How many tetras can a 55 gallon hold?

Question

I have a 55 gallon aquarium and after a freak accident (my oscar committed suicide by jumping) and I also don't have my shark anymore, so I decided to go with a more docile community. I have 2 blood parrot cichlids ( who are very much calm ) and I have picked up 5 seprae tetra's, 5 black widow tetra's and 5 more tetra's, I can't remember the name, they are really small, orange and with black tiger stripes. I guess what my ? is how many more can I fit into my 55 gallon and I have a new problem that I never have had, I have lost one seprae due to it being sucked up by the filter, I have heard to put a nylon sock around the screen to prevent this...is there anything else that can be done? Thanks.

Answer 1

I say go with lots of 1 tetra instead of lots of different kinds. It is fun to watch a huge school of tetras schooling across the tank! I say get 10 or so cardinal tetras!

Answer 2

Bonnie,

I think you're pretty good with your Tetra count for now.  If you want to know just like how many can you physically put in the 55 I don't know.  I'm pretty sure you could physically fit more, but I wouldn't.  I think you should look for some bottom feeders, and here's why.

Your Tetra's are mid to upper level schooling fish and you have a total of 15 Tetra's which is super.  You also have to consider the adult size of these Tetra's and when they all get to that size, it's going to be a little crowded in the mid and upper levels of the tank.

I don't see any bottom feeders listed and you have room to support a very nice sized school of cory catfish, a few loaches, and I tend to prefer a Hop Lo catfish as they don't get very large, but get bigger then Cory Cats.  I'd suggest about 10 or so different Cories, about 4 or 5 Loaches of your choice, and a Hop Lo cat.  That should effectively fill out your bio load.  I'm assuming you have filtration enough for around 4-5 times your tank size an hour.

Answer 3

if he jumped out...you can always you a egg or milk crate and put it on top of the aquarium to prevent other escapes.  This will also create better refraction for the lights.

for filters you can use chicken wire or more milk crate plastic material.

Answer 4

I wouldn't invest in anymore tetras.  When your cichlids begin to grow, and they can reach up to 8" I think, the tetras will more than likely become snacks if left in the same tank.   That solves the filter problem.

Answer 5

You could put about 20 more tetra's in considering they only get up to 1 inch , but i would stick to about 15 more. Nylon sock works great