# 55gallon with 2 angels (looking for stocking advice)



## ewoolpert (Sep 14, 2017)

Hello, I currently have a 55 gallon set up with 2 angels about a year old. I would like to add more fish. I am really interested in the geophagus but know my tank is to small. I have found the gymnogeophagus and I would love them, but they say they need a cooldown period. That would not work for my angels. Any advice or recommendations? I would prefer cichlids and not other tropical fish. Thanks much.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

Hopefully your angels will continue to get along. As you already pointed out, most geos will get too large for a 55. However, I've mixed angels with many other SA cichlids in the past. You should have no problems with keyholes or Bolivian rams, which will occupy the bottom of the tank. Festivums usually work well too. Severums may get too big for the tank.

With regard to non-cichlids, cories and a school of large bodied tetras would work. I especially like emperor tetras.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Several SA/CA that will work nicely with a pair of angels. I would stick to those who are not fin nippers nor too aggressive but that still leaves quite a group. My problem with many of the group is that I have lost track of the scientific names as they changed! 
My all time favorite that is certain to be calm enough"
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=91

Other cichlids that I have kept long term with angels but lost the real name? 
Nics---short for something like nicaquencisis???
Neats? Not sure what that is short for and no longer able to find it in the profiles. 
Ellioti? Not sure of their name either! 
Honduran red points?

Blue acara--Some really pretty blues are around in these. 
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=171

About all the apistograma group might be a good bet.


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## thornsja19 (Feb 4, 2017)

All my suggestions we're already mentioned so +1 on Rams, Keyholes, Electric Blue Acara, and Rainbow cichlids. Also agree that a Severum would work temperament wise but would be too big for the tank size


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

The world may be getting just too spoiled when it comes to tank size. It was not long back that a 55 WAS a large tank! So in that light, many of the cichlids were certainly kept in that size tank. I never had a tank bigger than a 55 until the last ten years.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

A 32" television screen was also considered large at one time too!


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Just because some things were acceptable back in the "good old days" doesn't mean that it was right. It's not a matter of being spoiled, it's about being a responsible pet owner.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

The irony is that I've found that maintaining my 90 and 150 gallon tanks is way easier than maintaining smaller tanks.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

I agree, big tanks are much easier to maintain although I do have a 35 gallon that I've had set up for a couple of years and it never has nitrates, I'm not sure if the denitrification is happening in the driftwood stump or what, it's quite the mystery... I have a male and female marbled angel, about a dozen each of bleeding heart tetras and cardinal tetras, a mix of albino and normal cherry barbs, a few white danios and a couple of peppered corydoras in there and they all get along fine.


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## ewoolpert (Sep 14, 2017)

Won't the blue acaras get too big? I thought about doing rams, a lot of people don't have luck with them though. I would like a group of 3+fish not just a pair.


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## ewoolpert (Sep 14, 2017)

What about a group of 5 Laetacara curviceps?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Seems too easy to say a tank of 55 gallons is too small and one of 180 might be "responsible". If we want to get into ethics and responsible, can we really begin to split hairs at 55 as too small but larger is okay. We take a fish who would normally be found in a lake and put it in a brightly lit glass box and pat ourselves on the back as "responsible"?? That is a bit of a joke to start so I don't even go with that thinking. 
We might as well admit that we are humans and we are at the top of the food chain. We eat other animals and use them for our pleasure, so being "responsible " is simply an excuse for what we know is abuse! 
Responsible is keeping the water clean! 
I will not feel abusive when I keep my fish in a tank as long as I see people eating steak or keeping their dogs on leashes or their parrots in cages! Everybody is entitled to their own level of comfort but don't expect to change mine if I don't try to change yours! 
:zz:


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## ewoolpert (Sep 14, 2017)

I'm looking for advice, not a discussion on tank size. Thread jacked.


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