Stocking Help for 75 Gallon

[JDogg]

ok i have an empty 75 gallon i need to get up and running, originally i was thinking low-light planted Discus tank, but know i have some more ideas so i need help.... all these contain cichlids as the main attraction of the stock

which setup should i do?

#1 Low-light planted Discus tank
-4-6 Discus
-pair GBR
-Cardinal Tetra
-Cory Cats

#2 West African River Tank
-Pair of Kribs
-Congo Tetras
-Syno cats
-Elephant fish
-African Killies of some type

#3 Lake Tanganyika
-Colony of Lamprologus multifasciatus (i know a local breeder who wants to sell 6 F1s )
-some variety of lake Tang mmouthbroodto be decide after more research
-Lake Tang Synos
-Lake Tang Killies

#4 OTHER
always open to other suggestions, but please look at signature/My Info to see what tank/fish i already keep, as i want something i do not already have

[severum mama]

Go for the discus tank. You'll be really happy with it.

[WaterPond]

discus. That was your first choice, was it not? Go for it. My only concern is that i know you like to do biotopes, but if you are going with lowlight you may want to include plants from different areas and not just south america, just so you can get some better variety.

My second would be lake tang. A frontosa species breeding colony.

[JDogg]

Originally Posted by WaterPond

discus. That was your first choice, was it not? Go for it. My only concern is that i know you like to do biotopes, but if you are going with lowlight you may want to include plants from different areas and not just south america, just so you can get some better variety.

actualy if you look in my info you will see that i have given up on just using plants from a certain biotope, i just keep the fish from the same general region... i have java ferns and sunset hygro growing in my amazon 8O

so a low-light discus tank would include java ferns, crypts, anubis, ... what ever will grow at ~ 1wpg

[severum mama]

My second would be lake tang. A frontosa species breeding colony.

That would be awesome, but I don't think 75 gallons is large enough for frontosas.

[WaterPond]

Originally Posted by severum mama

That would be awesome, but I don't think 75 gallons is large enough for frontosas.

http://www.cichliddepot.com/library/...n/frontosa.php

That site says 75...


I still think you'd be happier with discus though.

[JDogg]

Originally Posted by severum mama

That would be awesome, but I don't think 75 gallons is large enough for frontosas.

i know if i do the tang tank the multis are mandatory

i agree that 75 would not be enough for fronts, i know a guy (actually it is the guy that sold me this tank) that has a colony of fronts in a 200 gallon, they are easily 12 in long, but amazing!

Originally Posted by WaterPond

I still think you'd be happier with discus though.

here is my one concern with Discus, let me know if you think it is justified...

my water is SOOOOO Hard (PH 8.0 KH 14 GH 21) and i know that i can not afford at this time a RO unit, so i am concerned that that would be just to hard on the discus

[severum mama]

Hmmm..... I was under the impression that fronts were harem spawners, so the 75 gallon minimum for a pair doesn't make all that much sense to me.

And yes, your concern is justified, but you may be surprised how well discus can do in hard water. Mine don't seem to mind and my tap water here is similar to yours. I'm not ever expecting them to spawn in my water, but due to my experience level with discus, I sorta wouldn't expect that anyway, LOL.

[Jchillin]

Why are we even discussing this? Planted Discus tank (nuff said).

[JDogg]

Originally Posted by Jchillin

Why are we even discussing this? Planted Discus tank (nuff said).

basically cause i have more ideas then available tanks

i have a problem

i also have an empty 45 gallon, if i go with the discus i will first use it to grow out the juvi discus, but then....

[WaterPond]

then upgrade your asian community to the 45. Then use the 26 as a breeder tank for like bolivians or something.

[Jchillin]

Originally Posted by JDogg

basically cause i have more ideas then available tanks

i have a problem

i also have an empty 45 gallon, if i go with the discus i will first use it to grow out the juvi discus, but then....

Ahhh, I believe I understand now. Severe MTSWMIANET (Multiple tank syndrome with mulitiple ideas and not enough tanks). I have no ideas that can help you at this point, you have it really bad.

[JDogg]

Originally Posted by WaterPond

then upgrade your asian community to the 45. Then use the 26 as a breeder tank for like bolivians or something.

maybe, but the 26 asian is not my favorite tank, it is my "wife's tank" and i do not want to give up one of my bigger tanks to her

my problem with the 45 is it is so tall and narrow, only reason i got it was it was $5 at a garage sale

it is really for fish that do not need a lot of bottom room, not the case with most of the dwarf cichlids i like.

[WaterPond]

Hmm... now you have me thinking. What could you do with it...

[JDogg]

Originally Posted by WaterPond

Hmm... now you have me thinking. What could you do with it...

the dimensions of the 45 are 36in wide x 23 in tall x 12 in deap.

so to stock it appropriately i realy need somthing that does not need alot of back to front space, but likes up and down space. nothing that realy likes a planted tank, do to the shape lighting would sux i think.

and preferably a cichlid