55 gal Ideas?

[sea_fan]

So me and my gf have a 14 gal BioCube with inverts and fish. Even though we knew better, we bought a baby dogface puffer (2"). We know he will need to go into a bigger tank, so we've been thinking a 55 gal would fit best into our budget and he would be comfy with only a couple other fish. We want to do a FOWLR and were thinking of pairing him with a foxface and a maroon clown. Would this work? Also, could we have an annenome for the maroon in this tank?

 

[mie]

55's are dumb! They are hard to scape and just a bad dimension. I would go up to a 75. Yes a nem would work with a gold stripe. Make sure Your water quality stays good and you have proper lighting.

 

[small triggers]

a 75 is much easier and is almost the same price as a 55...but even at that in about 2 years youll have to upgrade again if you want to keep it..
your stock list sounds good, and as long as you have enough lighting and wait a bit for the tank to get established you should have no problem adding an anemone in a few months...

 

[sea_fan]

Yes, we would prefer something bigger and know we will have to go bigger in the future, but a friend is selling us a 55 with EVERYTHING for cheap. And as far as scaping the tank, I'll post up some pics and show how it turns out.

 

[ugotktfo]

I have a 55 and love it...sure, I'd like to go bigger but I still love my 55. Your stock list sounds good as long as you have sufficient lighting for your anenome.

 

[halamaya]

I'm on the third floor anything bigger might not work do well. 55 is a good size but anything above a med size fish is a no go.

 

[browniebuck]

I have had a 55 for a few years now...in the process of upgrading, but I never had any problems with my aquascaping...of course, I handpicked all of my LR knowing of the size of my tank. No offense, but simply saying that 55's are dumb is kind of an ignorant comment. When I first got into the hobby, that is what I found (used), and what I could afford...a LOT of people have turned their 55's into absolutely stunning looking aquariums with great aquascaping...you get out of it what you put into it.

 

[duchessw/a9mm]

Hey I curently have a 55 gallon aswell. I think if i get something larger it might be to advanced to care for. I also live in an apartment so I might just have to move at any moment. Once I get red of my damsels I do plan to prepare for coral

I just gotta do more research first.

 

[crazydave]

Have had a 55 up and going for 8 years now. Have done just fine with it.
Granted you cant just stock it however you choose.....it does take some thought. But to say its stupid is one of the most ignorant statements I've ever heard on SWF.COM.
I started out FOWLR with a puffer, snowflake eel, Maroon, and a damsel. As they got bigger.....happened fairly quickly.....I/the tank could not keep up with the bioload.
Whether you are getting a 55 for a stepping stone or for your ultimate sized display tank.....enjoy it and don't let other peoples opinions take any of the fun out of it for you.

 

[kraylen]

haha, anyone who hates on the standard AGA 55 gallon obviously lacked the skills to create a nice one

 

[sea_fan]

How long will the dogface last in a 55gal? A year, maybe 2? We're now wanting a blue throat trigger instead of a maroon, but we don't know how long he would last in a 55 either. We're wanting to stretch upgrading for as long as possible.

 

[sea_fan]

OR a humu humu since they don't get as big as the blue throat. Which seems like a better choice? Which could last longer in the 55? Or should we just get a maroon? The tank has been up and running since Thursday. We can't wait to add fish!

 

[browniebuck]

that is the tough thing with saltwater...everytime you think that you have a "big" tank, you find that there are all sorts of really cool critters that need "bigger" than what you have.
If you are dead set on a trigger...the humu humu stays a little smaller. If not dead set on the trigger, go with the maroon, just make sure that it is decent enough sized that the puffer wouldn't try to go after it. You may also be able to get a decent sized dwarf angel for that tank as well.