55 gallon stocking help

[Irv]

Hello everyone,
I hope this post finds you all well and happy, healthy and safe. Especially during these difficult times.
Sooo I'm trying to set up my first large tank. I think like most of us on here, I have a fish list of species I want to own one day and I was working on getting some of them into this tank. I've been using aquadvisor and been on a never ending weeklong google search trying to figure out what is or isn't possible or likely to work. I wanted to get some of your opinions on this stocking plan. I know it's on the high end of stocked. But for now I'd like to focus on whether these fish are able to be housed together at all. You guys are always so helpful with this stuff I wanted to run it by you. Attached you'll see the stocking photo.

Things to note are that I currently have 3 honey gourami in. 20 long. I was hoping to move them into the big tank but if this will not work for one reason or another they can stay in their current tank. I'm also amendable to adding the gouramis to tank and saving the 20 in case something doesn't work out and maybe the Rams need to be moved. I do have 6 asian stone catfish which are extremely small living with the gourami, would they get eaten in the new tank I want to set up ?

 

[SouthAmericanCichlids]

Okay first off, don't trust aquadvisor, it isn't reliable and can tell you stuff like Oscars can fit in a 20 gallon and other outrageous things, and tends to understock when it comes to waste. But I think you are pretty good, the only thing I would be worried about is there is too much on the bottom. But like you said just in case you can move them to your 20. I would recommend adding like 10-12 tetras.

 

[Kribensis27]

I would also say to make sure there’s enough space for the apistos to have their own little territories. If they don’t, they might start to harass the other fish.

 

[SouthAmericanCichlids]

Oh yeah, the tetras have to be taller bodied like lemon tetras or skirt tetras so they won't be eaten by the angels when they get bigger. Or other larger tetras, like Columbian tetras or Congo tetras.

 

[jake37]

I presume it will be one cocaktoo male and 2 females. The two issues I see is that the german blue ram likes it warmer than the cockatoo and gourami. You can force it to work by keeping the tank 79-82 but i would drop the gbr. Also from your list most of the fishes are pretty robust 'cept the gbr which really need a bit more detail care.
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Second if you get a mating pair of angels in a smallish tank they might or might not be comfortable with other fishes around (i.e, they might be overly aggressive). If they are the same sex it should be fine. Angels are a bit unpredictable when mating - i had to go through several pairs to come up with a couple that worked well in my community tank (which is a 120).
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If you remove the gbr you can keep the tank around 77 which is more comfortable for everyone else.

But he isn't getting tetra for this tank so why is this relevant ?
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Also i would not recommend 12 of the larger tetra for this tank but whatever.
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As for the asian stone catfish - the bigger problem is it prefer cooler waters than the angels so there is a bit of compatiblity issue. As for being eaten - well angels will eat anything that fit in their mouth but these little guy would probably mostly hide if you have plants or similar in the bottom layers.

Oh yeah, the tetras have to be taller bodied like lemon tetras or skirt tetras so they won't be eaten by the angels when they get bigger. Or other larger tetras, like Columbian tetras or Congo tetras.

 

[SouthAmericanCichlids]

I presume it will be one cocaktoo male and 2 females. The two issues I see is that the german blue ram likes it warmer than the cockatoo and gourami. You can force it to work by keeping the tank 79-82 but i would drop the gbr. Also from your list most of the fishes are pretty robust 'cept the gbr which really need a bit more detail care.
-
Second if you get a mating pair of angels in a smallish tank they might or might not be comfortable with other fishes around (i.e, they might be overly aggressive). If they are the same sex it should be fine. Angels are a bit unpredictable when mating - i had to go through several pairs to come up with a couple that worked well in my community tank (which is a 120).
-
If you remove the gbr you can keep the tank around 77 which is more comfortable for everyone else.

But he isn't getting tetra for this tank so why is this relevant ?
-
Also i would not recommend 12 of the larger tetra for this tank but whatever.
--
As for the asian stone catfish - the bigger problem is it prefer cooler waters than the angels so there is a bit of compatiblity issue. As for being eaten - well angels will eat anything that fit in their mouth but these little guy would probably mostly hide if you have plants or similar in the bottom layers.

Bolivian rams, can survive lower temps than GBR, so maybe consider those. Also, I was saying he had room for fish in the midwater column and I was suggesting tetras.

