Need some Info.

So anyways I'm getting a 55 gal. setup from a co-worker for like $20.

The tank, stand, lights, rocks, filter, the whole 9. Overall a very nice setup.

Now my dilemma is, I don't know anything about fish.

I'm curious as what type of sharks that will stay small and can live their life in a 55 gal tank? Sharks have always been an interest of mine, and I just never assumed I would ever own a fish tank.

Also which species of shark fish can I have in the tank with each other, and are they compatible with Algae eaters?

I vote for the Bala Shark. Had a few years back but they like to be in schools.

And 55g they will out grow soon as my lil guys were pushing 8"

EDIT- Balas are pretty sociable and not aggressive to where you can have a community setup. I kept plecos in with them

Yea, I want to get something that will stay small, I just don't have any idea about fish in general.

It really doesn't even have to be sharks. I would prefer to stay freshwater, as I was told that saltwater tanks cost more to setup and what not(not sure how true this is).

I just would like fish with neat features, attractive fish, that I can keep more then that species in.

For instance:
Bettas are attractive, but you can't keep more then like a male & a female, right?
Ghost catfish are neat, but are they fresh or salt?

I don't know, give me some insight people.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Neal

Yea, I want to get something that will stay small, I just don't have any idea about fish in general.

It really doesn't even have to be sharks. I would prefer to stay freshwater, as I was told that saltwater tanks cost more to setup and what not(not sure how true this is).

I just would like fish with neat features, attractive fish, that I can keep more then that species in.

For instance:
Bettas are attractive, but you can't keep more then like a male & a female, right?
Ghost catfish are neat, but are they fresh or salt?

I don't know, give me some insight people.

---

If you want something cool and fun to watch during feeding, i would go with Small/Large mouth Bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=XdapkqJP2SY

more on the bala sharks. I considered getting some for my 135 but then decided not to as they would even outgrow that.

Theres so much to choose from that its hard to suggest much.
personally i would make a turtle tank, fish are cool but not that interesting to watch. thats what my 135 is going to be.

you could have a small array of fish in the tank... anything from guppies to tetras, other livebearers- platys, mollies things like that- cat fish wise, you could do cory cats, they're bottom dwellers and pretty cool. you could have a clown pleco- they stay small, or a bristle nose pleco.... Angel fish are pretty cool... very gorgeous. I had a couple in my tank- they were cool. german blue rams are also wiked cool. they're agressive but fun to watch. Check out yellow rams too(i don't know the official name sry..). Hachets are also wiked cool fish

You can also check out aquariacentral.com for some more ideas... what ever you decide.. make sure the fish won't outgrow the tank when full grown such as an oscar.

I don't have a 55 at the moment, but i do have a 30gal. a 75 and a 14g tank. My 30 has guppies and a betta ( which are great in community tanks btw!) the 75 has a flowerhorn.. which get huge and are pretty destructive, and the 14 has guppies and whiteclouds, as well as another betta. When i did have a 55 we also had khulie loaches angels


fyi. small mouth bass get 8-15 inches long and require a minimum of a 90gallon tank

large mouth bass get up to 2 ft... a 55 is 4 ft long... so deff not a good fit.

bala sharks get big- 1ft 4 inchesand they do best in groups of 4... you can put rainbow sharks in , they're really nice and cool to watch.


Have you thought about live vs fake plants?- live plants are cool but a good bit of work.

well thats what i have to suggest for now... if you have any questions you can always pm me or check out that above site- theres a chat and ppl are wiked cool and helpful :-)

No, betta fish can not be kept in pairs. Some people have successfully kept a group of females together but you have to be careful even then.

For a 55, you could do a nice assortment of tropical community fish. Maybe some livebearers like mollies or platies.

If you go with community, rams add a lot of color. I have a few angle rams. Peacock gudeons and rainbow fish are great for color too.

As for ghost cats, Ive always kept them in fresh. They really need to be in large school so they dont stress out though.

Cichlids all the way. I disagree that fish arent entertaining to watch. Ive had several tanks up and found them very entertaining. Alot of personalities in some of them.

In my experience Ive found any of the more aggressive rated fish are helleva fun to keep. As long as you dont mind only keeping one or two fish in the tank.

i take some of what i have back. fish are interesting but i guess i have just lost interest over time. I have a pair of oscars in the 135. They have a lot of personality, ones very naughty and the other is more timid and gentle.

AFRICAN CICHLIDS!!!!! They are as close to salt, in terms of color, without actually going salt. They are very intellegient fish, and have interesting behaviors. They are also pretty hardy, and a bit more "forgiving" for the new fish keeper too!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

AFRICAN CICHLIDS!!!!! They are as close to salt, in terms of color, without actually going salt. They are very intellegient fish, and have interesting behaviors. They are also pretty hardy, and a bit more "forgiving" for the new fish keeper too!

---

This is the one I agree with.. Rams are not forgiving and not for first time fish keepers. Balas (I have a healthy school of 6) can grow over 10 inches. They are very fast moving and jump out of their tank if not covered well. They also cant have plastic plants or any decoration with sharp edges. They run into things. There is no actual shark you can get. Balas are a type of huge minnow. Rainbow sharks are a catfish. Bettas can be kept in a male/female pair but they will hide constantly in a community tank and not do well. I suggest a large group of young varied african cichlids. Many colors to choose from. Make sure you put at least 10 to 15 in the tank. This way they are less likely to fight and will establish rank right away. Then a colorful pleco a few months later once the tank is well established. Sailfins, leopards, royals, golden nuggets, are nice and dont get as big as commons. All, of course, after the tank is completely cycled and you have a good bacteria base built up in the gravel and filters.

if you do go cichlids stick with smaller ones around the 4" range(some get huge) some pretty suggestions would be sp44, christmas fulu, demasoni

rams are not that bad but some are very touchy. (electric blues, german glue, german gold are very touchy)

if you want plecos i would wait atleast 6 months to add them. stick with bristlenose or smaller dwarf plecos.

for bottom feeders i prefer the action and personality of cory cats. i especially like the panda cories.

I had seen some fish the other day. I want to say like electric blue? It wasn't a Cichlid though. It was Pomp something or another. It was black, with a very thing light blue outline of the whole fish?