55g community

[SereneReyn]

well, so i've decided NOT to try discus - i'll save them for when i have a bigger tank and i'm feeling braver. what i have in mind so far is...

3-4 angels
small school of neons or glo-fish (i know the angels could potentially pick off a straggler here or there, but i've also heard if you introduce them when the angels are small it's usually fine)
i'd like an algae-eating pleco (i had the queen arabesque in mind, but someone says she doesn't eat algae?) still, something smallish, maybe a gold nugget pleco, or something? other suggestions?

the things that i really have questions about (i've read conflicting things) are:

i'd like either http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...fm?pCatId=1641

OR a couple

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...fm?pCatId=1898

but i was also thinking of perhaps some kulhi (sp?) loaches or even

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...cfm?pCatId=937

i've never had inverts of any sort, and i've read some conflicting things... they get along well with any fish, certain fish eat them (which fish?) the lobster digs alot? would he ruin live plants?

basically i want a decent clean-up crew, that's unique and gets along well... anything with color would be fabulous... or pale in color is good, 'cause my substrate will be dark.

any and all help is welcome, thanks!


(btw, no i'm not introducing all these fish at once, yes i know about cycling a tank before adding fish. the tank isn't even up and running yet, just planning still)

[King_Snuggles]

bristle nose pleco are the most popular or 3-4 otos. dont know about the shrimp. i have ghost shrimp my self and they do a great job.

[Barbrella]

I would forget the Blue Lobster (which is really a crayfish). They are opportunistic feeders who will eat anything they can catch and hold, which would include fish. They really should be kept either alone or with fish too big to catch.

Neons and angels aren't a good match, simply because big fish eat little fish. If the angels, as adults, can fit the neons in their mouths, then the neons become dinner and the angels won't care if they were raised together, believe me!

Agree the best algae eaters would be a few bristlenose plecos. They stay small and are excellent algae eaters.

Crystal red, or also cherry red shrimp are very nice, but may become dinner to any fish you have that's big enough to eat them.

I'm not familiar with that Synodontis sp. you linked, but it sounds like it would be okay with angels and khuli loaches.

[King_Snuggles]

i use ghost shrimp and they do a wonderful job. but if you have big fish they treat them like candy.

[SereneReyn]

i've read a little more about the lobster/crayfish, and checked him off the list of possibilities... lil shrimps sound fun though.

but i also have other news! instead of a 55g, i'll be getting a 72g!!!

anyway, my husband is kind of set on neons. silly boy. i think there are plenty of other small, brightly colored schooling fish out there... that angels might not be quite as interested in. (and i'm kind of set on angels! lol)

i don't really like the bristle-nose plecos so much... i dunno why, they just seem kind of... plain. i was hoping for a pleco with some interesting markings of some kind - which is why i was initially drawn to the queen arabesque.

thanks alot for the input!!! keep it comin'!

[Barbrella]

72 gallons will be fun!

the Queen Arabesque pleco is gorgeous and there's no reason not to get one as long as you know it's a carnivore and will eat no algae at all. They also need excellent quality water that's very well oxygenated. Feeding can be hard in a community, since they can't compete well with the fast swimmers.

If you want a school of brightly coloured and peaceful fish to go with angels, you might look at Rainbow fish. They come in many sizes and colours.

[SereneReyn]

thanks barbrella! i'll have a look at those... i was kind of hoping for each fish type in the tank to be different in coloring/markings from the others. and things that will stand out with lots of plants and a dark substrate would be great too.

i'm getting so excited i think i'm gonna burst or something... the tank arrives on saturday! it has a wet/dry filter tho, that was used for saltwater. i've never used that kind and i'm kinda worried about that. i might just have to break down and buy a filter i'm familiar and comfortable with... all sparkly new parts would be nice anyway, less to scrub!

my daughter's getting the fish-bug too. she's 9, and we made a deal... when she can keep her room REALLY clean for a whole month then she can get a tank (she has to pay for it and all supplies/fish herself)... but she also has to wait and see what it's like when the big tank is set up and see how much work it is and if she would be willing and able to do it herself... 'cause i told her that i won't take care of hers for her. i'll answer questions, and probably assist, but it's not gonna be my job. i also told her it would have to be at least 10g, but probably at max 29. well then she got all excited about breeding fish ( )

[Blub]

Hi!

May I recommend Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish? Here: http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_praecox.php
Colours of a Neon (Happy husband!) but big enough not to be devoured by an angel. I think 10 of those? Clown plecos and Flash plecos great at algae attack but more interesting. Here are some profiles on them: http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/co...article_id=118, http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/co...article_id=307.

Khuli loaches should be treated like corys. I think though, only keep them over sand. If you have sand in it - then go for khulis!

Lets see... Plecos, DNR's, Angelfish and Khuli loaches. Perfect!

[SereneReyn]

those rainbow fish seem to get stubstantially bigger, they'd probably do great! and i really like the flash pleco, very cute! thanks!

[Blub]

Hi!

Flash plecos and DNR's do tend to cost a little more money than other fish.

[Shaina]

I'm in the planning stages for a tank too (72 to 75 gal)...it's so much fun! I keep getting overwhelmed by all I need to do and decide, but it's a blast

I'm going to be putting Angelfish in my tank as well (and the Kuhli's actually), but everything I'd seen/everyone knowledgeable I've talked to says that if you get 3 or more Angels and two of them pair off, they can get very aggressive and territorial toward the other Angels, and either the pair or the remaining Angels have to be moved to another tank. So you might want to think about just having 2 Angels to increase the chances of everybody getting along --> you could always increase the numbers of another fish instead

[SereneReyn]

excellent point, shaina!

tho with my luck i'll wind up with a bunch of males or something anyway... but i love the photos of the 'wilder looking' strains all sort of schooling as adults... i've decided which ones i want, in fact:
http://www.angelfishusa.com/ANGELFIS...CE+VEIL%2Ehtml

and i do have a LFS that would be thrilled to get any oddballs that don't seem to mesh well with the group. but i've also heard of a 'breeding pair' consisting of 3, where all of them care for the young at least, if not actually participate in 'the deed'. then again, i've also heard of lesbian angels (laying eggs together). go figure.

anyway, i'll certainly keep that in mind, thanks!