 

[AcornTheBetta]

I will always say PLECOS! Cuz I love them.

 

[Irv]

Oh yeah, the tetras have to be taller bodied like lemon tetras or skirt tetras so they won't be eaten by the angels when they get bigger. Or other larger tetras, like Columbian tetras or Congo tetras.

Thanks for all the insight above about stocking. I also had considered a small group of tetras. Just wasn't if there was enough room for all that.

Bolivian rams, can survive lower temps than GBR, so maybe consider those. Also, I was saying he had room for fish in the midwater column and I was suggesting tetras.

I actually planned on the bolivian Rams because I had read they were hardier and more suited to match the other guys but I prefer the German blue Rams so I had to ask if they would work hahaha. Also the bolivians are bigger which doesn't help but I think I'm gonna go with the bolivians for the sake of all fish involved. Thanks for the insight !

I presume it will be one cocaktoo male and 2 females. The two issues I see is that the german blue ram likes it warmer than the cockatoo and gourami. You can force it to work by keeping the tank 79-82 but i would drop the gbr. Also from your list most of the fishes are pretty robust 'cept the gbr which really need a bit more detail care.
-
Second if you get a mating pair of angels in a smallish tank they might or might not be comfortable with other fishes around (i.e, they might be overly aggressive). If they are the same sex it should be fine. Angels are a bit unpredictable when mating - i had to go through several pairs to come up with a couple that worked well in my community tank (which is a 120).
-
If you remove the gbr you can keep the tank around 77 which is more comfortable for everyone else.

Do you think bolivian Rams would work better? I had initially planned for them because they seemed a better fit but the GBR coloring is so nice I wanted to see if it could work.

As for the Angels, i don't want to mate them or anything so maybe I'll try and get same sex pairs if that's okay.

And yes the plan was for 1male 2 female apistos. Thanks for the advice !!

I will always say PLECOS! Cuz I love them.

I'm a big pleco fan myself, i just don't think I'm going with one this time. But they're certainly on my list !

 

[jake37]

Bolivian will probably be fine but if you don't esp like them then why add them just to have another fish? The angels will spend a lot of time near the top and the cockatoo near the bottom. Personally I'd add some scavenger - cory or pleco or even snails (mystery for example). I like L204 myself but i'd still add some sort of cory and drop the rams. I mean you can always add the rams at a later date - they are mostly gentle but it would give you a chance to see how the other fishes work out.

 

[Irv]

Bolivian will probably be fine but if you don't esp like them then why add them just to have another fish? The angels will spend a lot of time near the top and the cockatoo near the bottom. Personally I'd add some scavenger - cory or pleco or even snails (mystery for example). I like L204 myself but i'd still add some sort of cory and drop the rams. I mean you can always add the rams at a later date - they are mostly gentle but it would give you a chance to see how the other fishes work out.

It's not that I don't like them I just had them lower on my list than the GBRs. I think you're right though I'm gonna bring them in last if at all. Wanna see how the apistos do. Thanks !

 

[jake37]

btw you might look at borelli instead of cockatoo.

 

[Mii]

Okay first off, don't trust aquadvisor, it isn't reliable and can tell you stuff like Oscars can fit in a 20 gallon and other outrageous things, and tends to understock when it comes to waste. But I think you are pretty good, the only thing I would be worried about is there is too much on the bottom. But like you said just in case you can move them to your 20. I would recommend adding like 10-12 tetras.

AqAdvisor is meant be be a bioload calculator, not for wether or not fish will fit. Also I believe the site has been updated and will now give you a warning saying the tank is too small when you try to put an O in a 20. When you put an oscar in a 20g it says this
Warning: Oscar is not recommended for your tank - it may eventually outgrow your tank space, potentially reaching up to 14 inches.
Warning: Your selected species may eventually require 168% of your aquarium space. You may need to deal with territorial aggressions later on. Try removing some of (Astronotus ocellatus) or get a larger tank.

 

[Irv]

btw you might look at borelli instead of cockatoo.

Is that for the ease of care, better temperament or size difference ? Or all of the above?

 

[jake37]

Actually neither - simply cosmetic. Pictures don't really do the two (cockatoo and borelli) justice but then again since it is a taste thing people have different taste. Both fishes are fairly hardy and easy to spawn though soft acidic water is always appreciated.

Is that for the ease of care, better temperament or size difference ? Or all of the above?