Okay, so its end of the semester, and in a desperation move to get me to get all A's my mom offered me a proposition...

I would get a 55 gallon with all the trimmings!
I will (most likely) get all those A's

But if I do get one, will it be okay to put a baby oscar, royal knife, and common plec in there? I would want them to all grow up together, and would they have enough room to be happy?
Anyway please leave some details!

Oh, wait maybe not the knife, I just read they get to 40 inches!

I dont think that is a good idea, oscar you can keep them in a 50 gallon when younger but it's best if they are kept in a 75 gallon when bigger. Not to mention a common pleco can grow up to atleast 1 foot long, which will require alot of space also. not to mention how big a royal knife can get. How about some cichlids? They are beautiful and just fun to keep!

How about a Jack Dempsy Cichlid? Would that work?

Jack Dempsey Cichlid can grow very big, up to 12 inches, you can have about 1 in around 40 gallon. So i dont recomened keeping a male with a female. Why not try an African cichlid? extremely colorful for a freshwater fish. but I think dwarf cichlid will do the best, you can keep more in there, so it will be much more enjoyment.

Hmm how many silver dollars could you safely put in a 55 gallon? I need to do some more reasearch lol!

lol you can keep up to 3 silver dollar in a 55 gallon. They could grow up to about um...somewhere around 5 - 6 inches

Hmm I think I may just stay with some smaller fish, because the more I can have in there safely, that happier I can be! I'd never want to cramp those huge beasts

lol yeah, most of those fish grow extremely big and some people keep them all alone (which i find pretty depressing because the fish will be lonely) How about a few dwarf gouramis? lol they are very cute. or you can alway keep smaller fish such as platys, Mollys, or guppies (to be honest, I prefer fish abit big,, it's fun to watch them but you know It's not as interesting as bigger fish, just my opinion lol)

how about a shark or some small catfish?

How about getting some schooling fish..you can have like 30 of them...i think..and have some otos to clean up the algea

I've kept oscars and Jack Dempseys in a 55 gallon aquarium. 55 gallons seems like a big aquarium until you have big fish in it. It is then that you realize how small a 55 gallon aquarium is.

Cichlids are also agressive fish. If you don't like agressiveness keeping cichlids can be more stressful than enjoyable.

You have a sweet deal worked out for getting A's. If you can, see if you can save some money and ask your mom if you can get a 75 gallon aquarium if you pay the differents. A 75 gallon aquarium is the same length and hight as a 55 gallon aquarium. The 75 gallon is only 5 inches wider.

Ooh I just had a brainwave, how about a kitty cat tank? I mean get some rubber or bristleplecs, corys, maybe some rapheal cats, ooh and maybe some pictus cats too! Or even some upside-down catfish, how about some otos? I've never seen those before!

thats sounds cool, or how about some loaches?

Lol even more ideas! I hope I get those A's

lol well, be sure not to overstocked your tank, lol Corys are fun to have! i dont know what isa bristleplces but if you mean a bristle nose pleco or w/e then just keep in mind they cna grow big as well. Lol the others fishes i have no idea, lol well have fun. lol becareful with that you have in there.

Imagine feeding so roman lettice to all those catfish...or algea wafers...

Well today I learned my science grade was an 89.6%! Thats too bad, I mean poo... but we'll see how well I did on my final! *Hopes*

Sorry about your science grade. Maybe you can still work out a deal with your mom since it was so close. Maybe something like "Get me the tank and I will wash all the dishes and vacuum for the next semester!" or " I'll pay for part of it."

__________________________
You have to be really careful when mixing catfish because most catfish hate other cats. Raphales are VERY territorial towards other raphaels and any fish that tries to take their hiding spot. They are generally peaceful but will protect them selves are their territory if they feel threatened. My large one that passed away a few months actually locked onto my finger and wouldn't let go. Ended up with tiny pricks but it didn't hurt that bad, I was more worried about getting an infection.

If you want to get a big fish for a 55 gallon, less active ones are the best. Oscars are pretty active but(most) plecos aren't. Royal and gold nugget plecos are some of my favorites but they are pretty sensitive and costly so make sure they tank is completely cycled and ready before purchasing them. Commons plecos are pretty darn hardy and cheap but can be aggressive towards other fish.

If you want to go for a large fish you could try a single Midas and a medium sized pleco. Midas are highly aggressive towards most fish but I've heard they can become attached to their caretakers. However they have also been known to break skin and even take chunks!

Bichirs are kind of big(more long than wide) and are A LOT of fun to care for. They are real characters and will eat from your hand. I would say 2-3 could fit in your 55 gallon with no other fish. If you wanted a pleco you could get 1-2 bichirs.

Some other fish that would be great for a 55 gallon is a blue gill or type of sunfish. Best thing is you can catch your own if you purchase a 1 day fishing license (I pay $5 for mine when I fish) and if they are native to your local area. You will need to quarantine them though.However, if the fish swallows your lure rather than just getting it stuck he will die.

Wow, you can actually put those fish in your aquarium?

Of course! Sun fish make amazing pets!
I know a person who has a 300 gallon aquarium with a few bass and sunfish. They are really into the whole "natural lake bottom" look. He also has a huge pond that he keeps a sturgeon and larger bass in. Actually feeds some of them frozen mice. Most were caught on fishing trips but some were purchased.

Wow that'd be awesome, I think I may just do that, I've always dreamed of it as a lil kid!

Just want to say that in some places it's illegal to keep certain wild fish as pets. So check out the local fish and game laws in your area before taking any.

You mentioned upside down cats--I got 3 recently and think they're the best!! They're so funky I love it.

That is true but if you can legally fish for them, you can legally keep them and do what ever you want to do with them. Its always best to go to a man made pond that is stocked and monitored by fish and game officers.All of those fish would be legal.