Breaking up sight lines???

[earhtmother]

I want to add some kind of Gourami to the 100g that I am moving my 4/5 Hoplo cats to( pretty sure there's still 5 but never see them all at the same time[emoji58])
I know I will have to break up the sight lines to prevent aggression but I have a purple thumb when it comes to live plants so I am wondering if I can do it with only driftwood and rocks? And maybe some fake(yuck) plants? Which brings me to my next question how many Gouramis can I have in total? I don't want to hardscape too much as the Hoplos prefer open space. If anyone has any other species sugesstions instead of the Gouramis feel free to chime in I only chose them as they were a nice looking fish in a decent size

 

[V227]

Go to your local rockyard or landscape company and search the various rock beds for tall thin, flat bottom rocks. Buy rocks which provide the desired height, with a stable flat bottom base. Look for rocks that displace the least amount of water.

 

[King Fisher]

You could put CA and/or SA Cichlids in there.

 

[earhtmother]

Ok King if I go with cichlids some easy care recommendations would be awesome. Had cichlids in the 125g qhen qe first got it & they were a pain

 

[King Fisher]

What happened in the past that made them a pain?

 

[earhtmother]

Sorry for the length
First let me say it was hubby's tank & while he had guppys as a kid this was HIS first tank in 25+ years. I've had fish on & off for the last 35 years & prefer a tank that doesn't require constant tweaking to keep it running smoothly so no chemicals if at all possible & since I am on a well this means TDS of ~300 from tap, PH ~7ish, Hard water that leaves deposits on everything. Currently I run 65g with Corys & Hoplos which will become a 100g with Hoplos & ??? and a 93g with Cory's & Guppys, a 65g with Mollys, asst Tetras, Amano shrimp, Upside Down Cats & Bumblebee Cats from which I'm removing the Mollys to the now empty 65g and adding 3 BNs to both tanks. There's also the 30g Neo shrimp tank which is becoming a 55g but it's shrimp only.
I think what turned me off cichlids was he chose what he liked with no research and as a result there was aggression & unhappy fish. His feeding habits are also a little heavy handed which just added to the general chaos. After losing everything except the Kribs he has now got a *lovely* mix of Kribs Platys & Swords which makes his tank *dance* the way HE likes. *I* do 60% or more water changes weekly on it & he does the canister when I nag him. I liked the initial look with the cichlids but the never ending die offs totally soured me to the point that a "no tweaking" tank is always my goal for MY tanks now. I may try my hand at plants eventually but no ferts or CO2 allowed
My only steadfast rule is that I am extra vigilant & I might tweak things a little for a week when a new arrival takes residence, until the newness is gone then they're on their own

 

[King Fisher]

Gotcha. I don't see the difference between Cichlids and plecos when it comes to bioload. Maybe staying on top of upkeep is the only thing you need to focus on. That includes feeding, water changes and filtration. I've found Cichlids to be the easiest fish to keep. Very hardy.