NEW 75 Gallon Tank, Help us stock up right.

[dnaelting]

Great news, we ordered our next tank today. We will be getting a 75 gallon tank to go with our current 70 gallon, 20 gallon, and 10 gallon tanks.

We know we want to keep 4 Angelfish, 6 cory cats, and 6 Swordtails. But we have not decided on what other type of fish to keep. We are thinking of adding Rainbows, but we have a tank of them already. We want someting interesting to look at and active.

This tank will be a low light planted tank, ~1.5 WPG, and it is going in our living room near the couch.

Any suggestions are welcome. Let me know if you have a better stocking scheme for a 75 gallon planted tank.

THANKS EVERYONE.

 

[mr funktastic]

i like your stocking idea. including some guppies would be nice because the angels can enjoy a nice snack whenever they have a batch or fry lol kinda cruel but ya... also you might want to consider german blue rams i have been thinking about them for a while and they are really attractive fish. or maybe even a school of neons. with a tank that size u have such a large option of fish u can stock with. i also think u could put a few more angels in there like 6 instead of 4. u will have a greater chance of getting a breeding pair.

 

[virus]

i would go with AFrican Lake Malawi Cichlids i saw a cool 55 with alot and it looked awsome

 

[mr funktastic]

i would secone the cichlid idea but u need to really check to see what cichlids are compatible witht he fish u want or go with an all cichlid tank that would be really attractive.

 

[Hrafnkel]

Yeah, most cichlids wouldn't work at all with those fish. >.> African ones, at least. South american ones might.

 

[Jchillin]

I just happen to have just what you need. Check my clicky in my sig.

 

[flamingonhot]

I wouldn't do cichlids with them unless you get some rams. Anyways most cichlids have different requirements (ph, blah blah , blah.)

 

[dnaelting]

Thanks for all the ideas!

Jchillin - are you keeping barbs with your angels? I always heard that was a bad idea, the barbs tend to be fin nippers. Is that combo working for you?

I like the rams, didn't think of that one before. I don't know much about them. Do they school, how many can be in a tank together, how big do they get, are they hard to keep?

I will look into some of the S. American Cichlids.

 

[Jchillin]

The barbs were in my 30 gal, not the 75 planted. Disregard those pics as they've gone on to fishy heaven.

Rams are an enigma. They are very colorful and non-aggressive (other than when breeding). But they are uniquely sensitive to water conditions and should only be added after the tank has matured (a month or more after the cycle is complete). They usually max out at 2-3". They will not schoal, they are timid towards each other as well as their tankmates.

Some other SA's that are worthy of considering:

Bolivian Rams (2nd cousins of the German Blues)
Keyholes (a distant relative)

Edit: I have a thread going regarding German Blues that might interest you. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=53378&highlight=

 

[mr funktastic]

imagine like 3,4,5 of these swimming around your tank. that would really make it stand out and look amazing

 

[dnaelting]

Jchillin- Great thread on the rams. They look great, but seem to be too short lived. Guess I will look into something else.

I might try one of the larger tetra fish. The neons and cardinals stay too small.

I would like to find something that schools to go with everything else.

I'm stumped... :?

 

[Jchillin]

With proper handling, they are fabulous. Don't give up on them so quickly.

I don't know if photo gallery was expressive enough so I will list each occupant:

3 Marble Angels
4 German Blue Rams
4 Corydoras Julii
4 Lamp Eye Tetras
6 Serpae Tetras
1 Saifin Gibbiceps Pleco

3 large Java Ferns
2 Crypt Wendetti
Large carpet of Java Moss
2 Amazon Swords

HTH.

 

[severum mama]

I suggest you consider some Bolivian rams. They would really get along great with the fish that you want, they are pretty colorful, and they are much easier to keep than blue rams. I have kept 4 of them (I now have 2) and they have become some of my favorite fish.

 

[dnaelting]

Ok, I will look into the rams a little more. I haven't seen a photo of the Bolivian ram.

I was also thinking of maybe some Rasboras - either harlequin or brilliant.

Anyone with experience with these and Angels together?

Gotta go, need to find info on the Bolivian ram...

 

[Jchillin]

Most if not all dwarf SA cichlids are compatible with Angels and most tetras. Rasboras (either one) are fine.

 

[severum mama]

There are some Bolivian ram pics in my gallery if you want to check them out.

As far as their care goes, they are not nearly as demanding as their cousins. A tank suitable for angels will be great for Bolivians also. They like planted tanks with caves, driftwood, and other places to hide, and will occupy the middle/bottom levels of the tank. They can be somewhat territorial with each other (although they rarely ever do any real damage) but will generally ignore all other tankmates. Make sure you provide enough spots for each ram to claim its own territory. Plecos and corys are good bottom dwelling tankmates for them. Tetras and/or rasboras will also do well with them, but you may want to stay away from most barbs.

I would love to see pics when you are done setting up your tank!

 

[dnaelting]

severum mama, thanks for the info, and I will post pics.

I like the look of the Bolivian Rams, I think we might end up with a few in the tank...

 

[severum mama]

You could easily keep 4 in a tank that large- yaaaaay! You will love them if you decide to get some, they have so much personality.