Getting ready to put another tank into play.

[max h]

About a month and a half ago I picked up a 75 gallon tank to replace a 55 gallon tank that I had in the dinning room, in the 48" tank length I fell that the 75 is really the best bang for the buck and the 75 came with everything except for substrate. Now I was back home in Australia for a few weeks taking care of family business, when I returned my wonderful wife had the idea of setting up the 55 gallon tank in the bedroom, instead of selling it like I had planned on doing. Good news for me, I have everything I need to recommission the 55 gallon tank, but go in a little different direction with it then my other tanks. This will end up being a warmer water planted tropical tank with driftwood. My plan is to strip the blue paint off the back glass and repaint it black, with BDBS substrate so the plants and fish coloration's pop. Plants are not big issue since I'll just harvest some from the other 3 tanks in the house, as well as driftwood. Lighting will end up being a Beamswork ET series light which is sitting around the house, and filtration will be a pair of Marineland Magnaflow 360 filters in the garage. The tank will endup being instant cycled since I already have 3 Magnaflow 360's running on 2 of the other tanks, so I can pull one cycled filter and stock immediately.

Stocking for the tank may end up being:

A pair of Angelfish
A school of Cardinal Tetras or other warm water Tetras.
A school of Sterba Cories or other Cory species that can handle warmer water.
1 BN pleco

I'm open to suggestions for stocking this tank since it will end up being at 80-82 degrees year round. I'm really not wanting to go the discus route since they need pristine water to thrive.

 

[ProudPapa]

Since you mentioned tetras: I have 15 Skirt tetras in my tank (9 black and 6 white), and I really like the contrasting colors in the same body shape.

 

[Fljoe]

I like your plan for the 55 gallon! Looking forward to seeing it set up.

 

[Charlie’s Dad]

I like your plan for the new tank also. Put a feather in your wifes cap for the new tank location also!!!

Don't we just love multitank syndrome......

My wife an I are setting up a new to us 50 gallon soon. Not quite sure of its stocking just yet.

 

[BaneAquatics]

For the bristlenose, I recommend some of the hypancistrus species. A little more carnivorous/omnivorous than other plecos/bns, but the patterning is usually much more visually striking.

Can't wait to see the set ups!

 

[Fljoe]

I like your plan for the new tank also. Put a feather in your wifes cap for the new tank location also!!!

Don't we just love multitank syndrome......

Agreed! I’ve had a 55 gallon set up for 2 months now! So many beautiful fish to choose from. I already have a spot cleared for another 55 or larger!

 

[lisa99]

Your stocking is exactly what I have in my new 75 gallon minus the tetras (they will be added after Christmas) and I have 4 angels instead of 2.

 

[max h]

Agreed! I’ve had a 55 gallon set up for 2 months now! So many beautiful fish to choose from. I already have a spot cleared for another 55 or larger!

If you can I would go with a 75 gallon tank over another 55 gallon. You will like the extra 6" of width the 75 gives you.

Your stocking is exactly what I have in my new 75 gallon minus the tetras (they will be added after Christmas) and I have 4 angels instead of 2.

I haven't made up my mind yet on the number of Angels I'll end up getting, my LFS has a very knowledgeable employee in the freshwater section. So I plan on asking her about the stocking option too.

 

[Fljoe]

If you can I would go with a 75 gallon tank over another 55 gallon. You will like the extra 6" of width the 75 gives you.



I haven't made up my mind yet on the number of Angels I'll end up getting, my LFS has a very knowledgeable employee in the freshwater section. So I plan on asking her about the stocking option too.

Believe me... I would love to go bigger. I am renting. Although I’m not planning on moving, I do need to consider the possible future move.

I’ve got 2 angels in my 55 gallon. They are fun fish.

 

[coralbandit]

Rams !
Lose the angels and do rummy nose also .As angels grow tetras are their snack of choice ..
Rams ,cards,rummies ,sterbai...The traditional warm water community and a great planted tank ..

 

[max h]

Believe me... I would love to go bigger. I am renting. Although I’m not planning on moving, I do need to consider the possible future move.
I’ve got 2 angels in my 55 gallon. They are fun fish.

I rent too these days, moving is a pain these days. Now I will have 4 tanks between 55 and 150 gallons to move next time. The 150 takes about 4 guys to move normally, unless I can find a couple that are strong of back and weak of mind.

