this post was submitted on 10 Jun 2025
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Aquariums and Fish Keeping

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I'm building a 55 gallon topical tank community #1 (lemm.ee)
submitted 4 days ago by arrow74@lemm.ee to c/aquariums@lemmy.world
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Like the title said I'm building a 55 gallon freshwater tank community, and I've decided to document the journey here. It's my goal to create something fun and to spark good conversations about the hobby.

So tell me your expirences, stories, cristiscism, everything.

I have purchased a used tank that will need some work and will document that as well, but to start here is my current stocking list. Please excuse the quality of the image. I'm open to switching some species out if there are any suggestions. I'm definently set on the Pearl Gouramis though.

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[–] count_dongulus@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Seems like you're focused on the top end of the ecosystem. How about plant life, microflora, and microfauna? I've had good success building up layer by layer for self-sustaining no-filter setups.

[–] arrow74@lemm.ee 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The plan is to heavily plant the tank with various species, but I haven't even begun to think about those species. Which is ironic since they will go in well before the fish.

What do you mean by microfauna? I can't think of any species much smaller than shrimp.

Tell me about one of your setups

[–] count_dongulus@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Tropical fish diets in the wild typically include tiny invertebrates, worms, and algae. I like to start new tanks by adding some leaf litter from my yard. The aquarium light should be in enough to encourage some algae growth, and rotifers, copepods, daphnia, etc will quickly hatch from omnipresent microscopic eggs on those leaves. Adding a tiny bit of yeast powder (like for bread) will cause these organisms to quickly multiply, and after a couple weeks, they're everywhere. They keep the water super clear by eating excess algae and biofilms, helping keep sensitive shrimp healthy, and they serve as a constant food and activity source for fish assuming the tank isn't overstocked and has hiding spaces for the microfauna to safely reproduce. Many microfauna species are large enough to observe with the naked eye, so you'll know when they're thriving.

[–] count_dongulus@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Since you plan to have shrimp, you may wish for them to reproduce. If so, look for carpeting plants or dense floating plants with many nooks and crannies for the juvenile shrimp to hide and graze in so they're not eaten by the larger fish before they reach maturity.

[–] arrow74@lemm.ee 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I'm actually hoping the bigger fish keep the population under control.

Otherwide I'm planning to heavily plant and add some wood pieces. Including a section of cholla wood. I used that years ago when I had a tank and the shrimp used to successfully hide

[–] stupidopensourceBS@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

It can be an expensive hobby.

If you're trying to go cheap, you can save money by buying certain soils and sands from Home Depot (or your local equivalent) instead of substrate. Do your research on that before buying. You might be able to buy plant lights here, too, if you're okay with how they look or can make them look good.

Add plants. They look nice, provide hiding spots and naturally filter the water. Shrimp and snails add to the ecosystem. Some people will plant a pothos in the HOB filter for added water filtration and for the aesthetics.

Most of all, know what you want your tank to be before you get started. "Measure twice, cut once" and all that. I usually ignored the planning part and ended up spending a lot more when I changed from wanting a low-tech tank to wanting a hi-tech tank mid-stream.

There are games on Steam that help you design an aquarium (or just use paper and pencil). Dedicated fish stores sometimes have plexiglass sandboxes where you can experiment with hardscape placement.

Edit: I've had multiple peaceful gouramis before, but my most recent one (Blue Dwarf) ending up killing everything else in the tank.

[–] arrow74@lemm.ee 3 points 4 days ago

It can be an expensive hobby.

Oh absolutely. I'm not new to the hobby, but I'm getting back into it after many years. Inflation has of course made everything more. I also learned how rare and expensive marimo moss balls are now :(

I'm planning to do white play sand, washed multiple times of course.

As for gourami aggressiveness my research suggested that Pearl Gourami are more peaceful than blue dwarf.

[–] Leuthil@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Know any good aquarium games in particular?

[–] stupidopensourceBS@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Behind Glass: Aquarium Simulator and Aquarium Designer seem to be main ones on Steam. I haven't played Behind Glass and Aquarium Designer is alright, but definitely has some bugs.

[–] Leuthil@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Thanks, I've been looking for one because I don't have the means to actually jump into the hobby for real yet. So I'm trying to find a game that's close to the real thing, or at least help me plan my aquarium for the future.

[–] fraksken@infosec.pub 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Had danios and gouramis in the same tank. Will not do again. The danios are quite active. The gouramis are not. They tend to conflict. I prefer my tank to be peaceful rather than full of pieces.

Amanio shrimp are great, but know their offspring will not survive. They are magical to see them sprout, but will only last a day or so (the offspring need salted water to survive).

Good luck. Hope you'll get joy 😊

[–] arrow74@lemm.ee 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

In the past I successfully kept a betta and danios in a planted tank together. They existed pretty peacefully.

I figured with even more room and with gourami being faster than the betta they could exist peacefully.

I'm open to other suggestions for species, but i do intend to have a variety.

[–] fraksken@infosec.pub 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Looks like you're more experienced than me then 😊 Share a pic when it's live!

[–] arrow74@lemm.ee 2 points 4 days ago

I'd say I was just luckier. Fish can be temperamental like that.

I'm hoping there are some other people with experiences with these species. I want a bigger sample size

[–] Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Have patience. Choose plants and wildlife to suit your water supply.