# 55 Gallon sorority



## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

So I'll be getting my 55 gallon tomorrow and I'll be setting it over over the next week or so. I'm planning on putting two boys (Max && Tai, probably) on the ends, with 5 gallons each, so it'll be a 45 gallon sorority. I'm planning on getting 13 girls to put in there, but I want to know what else should or should I put in there? I REALLY like Glofish, so would they be okay? How many? A couple of Neon tetras would be nice too. How many cories could I put in there? I don't want more than 30 fish in there, though. Should I put the other fish in first, or the bettas? Any help at all would be appreciated.  Pics will be posted when the tank is decorated, then when it is populated.


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## ChristinaRoss (Sep 4, 2009)

congratulations! your going to love it. i absolutely LOVE my 55 gal sorority. make sure you have alot of plants and things to hide in. i have at least 30 plants in mine as well as 2 large pieces if driftwood and believe me..........each plant and every inch is claimed by the girls. lol their quite territorial. 

im not sure id put any other fish in there, you could always try some and remove them if it didnt work out. when i first added my corys and otos the girls would chase them constantly. now not so much. better get very big neons, the girls think they can eat everything. lol and did you mean glofish as in the danio variety? they can be very nippy, i had to remove them from my guppy community tank. they might nip your girls and theres already going to be nipping for a while until they establish and even then they get nippy over territory. i havent tried to put any other kinds in there because i dont think IMO anyone else would work or will "look" right with them. their stunning in groups.

good luck with your tank!!!!! and post pics of course


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

YAAAY!!!! I'm so glad your starting your sorority! I would personally put the other fish in first. You could have a few cory cats, or a few otos.  Are you thinking about getting live plants? Live plants are awesome and I highly recommend HornWort, you can leave it floating, or anchor it in the gravel. I think you should get live plants.  Gosh, Tai and max are gonna die and go to heaven they'll be so happy!!!!  I think I'm gonna either get a 29g or a 55g sometime. Just gotta work on that with my mom.


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

Lol! Yeah, I think Max and Tai deserve it, as they've been stuck in one gallons since I got them, while everyone else got moved up to either 2.5s or 4s. I still I have to cycle it and all that, so it'll still be awhile, but I'm still rather excited. I get it tonight, hopefully! I changed my rooms yesterday, because my current/old one didn't have the space for a 55 and the rest of my Clan... lol My mom hates me right now XD
And thanks for the info on the glofish! I'll try them out, and it they don't work, I'll probably get a 10 gallon or so for them. My mom likes them, which gives them points, so they'll probably stay around for awhile.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

lol! Moms always have to have something to complain about.


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

haha, too true. If it isn't the fish, it's the grades :3. Well, I just got back from picking up the tank, and it looks a little bit crusty, seeing as it hasn't been used for about a year and a half, but a little TLC should get it looking beautiful again. It's too late now, but I can do that after school tomorrow. I've decided to go for a more Medieval theme, with some black gravel, live plants, and a REALLY expensive castle. It's 60... lol. I love my Grandma. I have a 10% off coupon for Petco, so it'll probably be a bulk buy. The coupon expires on November 10, so I should be getting the stuff soon. I'm sooo excited :3


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad you have the coupon. Every little bit helps!


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

My mom is the coupon queen! lol She has BOOKS of coupons. It's amazing, and yet aggravating. I love seeing the looks people give her in the check-out line


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I saw someone one time who had about $200-300 worth of groceries and about $70-80 worth of coupons! It took the cashier forever to go through everything!!


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

haha! I think it's worth the time if you're saving that much money, but if you're only saving about 10 cents, why even bother?


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

CodeRed said:


> My mom is the coupon queen! lol She has BOOKS of coupons. It's amazing, and yet aggravating. I love seeing the looks people give her in the check-out line


LOL! That is amazing. 

Do you know what kind of plants your going to get? I HIGHLY recommend at least a big of HornWort. AWESOME plant. 

What kind of filter? What kind of heater?


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## ChristinaRoss (Sep 4, 2009)

a medievel theme sounds fun. cant wait to see pics
i recommend sword plants and wisteria


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

Thanks! I don't actually have the filter or heater yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll be getting those tonight. Any recommendations in that area? And I'll look into those plants :3 So far, I just have a couple of small ones, but I'll be buying more after the tank cycles.


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## ChristinaRoss (Sep 4, 2009)

actually putting live plants in now will help the tank cycle quicker. youll need a 250 to 300 watt heater. best bet is probably walmart for the cheapest, but i got a 300 watt heater at petsmart for 30. i think they just lowered their prices, well here at least. the filter i have 2 actually on my 55. they came with it. so i use them both, it cant hurt. anyway i use an aquatech 30-60 gallons filter. i think they carry same size at walmart too.

u do have a light right? or at least indirect sunlight? id get wisteria and swords very soon, and u can get seachem fluorish to fertilize the water. its like $9 a bottle and will last a looooong time. makes ur plants grow like crazy, mine at least. i keep my lights on 5 hours then turn them off for 2 hours and turn them back on for 7
it keeps the diatom algae at bay.


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

Thanks for the info! I, luckily, have an amazing LFS that sell their heaters at about 10-15 dollars. It's great. I got my 50 wats there for 8 bucks, which is 4 dollars cheaper than I got my hydro mini heater from Petco, and it's 10x more effective. I'd read the plant thing online while looking up cycling, but I've heard so many different sides that I decided I would rather just do it the normal way, with maybe a bit of Bio-spira if I can find it.


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## ChristinaRoss (Sep 4, 2009)

ya ive used that too, as well as cycle, it didnt speed anything up. was more like a waste of money i think. the second time i set up my 55 gall all i did was use live plants and fishfood. completly cycled in 3 weeks


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

Huh. Everything I've heard about Bio-Spira was that it worked wonders! Good to know this before I go buy it


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## ChristinaRoss (Sep 4, 2009)

im sure it works for some, but it didnt in mine.........and ive read that it has mixed reviews with people


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