Rams !
Lose the angels and do rummy nose also .As angels grow tetras are their snack of choice ..
Rams ,cards,rummies ,sterbai...The traditional warm water community and a great planted tank ..

coralbandit EBA's where my alternative to the Angels, I just didn't list them. I had also thought of Rummies too.

 

[coralbandit]

EBA or EBR ?
I would not keep EBA with small tetras ..

 

[max h]

EBA or EBR ?
I would not keep EBA with small tetras ..

EBR's, I'm having a dyslexic day today. Some how my brain hasn't really been connected to the fingers all day long.

 

[Fljoe]

EBR's, I'm having a dyslexic day today. Some how my brain hasn't really been connected to the fingers all day long.

People have mixed opinions on Tetra with Angels. I am going with the opinion of if they all started out as juveniles together and are fed properly, they won’t eat their friends! Lol

 

[coralbandit]

EBR are a great fish .
You could easily have 2 pair in a 55.
3 Maybe if you liked pushing it .
I have pairs of every color ram in with my discus[ in a 48x24 60g] and the mix and activity is pretty cool .

 

[max h]

EBR are a great fish .
You could easily have 2 pair in a 55.
3 Maybe if you liked pushing it .
I have pairs of every color ram in with my discus[ in a 48x24 60g] and the mix and activity is pretty cool .

coralbandit I definitely have them on the list from the beginning, the wife also likes them. I started to get some for the 75 gallon tank but I keep it down around 75 degrees, so I ended up getting a pair of Kribs. My wife loves the Kribs, but I don't think she will have an issue at all with EBR's over Angels.

 

[coralbandit]

Temperature is the most important parameter for rams to me .
If you can keep them 80f+ [ I like 82] then they do best .
It seems to be the biggest draw back to rams is the stocking that goes with them but your list is what goes with them [ to the T ] ...and discus !
Discus don't need pristine water any more then rams .They need good , warm water .They do best in groups of 6+ so not really a choice for community 55g.

 

[max h]

Weather and life in general has been getting in the way of starting the build on the 55 gallon tank, I have pretty much nailed down the fish I want to stock in the tank tank. I ended up with a pair of Burmese Boarder Loaches that are currently housed in my 100 gallon tank with a school of Yo-Yo Loaches. I'm thinking of possibly getting 3 more of the Boarder Loaches and housing them in the 55 along with the 2 I currently have on hand.

 

[max h]

We finally got some work done on the old 55, back glass scraped and repainted. The stand was cleaned up, and both the tank and stand moved to the bedroom. The better half will be working on cleaning up the inside of the glass and glass canopies. I have to clean o couple of liters out and cut a couple of new hoses for the filters. Get the rest of the BDBS and rinse it. I have a few picture of the tank from over the years the first one is from about 5 years ago, then last year, and today.

 

[Fljoe]

Looking good!

 

[qquake2k]

I really like that stand, for some reason.

 

[max h]

I really like that stand, for some reason.

The stand is nice, over the years I wished it was a 30” stand vice a 36” stand, but here in the bedroom the 36” stand works well. The bed is pretty tall itself.

I did make some headway today between everything that gone on during the week. Some of the substrate is in, I need about another half bag or so. Got some water into it also today the rest will be finished up after I throw in more substrate. One filter is up and running to clear out some cloudiness from the substrate. I need to check at the LFS to see what driftwood they have available, if not I did see a piece online that looked pretty interesting.

 

[max h]

I got some more substrate in the tank. Picked up a couple pieces of mop anI wood that I liked. Transferred some plants out of the other tanks. I’m dow to ordering fish from the LFS and transferring a cycled filter over.

 

[Charlie’s Dad]

I am liking this.....keep it ☝

 

[max h]

I got lucky today, I went into order my fish for a shipment next week. I made it in time to get most of the stock in tomorrow afternoon at the LFS. So right now it will have:

2 GBR's
1 Red BN
3 Burmese Boarder Loaches
6 SterbaI Cories

I already have 2 other loaches in a bigger tank that should be a bunch of fun to catch and transfer over. The Rummy Nose Tetras will be added next week, I'm looking at a school of 10-15. Tomorrow the cycled filter will be moved from the 100 gallon tank for the instant cycle.

 

[max h]

Almost done with the aquascaping, and the GBR’s are settling into their new home.