55 Gallon Stocking

Hello, I have a 55 gallon tank (48 inches long, 12 inches wide, 24 inches tall. Not 100% sure about these dimensions and I'm not home) and I was wondering what I should stock? This is what I have so far:

x8-9 zebra danios

x8-9 bloodfin tetras

x? Cory catfish
I don't know how many corys to get. If you have any other ideas, additions, subtractons, completely different stocking ideas, I'm all ears.

 

Welcome to Fishlore!

What about something like this?

8-15x Zebra danios
8-15x Bloodfin tetra
8-10x Cool water cory species (only one species)
1-2x Bolivian rams
1-2x Dwarf gourami (1 male or 1 male & 1 female - never 2 males) OR 3-7x Honey gourami

 

I, too, am a beginner, and also have a 55 gallon. I'm too new to know much about compatibility, etc and can't advise you there. However, what I can tell you is that in my opinion, you should decide how you want your tank to look before you start to stock it. For instance, do you want a lot of schooling fish only, or do you want some schooling fish and a larger centerpiece fish with it? I have some small schooling fish, a couple of dwarf cichlids that can stand alone, a catfish that will grow to be a decent size, and I will be adding a Blood Parrot as my centerpiece. Although I like my tank, I believe it could potentially look more impressive if I had gone with fewer, slightly larger schooling fish to go along with the rest of my stock, or if I had just done a lot of schooling fish. I'm not sure how helpful this is, but I think it's something to consider.

 

I agree with JGombs99 with what he said. Lots of schooling fish or just really big schools complement the tank aquascape morw than bigger fish

 

I still like the idea of having a big fish or two along with the schooling fish. I just think it needs to be done right, with either a really large school if it's something that stays small, or a small school of fish that are slightly larger.

 

I like the first 3 and the honey gourami. Not too sure about the bolivian rams though. Also, are all the fish you listed compatible?

 

I want to have schooling fish with one or two centerpiece fish.

 

With that in mind you can maybe get one or two Rams? Bolivian,German blue, blue, electric blue, and a lot other types. They stay pretty small, but big enough to be centerpiece. Some people have had luck with bettas

 

That was my goal in the beginning, too. As I mentioned above, I do like my tank, but I think I could have done it slightly better.

I think you should answer these two questions for yourself. If you had to choose just one "group" that you're the most interested in, (basically which do you want more), the schoolers or the centerpiece fish (you can have both, you just need a focus right now). And, what is your preferred fish for that group? I think you should build everything else off of the answers to those questions.

 

I'm definitely more interested in the schooling fish. As for the preferred fish, I have no clue.

 

Ok. Good to know. You should spend some time researching some different options. But, folks on here can also give you some help. Are you looking for something with a lot of color or more subdued color? Any particular colors you'd like? Something that schools tightly or loose?

 

Yes, I listed fish that are all compatible temp and behavior wise

You can definitely leave out the ram if you want though.

German blue, blue, electric blue, and gold are all variations of M. ramirezi, and they're not temp compatible with danios. Bolivians are compatible.

Bettas are also not temp compatible with danios.

 

Are Cherry barbs compatible with Danios, Bloodfins, Corys, and Dwarf Gouramis? To be honest I don't know much about the fish, I just know they're a schooling fish.

 

I wouldn't add a third mid/top dwellings schooling species. So yes, they are compatible, but if you get a school of barbs, leave out the danios or bloodfins.

 

Okay, so:
x9 Zebra Danios
x9 Bloodfin tetras
x6(?) cory catfish
x2 dwarf gourami

 

Only 1 male dwarf gourami in a tank this size, but you can get 1 male and 1 female if you want two.

And I'd say you can increase the danio and tetra schools to 15 and the cories to 10-12.

 

Okay, sounds good. Also, how should I decorate my tank?

 

I'm a big fan of driftwood and lots of live plants.