# How many fish is too many,,,will this combo work



## Cal (Feb 20, 2006)

I have a 55 that I'm in the proccess of turning into a planted tank. Right now I have 7 Long Fin Serpea's, 20 Cardinal's, and I hope 5 Panda Cory's. I started with 2 other cory's, but they didn't make it. I added the 5 Panda's yesterday, now I only see 2. When I put them in, I noticed the Serpea's were nipping at them. I hope they're just hiding. Could the Serpea's be killing my Cory's.

I'm new to Tetra's, so please bare with me. I would like to add either some Zebra Dano's, or Rummy Nose. What else would work. However, I'm worried I might be getting too many fish. If I can't add that many more of a different type, I might just add more Cardinal's, if possible. Would too many of different type's cause them not to school. Right now the Cardinal's are just staying at the back glass. I guess I need to re-arange to force them out. So, what's your thought's. Thank's.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Serpaes are nippy so I suspect the cories are just hiding. I only see mine once in a while. I'd guess the serpaes are keeping the cards in hiding too.

As for maximum # of fish..... who knows? It depends on how often you do WC's, how heavily you feed, what kind of filtration you have, and how heavily planted the tank is. Personally I'd consider about 40 or 50 fish of the cardinal shape/size about maximum for a 55. Consider the mass of the fish more than length. It would take about 20 cardinals to equal one full-grown angel for example.

If it were me, I'd lose the serpaes (pretty, but not good neighbors), and get a school of rummy nose, columbian tetras, or maybe consider something else like threadfin rainbows. I have zebra danios and they're starting to annoy me. They act like they're always on amphetamines.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I agree that Cory's do have a way of hiding, but I also have to add than Panda's are one of the more sensitive Cory's out there. I'd keep a close eye out, just in case they did perish, so they don't pollute your tank.

I also agree that the Serpae's may not be the best mix with schooling Tetra's. If you could return them to your store for credit, you could add to your school of Cardinals, or add another school of Rummies, or something similar. I personally like bigger schools of one type of fish, but that's just a personal opinion. 

How long has this tank been set up?


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## Cal (Feb 20, 2006)

The tank has been running for about 6 week's. I cycled it with the 7 serpea's. After it flipped, I added 10 cardinal's and the 2 cory's. About a week later, I added 12 more card's and the panda's.

I wouldn't mind adding more card's, but no one around here has any. And I've read that they don't ship well. The one place I looked wouldn't even ship them. I did see some rasbora's I really liked at the lfs. They were a gold color. They were just labeled "rasbora", but cost more than the red(I think) rasbora. What would be the proper name for the gold one. Also, what are SAE, and Otto's. I'll guess simease algie eater maybe. 

So could I have say 20-50 card's, and then say some rummy nose's and rasbora's, and they would all school. How many of the other's would you recomend per school.

Sorry to sound like such a newbie, but hey, I am,,,,lol. Thank's for the help.


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

No, you have about 50 fish total (if they were around cardinal sized) for the whole tank, if you go with what guaiac_boy was saying. So, since you have 32 fish already which are all more or less this size, you can add about 18 new fish, all this size... or about 18 gallons of tank space left, if you think about it this way. So maybe round out your cory cat population with a few more and add 10 more tetras of some sort, either more cardinals or a different school, which would fill up 18 gallons. Conversely, you could use your free 18 gallons to get angelfish, but they are larger, so you are looking at maybe only 3-4 of these, as they require more space. This really would be the healthiest set up for your tank... for both the fish and plants.

ciao


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## Cal (Feb 20, 2006)

Well I picked up 10 rummy nose's today. I also got 2 otto's. I think I'll get rid of the serpae's, and get some rasbora's, and call it done. Except for maybe what ever I need for algie control. What else would you guy's recomend to go with the 2 otto's. Thank's.


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

more ottos, they're small fish and 55 gallons is a lot of territory to cover, also, they like friends and have schooling behaviour... pretty cute actually, in groups of 6+


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## Cal (Feb 20, 2006)

Do you think I should also add some siamese algie eater's too, along with more otto's. Would that cover more type's of algie, or is the otto's alone fine. One lfs said they had the true flying fox's.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

A true flying fox is NOT what you want. You want Crossocheilus siamensis, or true Siamese Algae Eater (SAE). Do a google search and you'll find a few good articles on how to tell the difference. I have both, and can recommend the SAE's highly. They are very fun to watch, even if they didn't eat algae.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

You could also add one Bristlenose Plec for good algae control. In my experience they do a much better job than the SAE's. My SAE's have gotten a bit lazy, and it wasn't until I added a Bristle to that tank that all of the algae was taken care of (in a hurry).

I agree, a few more Oto's would be a good idea since they do like to be in a group.

You do have to be careful about adding too many algae eaters to a tank too, since they'll eat themselves out of algae in no time and they'll need a steady supply supplimental food.


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## Cal (Feb 20, 2006)

I seen some clown pleco's at a lfs. Would those be a good choice.


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

clown plecos are cute but not really great at keeping up with algae, at least mine is not... actually I read somewhere that they prefer only algae that grows on wood... seeing as how you do have plenty of driftwood (I checked your pics- nice tank) then they would be happy in your tank. Rasping on driftwood is a dietary nessecity for these guys. I also like them because they don't get much larger than 4 inches.

But again, wait a while until you get things stabilized, and drop the ph to at least 7, all the fish you are keeping need to be in slightly acidic to neutral water.


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## Cal (Feb 20, 2006)

I've read in other forum's it's useless to fight the ph because of the swing's. What would be the best way to get it under control and keep it there.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

That is correct Cal. The more you try to change your pH, the more it's going to bounce around. Most fish will adjust just fine to what comes out of your tap. I've kept Cards, Rummies and other Tetra's with no problem with our tap water having a pH of over 8, even though they naturally come from areas with a lower pH in the wild. I believe stability is the most important thing. 

Unless there is something in your tank that is making it change, the best way to keep it stable is to do nothing but add it from your tap.

That said, some people will add things like peat to lower the pH if they are trying to breed a certain kind of fish. Adding C02 will also bring it down and keep it stable.

What Raven said about the Clown's is correct. There are many different types of Clown Plecs, and some are much better at eating algae than others. I have a couple of them that keep their tanks spotless (glass and all), then I have an L-134 who has very little taste for it.


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## sherry (Sep 30, 2005)

Jan I have 2 bristlenoses, and I don't really see them as great algae eaters.. I like them despite teh fact that they like to dig up plants and ate all of my lobelia.. 

but for algae I stick wtih Otos (supplementing their diet with kale keeps them alive a lot longer) amano shrimp, olive nerite snails and you will never need to clean your glass...


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