new 55 gallon

[big b]

I just got a 55 gallon. This will be the biggest tank I've ever had. I have a rough sketch of what i would like. I was thinking about getting
10-ish amano shrimp
4 bamboo shrimp
20(to start with) cherry shrimp.
1 vampire shrimp
20 ember tetras
12 corys
20 harlequin rasbora
3-4 hill stream loach
2 honey gourami
5 kuhli loach(i can emove them if i need to)
20 neon tetra
10 otto
I was thinking maybe some nerite snails, if they wont attach my shrimp. I am going to make this tank a bare bottom tank. I am thinking of planting some plants in a long some what shallow clay tray(if I can find one). The filters i am getting is an emperor 400 and a marine land penguin 350. I was thinking about using enough trays to cover 1 side of the tank and have the other side as a hiding place. I would put some caves and pvc pipes for anybody to hide in.  I am planning to do 1-2 50% water changes per week
I have never delt with a tank this big, I don't know if there are too many fish or if I'm all good. I would really appreciate some advice with my stocking.

[ilroost]

I would say a few to many fish. If your gonna have the shrimp, make sure you put a prefilter on the intake tube of the filters.

[Mugwump]

I would say a few to many fish. If your gonna have the shrimp, make sure you put a prefilter on the intake tube of the filters.

I agree, it does seem like too many fish....a quick count goes over a hundred+ fish...

[wsantia1]

Way too many fish. Watch out for those Nerite snails. While they don't reproduce in fresh water they still lay eggs and those eggs are a pain in the butt to get off of the decor.

[big b]

Ok, thank you for saying that. I'm thinking about knocking the tetras down to 12 each. and knock the ottos down to 6. Would that be enough or should I get rid of the ember tetras completely?

Way too many fish. Watch out for those Nerite snails. While they don't reproduce in fresh water they still lay eggs and those eggs are a pain in the butt to get off of the decor.

I have heard that they lay eggs in freshwater that don't hatch before. The only decor that I am planning to have are pvc pipes, drift wood,and caves. I'm feeling that a quick bath would get the eggs off. Would i be right?.
Don't worry ilroost, i always use a pefilter tube .

[wsantia1]

Ok, thank you for saying that. I'm thinking about knocking the tetras down to 12 each. and knock the ottos down to 6. Would that be enough or should I get rid of the ember tetras completely?

Way too many fish. Watch out for those Nerite snails. While they don't reproduce in fresh water they still lay eggs and those eggs are a pain in the butt to get off of the decor.

I have heard that they lay eggs in freshwater that don't hatch before. The only decor that I am planning to have are pvc pipes, drift wood,and caves. I'm feeling that a quick bath would get the eggs off. Would i be right?.
Don't worry ilroost, i always use a pefilter tube .

You would be wrong. I have to take my driftwood out of the tank and scrape those eggs off. It is a pain in the butt to do.

[big b]

Hmm, I'm gonna look a few pictures of the eggs and see how they look. If they don't look too bad, I can live with it. So I looked at it, I cant live with those ugly little eggs. Can they lay eggs by themselves? I once had 1 of them and I didnt see any eggs.

[wsantia1]

Hmm, I'm gonna look a few pictures of the eggs and see how they look. If they don't look too bad, I can live with it. So I looked at it, I cant live with those ugly little eggs. Can they lay eggs by themselves? I once had 1 of them and I didnt see any eggs.

Good luck.

[big b]

Well, I guess I will deal with it when I get to it  . But anyway, would my stocking plans be fine if I got rid of the ember tetras and kept the other tetras at 20 each and the ottos at 10?

[Ron Sower]

B...I know you've been keeping fish for a while...but here's my suggestion....start with some of your favorite fish...not too many at once. Then add to the tank every 3-4 weeks or so until you see them start to stress out or nip/fight each other, gasp at the surface for air, or act abnormal...then back off adding any more to the tank.

I would start with a pod of corys...10 maybe, and 10 neons or cardinals, and a couple otos, and couple BNs. Then add to this group. If you add bamboo shrimp in the beginning, there may not be enough plankton type food to keep them alive (they are definitely filter feeders and need the food that an established tank will probably provide...especially if you're going bare bottom.

This way you start out with a pizazz looking tank while everyone acclimates gradually. I have a very overstuffed community tank myself and, surprisingly, have several species spawning in it. However, I usually have it heavily filtered.

I'm telling you the way I'd do it because it's the way I've done it several times and works well if you have the patience for it and don't want to lose a lot of nice fish right off the bat. You seem to like doing a tank the way I do when I'm not set up for breeding.

Just my thoughts.

[BillT]

That's also a good way to get  anew filter system going well.

[big b]

B...I know you've been keeping fish for a while...but here's my suggestion....start with some of your favorite fish...not too many at once. Then add to the tank every 3-4 weeks or so until you see them start to stress out or nip/fight each other, gasp at the surface for air, or act abnormal...then back off adding any more to the tank.

I would start with a pod of corys...10 maybe, and 10 neons or cardinals, and a couple otos, and couple BNs. Then add to this group. If you add bamboo shrimp in the beginning, there may not be enough plankton type food to keep them alive (they are definitely filter feeders and need the food that an established tank will probably provide...especially if you're going bare bottom.

This way you start out with a pizazz looking tank while everyone acclimates gradually. I have a very overstuffed community tank myself and, surprisingly, have several species spawning in it. However, I usually have it heavily filtered.

I'm telling you the way I'd do it because it's the way I've done it several times and works well if you have the patience for it and don't want to lose a lot of nice fish right off the bat. You seem to like doing a tank the way I do when I'm not set up for breeding.

Just my thoughts.

I always start off with a few fish in the beginning. I normally get about half dozen to start with.I actually have 6 corys in another tank that I am gonna use for this tank. So I'm gonna move them first. Bamboo shrimp will probably be one of the last things added to the tank because of that reason. I am thinking about getting the corys first, getting the neons next. I am going to be ordering a few plants,shrimp,snails,and some fish. I will probably order them in a month or two, I dont get money very fast  . The cherry shrimp will be in that order. I think I'm gonna get rid of the kuhli loaches and hillstream loaches, I dont think the kuhlis are right for this tank, and the hillstreams, they are too delicate for me I think.

My mom is wanting a fishtank for a little corner in our family/tv room. I have convinved her to get a 29 gallon. She is wanting some of my guppies in my 20 gallon to go in it. I am planning to move all of the guppies to the 29 eventually. So I will have an empty 20 gallon tank. I am probably gonna post a new thread about stocking my 20 gallon soon.

[big b]

I had an amazing idea today. Instead of getting half neon tetras and half harlequin tetras, how about all neon tetras? I have seen a bunch of planted tanks with neon tetras and they looked amazing.

[Ron Sower]

I had an amazing idea today. Instead of getting half neon tetras and half harlequin tetras, how about all neon tetras? I have seen a bunch of planted tanks with neon tetras and they looked amazing.

That's what I'd do...

[big b]

Yeah I know. It will look amazing