Large community fish for 55g

sleeper · Member Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 90

Semi-repeat Q: Any larger community fish?

About to pick up a 55gal to replace my 20gal (I wanted to ease into the hobby last Nov).

I have mollies, ADFs, a gorami (would add 1-2 more), and, as some of you may remember, I was heartbroken to learn about water hardness and how discus fish just don't cut it in that environment.

Does anyone have suggestions for a larger, preferably colorful community fish I could use to "centerpiece" the new 55? One that is more of less in the middle on PH, KH, temp, but is also a peaceful temperament?

Someone told me once that if you get a very small angel fish and raise it with community fish they'll grow up peaceful, but I think their KH levels are kind of low, too....

dude412 · Member Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 148

uhh thres a number of col fish like balck ghost knifes or baby whales or blood parrots or elephant nose but remeber elphant noses cant go wit black ghost knife or u could get a small ray

sleeper · Member Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 90

Dude, or anyone else, elephant noses are cool, but will they be aggressive with mollies?

Hooben · Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:57 am Post subject:

Elephant noses, ghost knives,parrots,angels.. they will all kill you mollies real quick. The 55 really isn't big enough for any of these either. The main problem is the mollies. There is really nothing that you can put with them except for guppies. If you want to go big, then you have got to loose the small peacefull fish. The only small fish that I have kept with parrots, severums and ghost knives are tiger barbs ( they are small and tough). You might be able to squeeze a pair of parrots and a school of tiger barbs in 55 gallons, thats about it.
Good luck.

Shineillusion · Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:39 am Post subject:

If you don't have your heart set on something too large, you might concider two or three Red Striped Rainbows; Melantotaenia Splendida Rubrostriata. They grow to about 5 inches, are peacefull, water chemestry isn't concidered critical...fairly soft to medium hard, pH 6.2 to 7.6, which means they'd do ok with your mollies if your pH isn't too high. And they'd look stunning with black mollies as tank mates.

If you'd settle for something a bit smaller than that, the M. Praecox or Neon Rainbow would also look stunning with black mollies, and would be very compatible. I have two, and we refer to them as chrome illusion fish (like the auto paint that changes color) because, depending on what angle you view them from they're powder blue, teal, or pink, with red fins.