L. said:

@laritheloud If you don’t mind my two cents, I would definitely recommend getting two medium Aquarium Co-Op Sponge Filters for your tank. I think that canister filters are overkill for most tanks. While I personally have a Fluval 307 on my 55 gallon turtle tank, but turtles are extremely messy and I find that canister filters are best at handling their waste. As for your stocking for this tank, it really depends on what you are looking for, but being a turtle owner, I’ll obviously recommend a turtle if you are up for the challenge. I would get a decent sized basking area, a UVA/UVB light fixture, and the rest of the supplies are similar to fishkeeping. Good luck!

I love the co-op's sponge filters, but I think I'll feel more secure with at least an HOB, if not a canister. Turtles are absolutely adorable but I have no idea where I could source them in this area! My sister-in-law is working on a turtle tank, though 🙂 

[laritheloud]

On 6/14/2021 at 5:13 PM, ARMYVET said:

Platys and swordtails are awesome as well as some of the mollies.....all will go with guppies and no interbreeding possible.  All come in a pleathora of colors and are a real joy to watch swimming around.  They are actually playfu at times and peaceful as can be towards everything else.  

My plan is have a 150 gallon live bearer tank with all of these and tons of plants and driftwood.

My relaxation ZEN tank

This sounds like a dream! I'm prepared with plenty of antiparasitics (both general cure and levamisole) to deal with any livebearer worms, so I'm ready to try them out. They're so cute and pretty, and I'm really excited that they're so peaceful.

[ARMYVET]

A long time ago I had such a tank...a 55 to be exact....I stopped watching tv....I would put on my favorite music station and just sit and watch the tank. FOR HOURS 

I cannot tell you how many time I fell asleep on the couch watching that tank.  It took me forever to save up for it back then when I was just a kid fresh from the army and needed something to help me relax....was the best money I ever spent.  I got out of having tanks for almost 20 years and now that I look back that was a foolish mistake. Now that I am a bit more seasoned and @Cory and rekindled my enthusiasm back into this hobby.  That is the tank that I will do bigger and better...the second time around.  

Build your relaxation dream and you will never regret it.  

[Brandy]

On 6/13/2021 at 5:36 PM, CorydorasEthan said:

Here's a few suggestions: guppies, endlers, corydoras (try different species than you already have to make things more interesting), neon tetras, honey gouramis, otocinclus to name a few of my favorites for a peaceful tank.

This, with the addition of platys, was going to be my exact list. Guppies are just HAPPY. And so are corys, which look like Dr. Seuss fish, and move around like wiggly little roombas, something I had not appreciated until I had them.

I will also second the sponge filter reccomendation. They really really are the easiest and safest and least problematic. HOB are convenient, but a sponge is really cheap peace of mind insurance, and if a fish gets sick you can move it to a quarentine tank with no effort, so I would suggest at least having one!

 

[laritheloud]

On 6/14/2021 at 6:31 PM, Brandy said:

This, with the addition of platys, was going to be my exact list. Guppies are just HAPPY. And so are corys, which look like Dr. Seuss fish, and move around like wiggly little roombas, something I had not appreciated until I had them.

I will also second the sponge filter reccomendation. They really really are the easiest and safest and least problematic. HOB are convenient, but a sponge is really cheap peace of mind insurance, and if a fish gets sick you can move it to a quarentine tank with no effort, so I would suggest at least having one!

 

Oh, a sponge or two are definitely going to live in the tank. I have a sponge filter in my 10 gallon quarantine and another sponge in my 29 gallon in addition to the HOB!

[Hobbit]

If you need something that creates more flow, you could go with a power head and a sponge intake attachment. That’s what I have in my 55, and it comes in handy when I need to up the flow to keep my male honey from building bubble nests. I took the fine sponge out of the quick filter intake attachment and replaced it with a course sponge that I rinse out periodically.

https://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-Powerhead-Gallons-Hour-Listed/dp/B0002602VE/ref=asc_df_B0002602VE/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167116240456&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10221048798051208890&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007971&hvtargid=pla-315830953581&psc=1

It’s not a perfect power head by any means, but it’s the one I have, so if you have questions I can answer them. 😁

[tonyjuliano]

If you go with a canister filter (and I highly recommend you do), try to find something that doesn’t rely on a particular manufacturers media cartridges (like most of the Fluvals).

You would be better served with something that comes with some sponge media and a basket or 2 for bio-media of your choosing.

On the bargain side, that means the Sunsun canisters (you can find them on Amazon).

High end?  Probably Eheim - they invented the canister filter.

in the middle, look into the Penn-Plax Cascade series.  Pretty good bang for the buck, and they also don’t limit you to proprietary cartridges.

I’m not a huge fan of HOB’s, but Seachem makes a nice one.

[StevesFishTanks]

How bout a tidal 55, 2 medium coop sponges, plants, angelfish and neons

[Brandy]

On 6/14/2021 at 9:13 PM, s1_ said:

How bout a tidal 55, 2 medium coop sponges, plants, angelfish and neons

I'm sure you are trying to be helpful, but due to the fact that neons are the natural prey of angelfish, I would not consider this a peaceful pairing, at least once the angels reach full size.

[laritheloud]

I'd also like to avoid tetras, if possible! Tetras are pretty and fun when they're not chasing each other around for breeding rights, but I'd love docile and friendly fish. Right now we're debating between committing to goldfish and hillstream loaches or going with the peaceful gourami/livebearer tank. 🙂 I absolutely love the look of cichlids, dwarf cichlids, and rams, but I'm not sure they'd be a good fit for me right now.

[H.K.Luterman]

I'd say if you're really wanting goldfish, definitely get some! In a few years if you do end up getting that big tank, you can always move them into it. Might as well get what you know you'll enjoy.