Fish compatability issues in a 55 Gallon Tank?

Question

I have recently purchased a 55 gallon acrylic fish tank. It it a tropical (about 77 deg. F), freshwater tank, with adequate filtration and lighting. I have 2 (about four inches) tinfoil barbs (the biggest fish in the tank), 3 Clown Loaches, 2 Three-spotted Gouramis, 3 Feeder fish, 1 plecostamus, 2 Giant Zebra Danios, 1 Chinese algae Eater, 2 Angelfish, and 2 Cory Catfish. I also have an African Ciclid that is yellow and black, who is less than two inches long. He seems to be rehabilitated, and is nonviolent, with the exception of being an aggressive eater. I know how many rules of good tank-keeping I have broken already (such as don't keep goldfish in a tropical tank), but I have a question. What fish will work well with these? I have plenty of plants for hiding, and I don't need any more agressive fish. I wanted a dwarf puffer, but they are aggressive, or maybe an elephant nose. So the two questions are:
1) What fish should I get (Or not get)?
2) What should I feed them?

Thanks!

UPDATE:
I just got an elephant nose and another Giant Zebra Danio. I know some of you are thinking that I am insanely overstocking, but most of the fish are no bigger than two inches. Also, by the time my Clown Loaches get to a large size, I will have a bigger tank for them. Although I am worried about running out of room, I doubt it will happen in the next year, as the fish are smaller than most of you are visualizing.

PS: There are not that many clashes between fish. The cichlid seems rehabilitated or something, as he is still nonviolent. I highly doubt the Corys will get eaten. Thanks for all the advice!

Answer 1

Kind of a wacky mix but it sounds like a fun tank to watch. You actually should be ok with the number of fish for a while at least. the one inch rule can be highly variable and while a good rough guide it is not iron clad, for example my 18 inch african lungfish is a little different than 18 1" neon tetras(as far as bioload goes). So, you may want to lose the goldfish (if that is what you mean by feeders) as they have a huge bioload. Another very big factor is the amount of filtration and the frequency of water changes. Good filtration and regular water changes will forgive many aquarium sins. The tinfoil barbs will make a good target for the African if he starts getting aggressive, but they may pick apart your angel. It would be a really good idea to have another tank just in case you have to seperate someone for whatever aggression reason. Stay away from the puffer! looks are decieving they will pick apart just about every fish you have.
I never recomend changing ph unless you absolutely have too, it is asking for trouble. My water is hard and alkaline and i have raised or bred just about any fish you can think of in it (besides discus.) Fish do not handle shifts well in pH and anyways tons of fish are raised in south florida farms where the water is hard and alkaline.
feed a varied diet and make sure the barbs and danios dont monopolize the food.

Answer 2

I would just go ahead and return the tinfoil barbs, they grow huge, they grow fast, they kill plants, and they're active. I had them in a 75 gallon tank and had to return them because there just wasn't enough space.

Clown loaches are the same type of thing, but because they are slower growers you have more time with them.

Don't get the elephant, they are schooling fish and should have peaceful tank catored to them or they won't last long.

The African cichlid is a gamble. Sometimes they can be surprisingly peaceful when kept as the only African in the tank, other times they might start after fish, none of which you have which will be able to handle him if he does this.

The cory fish will simply become dinner for the large size fish you have, in time.

The chinese algae eater will also get very territorial and aggressive, so watch out, especially for the slow moving angels.

Since the tank is a random mix of such different fish, it's going to be a gamble. At this point you can start researching and replan the tank to gain a real aquarium of suitable sized and compatible fish, or you can add pretty much whatever you like and continue shooting craps.

Some websites that can help you out:

www.badmanstropicalfish.com
www.thekrib.com
www.cichlid-forum.com
www.tropicalfish.net.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Answer 3

I was counting in my head while reading through your list of fish. Using an average length of a half-way grown fish estimate and allowing for the rule of 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon of water, with what you have now, you're already up to about 48 inches of fish and they aren't even all the way grown yet. I know how much we all want more and more fish because they're so beautiful and fun to watch, but, for the health of the fish, we need to learn some restraint and know when to say enough. The elephant nose would be okay with fish equal its size and larger, but the smaller fish will be dinner in no time, plus, they can grow to 9 inches, so probably not a good choice. You could get away with a dwarf puffer as they only grow to 1 inch in size, but keep an eye on the growth of the rest of the fish and using the 1 inch per 1 gallon rule, do your math and when they start hitting about 50, it's time to think about a larger tank, because these fish will eventually exceed the allowable amount of this tank. You need a good selection of foods for this group of fish. Cichlids have special foods and feeding requirements, catfish have their own special foods and feeding requirements and then they all need their special treats of brine shrimp, krill, blood worms, etc., spirulina, fresh fruits and leafy veggies.

Answer 4

You shouldn't add anymore. When your fish are full grown your tank will be overstocked already. Clown loaches get to be about a foot long as do plecos. The angelfish will get to be about four inches or more. The cichlid could easily reach 6-8 inches. You need to be feeding a variety of foods to the fish you already have. You need to be feeding tropical flake food and algea wafers along with krill or bloodworms. You DEFINATELY SHOULD NOT add anymore fish.

Answer 5

You certainly have broken alot of rules. but just so you know. The tinfoils when they grow (and they will) will be wrecking your plants that is if your three spot gouramis haven't eaten them by then.the feeder fish of coarse eat plants as well .the african cichlid may be rehabilitated for now but i predict a relapse good .luck with them. having said all that try rainbow fish ,they are the right size and can come in nice colors. some swordtails might work too.How about a redtail shark?
diet should be varied consisting of a good flake food mixed with say frozen bloodworms ,shrimp pellets maybe an algae pellet or two (for your pleco and algae eater) variety is the key

Answer 6

First, I wouldnt add anymore fish to your tank. Angel and Plecos can grow to be large. Second, your African Cichlid is more comfortable in a hard water w/ ph higher than8 environment compared to the Angel's and Corys which come from South American soft water w/ ph lower than 6.5. Thats a bigger issue than adding more fish. I would study each fish that you have and their habitat and ideal water conditions before you make any additions., if you wish to add (trust me I was there once, and I know it looks awesome to have a lot of fish).

Answer 7

Here's a rule to remember: An inch of fish per gallon of water. So consider the size these fish will eventually get before you are tempted to add more!!!

Answer 8

You have over 150 inches of full grown fish. I'm surprised they haven't died yet with that much bioload. For the fish's sake I hope you get rid of over half of them or they die quickly from water toxicity.