I picked up a 55g with a stand and everything included last Wednesday night for $30 bucks and almost instantly dropped another $150 in stuff to finish it out. I think it looks fantastic, specially with the other tanks we have set up around the room. In there are 4 Cichlids, 2 Golden Dojo Loach, 3 big Goldfish, 2 big Upsidedown Catfish, 1 Rainbow Shark, and 1 Spotted Puffer.

Your tank looks nice!

Ya wanna double you money on the tank?... I'll offer ya 60!... Great deal/steal!.. Keep us posted on the progress!.. Bill

I don't know about the catfish, shark, or the puffer (a freshwater puffer?), but the cichlids will kill those goldfish.

Nice looking tank.

Do you know exactly what type of Cichlids you have?
It would seem to be if they are Africans the water temperature and parameters would be different from what the other fish should have (mainly the gold fish).
Not to say it wouldn't work if you split down the middle what they different kinds of fish like you might just find a happy medium but hard to say. If the goldfish are big enough the Cichlids might not pick on them but I really wouldn't count on that either. Then again people have been mixing all the "no ways" with Cichlids for a long time and it works for some haha.
That said nice looking tank and fish! There are tons of people that will say this and that should never be but when you see it work... Nothing is so far out in there that it would really hurt any of the fish it just won't be optimal, of course with tank raised fish their optimal setting tend to be very broad.
Good luck with the tank and the fish.

I agree with both of you. The only reason this works, for now, is cause the cichlids are so small and the goldfish are so big... The rest of the fish I believe will work out, but the goldfish need to go...

I am planning on building or digging one of those generic ponds in my back yard and putting the goldfish into that as they are way to big for any other tank I have. That will give me till fall to find another "steal" of a tank to put them in over the winter. Im planning on starting the pond next week and from what I hear, they are easy to maintain and keep goldfish alive in as long as you pull them before it freezes. I also cant wait to be able to grow my plants outside with real sunlight.

Anyhow, thanks to everyones responses. Jon.

Very cool! I would think all the others would work out pretty well. Just have to keep an eye on the Cichlids aggression as they get bigger. Also I can't really make a call on the puffer since I have never owned them before.

Nice looking tank, i love the pics !!

Ah ha ha!!! It's beautiful!!! I also have the EXACT SAME TANK AND STAND!!!! Mine was a CL find, but yours was a heck of alot cheaper! So beautiful! A wonderful work of aquascaping and fish stocking! Well done =)

If your pond is at least 3' deep the goldfish can stay in it over the winter. They will go into hibernation. Remember they are carp. Even fancies can stay out in the winter. I have done it for three years now. The only fish I bring in for the winter are the guppies and the common pleco.

very nice for the price

Very very nice!