55gallon cold water tank

[Shadow]

I have a 55gallon tank. It will be a Cold Water one for sure. It will be a more natural tank with rocks, wood, plenty of hiding places, and it will be well planted to provide a wide buffet of greens.

I have
-2 4inch goldfish: a Red and a Chocolate Oranda
-3 Dojo loaches
-2 Hillstream loaches.
-clown pelco

I was wonding what else could fit into it.
Right now I have a 350 Penguin Bio-wheel but plan to add another filter. But without carbon since I read that carbon filters starve plants of CO2.

[shari2]

I'm afraid I can't recommend keeping hillstream loaches with goldfish. Goldfish produce ALOT of waste, and ammonia, and prefer still water. Plecos also are poop machines. Hillstreams, while liking cold water, need high aeration, water movement, and very clean environment.

[Mark in Vancouver]

I would add that you'd probably want a carbon filter with hillstreams. The cleaner the better, IMO, and the water should be hyper-aerated anyway.

[sophie]

don't get the hillstreams, and if it were me I wouldn't get the plec, I'd get another coupla dojos and some white clouds.

white clouds are lovely lovely lovely.

[sfrussell]

clear freshwater shrimp are very nice, fun, additions to a freshwater tank like this, and really help keep things clean! They go crazy swimming like a marathon at times for fun, they are hilarious to watch, simple, get along with everyone, hang out in gangs on wood,e tc. and are just basically pretty wonderful. Thot I'd throw that in. S