Advice needed with stocking / shrimp / colony size

[philipraposo198]

New to the hobby this will be first tank. I am slowly gathering everything I need and will be setting up in the next little bit.

tank size = 75g
lighting = finnex planted plus
filter = eheim pro 3 2075
heater = eheim jager (not sure of size yet, probably 300W+)
substrate = MG organic with some sort of topper

Tank will be fully aquascaped and and heavily planted. I am not planning on running c02.



Once up and running I would like to start the tank with cardinal tetras (a large school, unsure of number) I also plan to keep oto catfish (probably 6-10, I am aware they like to be in schools) I also would love to establish a colony of red cherry shrimp. Showcase / centerpiece fish I plan / want to keep would be Cichlid rams (prolly 4?! 2 males / 2 females) and darf gourami (4, 1 male and 3 females to avoid bullying)

I am aware the larger centerpiece fish will likely eat the shrimp. But I am wondering if I get enough shrimp and with breeding they might be able to sustain their numbers? I will have lots on cover and such.


Is my stocking list / idea sound like it can be accomplished?

If you were to add to this, what fish would you choose and why?

Will the oto's and shrimp fight for food?

Thanks in advanced,

Phil

 

[bettaowner]

I would only add one pair of rams and maybe four pearl gouramis. As for the shrimp they should be fine. Add the otos a month or two after the tank is established because they are a delicate species.

 

[philipraposo198]

Can I ask why only 2 rams and not more?

 

[bettaowner]

Most people advise keeping only one pair of dwarf cichlids per tank due to aggression or territory issues. 4 might work provided that there are enough hiding areas.

 

[philipraposo198]

Ah okay, you said enough. I wasn't aware of that.


Any idea of how many shrimp I should aim for in order to keep a healthy population? Assuming that the fish will kill some of them

 

[bettaowner]

I would start out with a dozen to be safe.

 

[philipraposo198]

That sounds reasonable.

 

[philipraposo198]

So with my current stocking list of
12 RCS
4 dwarf gouramis
12 cardinal tetra
8 oto
2 German blue ram

Aqadvisor says with my filter and tank size I am at 49% and 13% recommend water change weekly

What else should I look at for more stock? I am open to suggestions and ideas