Guppies, Mollies and Platys

[greenfamilyfarms]

To get your tank balanced, I would suggest started with the cheapest fish you can find. At the local pet store, you can get 10 feeder goldfish for $1. With about 20 of those, they will get your tank off to good start. Then, once it has cycled through for about a month with no loses, sell the goldfish back to the pet store and use it towards the ones you really want.

BTW: My favs are the Tiger Barbs.

 

[EweSheep]

I know I have to add some cheapo fishes and one PetSmart got one dollar fishes. Those are like tetras, feeders and feeder goldfishes. Also Daninos.

 

[ConchRepublic]

Quote:
If, you'd like to know anything else, I'd be glad to help.

I've been having fish for 16 years.

 

[EweSheep]

Yes I remember guppies mate all the time and babies up to the wazoooo! I do not mind them eating them to keep the populations down. I thought pet stores would want to buy them but they rather buy them from suppliers.

we will be buying plants, hideyholes, broken pots, marbles, etc. for babies to escape if they need to. My DD likes the very wild colorful pebbles so we got the neon kind (UGH!) of blue, pink, greens. And wants an alligator bubble thingy on the floor of the tank LOL! No real theme but LOUD colors LOL!

We would prefer to stick with ONE fish supplier, a small mom and pop operator that has been there for years and we bought fishes from him with no ill effects. So was PetSmart with their guarantee, no illness issues or ick or fin rots. the other suppliers, forget it, sickly fishes, fishes swimming upside down, nope, keep moving LOL! WalMart is the WORST!

 

[ilroost]

ewe there is a good fish store in champaign that i go to it is called the sailfin shop. they have lots of hard to find fish and are good on prices,right now i have a pair of german blue rams that i finally got to mate,nice looking small cichlid.if i can get them raised i would be willing to give you a couple

 

[Moxiechick]

I wouldn't recommend using feeder goldfish to cycle your tank. Feeders are shipped and kept in overcrowded conditions and usually are carriers of all sorts of nasty diseases. It is a sure way to give your tank Ich.

Besides, goldfish like cool temperatures, and the fish you want to keep are tropical, warmth loving fish. Once you switch over to heat, it will throw off the helpful bacteria colonies you have been trying to establish, resulting in another ammonia spike and more time being needed for things to balance out again.

You would be best off buying a small number of fish at a time. For a 55 gallon, I'd get about 6 at a time, wait a couple of weeks, then add another 6, wait a couple of weeks, etc. Platys and Swordtails are hardy fish and would be a good choice to start cycling your tank. Wait on any tetras until the end, as they are more delicate in regards to water quality. If you want fancy guppies and danios, make sure you have a school of at least 6 to 8 danios. Unless they are kept occupied in a school of their own species, danios can be quite nippy to other species and with the long tails, guppies would be a prime target.
When figuring out how many fish your tank can hold, keep in mind the adult size of the fish you get. For example, a fish bought as a juvenile at 1 inch may grow to 3 inches. You will need to account for that when planning.

Ideally, it would be a good idea to have a quarantine tank you can use (usually a smaller, 10-20 gallon tank). This way you can observe each batch of new fish, to make sure they are healthy, before introducing them to your larger tank. It may seem like an added expense, but when you consider the cost of medicines to treat 55 gallons of water vs. 10 gallons, not to mention the cost in losing favorite fish and replacing them, a quarantine tank pays for itself many times over! I've done it this way for over 20 years with very good luck. I even have a catfish that is 18 years old. Anyfish added to her tank are closely observed for at least two weeks before introductions are made!

Best of luck with your tank!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

You could always get a betta to cycle the tank, let the tank cycle for about 6 weeks, then add some mollies, platies, and guppies. The betta should get along with those fish quite well. When you add new fish however, be sure to only add 3 or 4 at a time. Also, a tank like that would do well with a group of 3 or more cory cat fish. They keep the bottom of the tank nice and clean and are pretty entertaining!

 

[ConchRepublic]

Quote:
I got one in my 10 gallon, one of my favorite fish, also one of the fattest

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I haven't had time to read it all. Guppies, Mollys and Swordtails, Platys, Neons , lots of them get along. You'll have alot of fun and I have always enjoyed the live breeders.

Oneday it would be fun to try the bigger fish. Cichlids, Oscars, Tinfoils, Angel Fish some get along and some don't. Do buy junk fish for the first few months as your water needs to condition before you put anything expensive in there. Get some biostars or rocks for the good bacteria to live and it will help your tank alot.

A well balanced tank will be crystal clear. Never clean out all the poopy rocks. The good bacteria live in there. Do 1/4 water changes every couple weeks, don't overfeed. Fish need less than you think! The way to kill them is to over feed them and then the ammonia in the tank gets way high (or nitrates or something!)

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[EweSheep]

EWWWWWWWWWWW! I do not think I want to have any ick or diseases if that is the case with feeder goldfishes. Most stores will NOT take the fish back, I would end up dumping in the toliet for sure or put outside in one of those barrel water tanks. It is a fish I would not really want anyway. Thanks for the heads up!

6 to 10 fishes would be a good start for now before we add anymore to it.

The tank is brand new so no worries of previous occupation LOL!

I love Bettas but not sure how they can adapt to other fishes....I am afraid they will attack the male guppies. I've had them before, so it was a 50-50 chance. Some wont bother them while other would tear into them as a terriorial males. However I can have a huge pickle glass jar ready for him when he gets into the guppies too much or one of those breeder cages. But I will wait on the Betta males. They ARE fun to have around!