Help stocking new 60 gallon?

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ijaco

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Oct 14, 2014
Messages
15
Location
Washington, DC
Hi all,
I just got a new 60 gallon tank, and was hoping for some stocking ideas. I'll list some fish I've been considering, so just let me know if they'll be compatible and how many of each I should get. Also any other recommendations of fish would be great. I don't want any fish that are too difficult to care for as I'm just a beginner, and I'm really looking for colorful fish. Thanks!
Here is my list so far. I know all of them will make my tank overstocked, so just pick what you think would be the best.

-1 or 2 angelfish (really want a couple of these or another friendly big fish)
-6-10 neon tetras
-A few cherry shrimp
-1 or more gourami (dwarf or pearl)
-A few cory cats (albino or regular)
-A few different guppies, I heard I should get all male so they don't have tons of babies
-A few barbs (red crystal or tiger)
-A rainbow or red-tail shark
-Another school of a different tetra
-A clown pleco
-A few golden pencilfish
-Dwarf frogs
-A few kuhli or clown loaches

Thanks again, sorry my list is so long, there's so many cool fish and it's hard to decide!
 
Tiger Barbs + Angels = trouble. Tiger Barbs are fin nippers. There are peaceful Barbs.

ADF (frogs) need shallow tanks to get to the surface easily AFAIK.

Clown Loaches are awesome but they need huge tanks. Kuhlies and Cories are great. Big groups with soft sand to dig in are so much fun. I prefer only 1 to 2 species of Cory. You'll see best behavior with at least 6 or more of a single species.

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I use CaribSea black sand. For cheaper you can use pool filter sand (whitish) or other types. Just needs to not be sharp.


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Agree with what has been said. I got soft sand the cory love it! Make sure it's not crushed coral, because they sell that next to the sand bags at the stores.

Neons are cool but I think cardinal tetras are awesome! I have both and they all school together, cardinals get slightly larger and have the red stripe the length of their body.

I also have a 60 gal and I have a couple angels with a dwarf gourami, and I love it! Just make sure you get the angels small enough so they grow up with your other fish. They can be territorial and mean later in life

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The book I suggested in the other thread has an interesting suggestion of combining swordtails with angelfish, because the angels will eat the fry. You might have the same situation if you have male and female guppies.

There are small loaches. I have some Pygmy multi striped loaches that are tiny and inexpensive. I like that my clean up crew is varied in their abilities (I have Otos, ghost shrimp, loaches, and I allow the Malaysian trumpet and pond snails to stay). Together they keep things very clean.

I am super picky about visual aesthetics, and excited about all the different fish I could get, and got small schools of many different small fish. Now I feel like it is very visually cluttered and I wish I'd gone with fish that contrast more, and fewer varieties.


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Tiger barbs are fin nippers but if you have a large school, I wouldn't worry.


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Wha are the dimensions of the tank?

I am super picky about visual aesthetics, and excited about all the different fish I could get, and got small schools of many different small fish. Now I feel like it is very visually cluttered and I wish I'd gone with fish that contrast more, and fewer varieties.


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Yup, been there done that. I think a tank looks a lot better with fewer, larger schools of fish than a hodgepodge of miscellaneous fish.
 
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