Jesse Rorie
Member
What fish would be good fits for a 55 gallon salt water tank? and how many fish can I have?
55 gallon aquarium
- Thread starter Jesse Rorie
- Start date
candaceswf
Administrator
How many fish you can keep depends on what you're going to be keeping. Reef tank, fish only (community or aggressive), etc.
Jesse Rorie
Member
I want clown fish for sure. what will be good with those?
flower
Well-Known Member
Hi,
Welcome to the site. A 55g is very narrow, a 75g would be a better choice. Anyway, besides the two clowns, a dwarf angelfish would be very happy in such a tank and get along with the clowns. There are many fish in the sea, half the fun is selecting, so be choosy. keep in mind the fish you add will dictate what can be added later... make sure you keep only fish that are able to remain in your tank to it's adult size, consider that size, not the size you purchase it at. Never overcrowd saltwater fish, they need their territory.
Some pointers:
Welcome to the site. A 55g is very narrow, a 75g would be a better choice. Anyway, besides the two clowns, a dwarf angelfish would be very happy in such a tank and get along with the clowns. There are many fish in the sea, half the fun is selecting, so be choosy. keep in mind the fish you add will dictate what can be added later... make sure you keep only fish that are able to remain in your tank to it's adult size, consider that size, not the size you purchase it at. Never overcrowd saltwater fish, they need their territory.
Some pointers:
- Fish of the same body type may fight.
- Fish of the same color may fight.
- Many fish are one only per tank, such as the dwarf angelfish.
- Buy only healthy specimens...fish are not puppies, rescuing a sick fish could endanger all the other healthy fish in your tank, and it wastes your money, as well as makes the pet store that sold it be happy enough getting their money, that they won't care about the fish they sell, because it all sells healthy or not.
- Don't limit yourself with what you see in the store...with the online availability, you can order anything you want. Just do your homework. This site has a 14 day guarantee on all critters they sell.
Jesse Rorie
Member
how about the mandarin dragonet? me and my wife love the look of these. will they be ok with clown fish?
Jesse Rorie
Member
don't mean to sound ignorant but what do u mean by pods?
geridoc
Well-Known Member
Mandarin dragonets are great fish - they look great and are interesting to watch. However, they are not a fish for the faint-of-heart. They require copepods ("pods") as their food source. You will need either a separate tank to raise pods in, or a very mature (at least 1 year old) fairly good sized display (100 gallons) to support an adequate pod population. More advanced aquariasts can train their mandarins to consume things like frozen prawn roe, or even pellets in rare cases, but it takes considerable experience to succeed at that. For now, enjoy watching mandarins at your lfs, but don't bring them home until you have the experience and facilities to support this species. Otherwise your fish will starve to death, as do most of those that are sold to hobbyists.
Jesse Rorie
Member
my set up so far. got the tank completely cleaned and the back painted. why do you have to paint the back?
dragonborn
Member
Not necessarily but you can always put a poster
Jesse Rorie
Member
what is the purpose in me painting or putting a background on the back of the tank?
dragonborn
Member
I always go for a white or black background, the ones with fishes and corals in it takes the "zing" of the tank(in my opinion), depending on how it looks.
Jesse Rorie
Member
thanks for the help
flower
Well-Known Member
A background makes the tank look "finished" and makes everything look better IMO. My favorite all time background is the fake rock wall. I have a black painted tank, and another with blue and purple. The good thing about painted backgrounds is they require nothing more, the snails lay eggs on the black painted wall and makes it look like a starry sky. Those plastic covers that stick to the back of the tank, eventually peels ( I have one on my 90g and I hate it). Yet of all the tanks I have had, the one with the fake wall was the best looking one.
It's easy to do a fake rock wall, I would be happy to tell you how if you are interested. All except the stick on the back plastic ones that peel, have to be done BEFORE the tank is set up.
It's easy to do a fake rock wall, I would be happy to tell you how if you are interested. All except the stick on the back plastic ones that peel, have to be done BEFORE the tank is set up.