*She may turn black for a week or so and you will have a hard time spotting her then. Her whole body will probably turn black as she heals from ammonia burns. It surprises some people how black they turn because the fish "looked perfectly healthy" and they can't imagine how bad the ammonia burns actually were*

My only concern was the pond was landlocked and on private property, which it is. It is illegal and immoral to let farm raised fish go in rivers and lakes and such because of outcompeting natural fish and carrying disease. But since this is a friend's pond it would be alright. You should see the Asian carp in the rivers here. They outcompete everything and take over.

As far as how many 1" tropicals can go in a 55 gallon tank, it all depends on the species. There is no magic rule that all trops can be stocked together or at the same level. I suggest you start out with a mix of three or four species at low levels and work your way up from there. Pick a centerpiece fish you really want and build the tank around that species. There is also no perfect pH. Let the ph settle naturally and don't use any chemicals. Fish can adjust fine to a pH from 5-9 so don't worry about pH at all. I'll be more than happy to supply you with info about any fish you are considering.

What's a 1" tropical anyway. There are very few tropicals under 3". You always stock by adult size regardless of whether you purchase baby fish or adults."