55 gallon tank fish

Question
Hi Barbara,
I recently got a 55 gallon tank and it has been cycled fishless. I have livebearers in my 10 gallon tank and 29 gallon tank. I thought I would try something different, so I am thinking about getting Southeasten Asian fish. What are some good matches and how many of those fish should I get? I want to vary from bigger fish to smaller fish, and I want different colors also. I want to fill my whole tank so I want fish that will swim at the top as well as bottom. Any plants suggestions? How should I set up the tank? I am beginner to this group of fish.. so..
thank you,
Sadie

Answer
Congratulations on getting a new tank! How exciting!

Here are some examples.

-active mix-
8-12 zebra danios (long fin, short fin, leopard or zebra is your choice)
4-6 giant danios
8 scissortail rasboras
12 tiger barbs
2 Chinese algae eater or 1 rainbow shark

-more aggressive mix-
12 tiger barbs
6 giant danios
8 cherry barbs
8-10 rosy barbs (short fin recommended)
4-6  clown loach
2 bettas FEMALE ONLY

-more interesting mix-
6-8 glass catfish (make sure you have lots of hiding places for them)
4 dojo loach
a pair or two of gouramis
6 checked barb
8-12 hengels rasbora

-peaceful yet active mix-
12 zebra danios (or leopard)
8 cherry barbs
6-8 gold barbs
8 white cloud mountain minnow
12 harlequin rasboras
4 yoyo loaches

These are just examples of mixes. Here are some ideas for you, if you want to make your own mix.

zebra/leopard/giant danios- very active. keep in school larger than 4 fish. very hardy!
white cloud- can survive in cooler water. keep in school larger than 4 fish
tiger/rosy barb- can be fin nippers so keep in school larger than 6. more than 8 would be better.
cherry/gold barb- very colorful addition to your tank. can be shy. better if kept in school larger than 8.
harlequin rasboras- very sensitive to ammonia. keep in school larger than 8, and more the better
bala shark- might outgrow your tank. they become huge, so if you want them, i would suggest only one or two.
rainbow shark, red tail shark- keep only ONE, otherwise they will fight.
chinese algae eater- very good worker :]]] can get big, so only one or two
yo yo loach- my favorite cleaner! peaceful yet colorful. better if kept in school larger than 3
clown loach- may be aggressive, so if you want them, it is better if they are the only bottom dwellers. better in school larger than 3.

Since many of these fish like to dig, I would suggest getting very fine gravel. They would appreciate a driftwood or two. Plant moderate to heavily on the back and the sides, but they need lots of room to swim. Some interesting plants would be java moss, java fern, water lilies, hydrilla, and nitelia. My two favorites are java moss and java fern. They make the tank look fuller and they are very pretty.

Good luck on your new tank, and I hope this helped.

Barbara