Centerpiece fish for a 75 gallon

[fishdude25]

Hey everybody! I am looking to get a centerpiece fish for my 75 gallon. It's currently stocked with:
10 Harlequin Rasboras
10 Tiger Barbs (getting 10 more today)
6 Cherry barbs
6 Otocinclus
5 Kuhli Loaches
1 Rainbow shark
And I have an AquaClear 110 filter.
I'm wanting something that will be compatible with both my rainbow shark and tiger barbs. I was thinking maybe a jewel cichlid or german blue ram? What do you guys think? Any other suggestions would be appreciated also.
Thanks and God bless!
-fishdude25

 

[Smcoyle87]

I would think that the Shark is already the centerpiece, yes?

 

[fishdude25]

Yeah, the rainbow shark is kinda the centerpiece, but he hangs out in his log decoration most of the time so I don't see him as much as I'd like to lol. I was wanting another centerpiece-type-fish that would be out in the open more (besides the schooling fish). Would a jewel cichlid or german blue ram be compatible with the fish I have?

 

[Luananeko]

German Blue Ram would be hit or miss with the Tiger Barbs and Shark. They're fairly sensitive and easily stressed, so if the barbs or shark decide to pester the Ram it could go downhill very quickly. I don't have experience keeping jewel cichlids, but they're not usually recommended as a community fish. It would definitely be able to defend itself from the barbs and shark, but it might try to snack on your rasboras once full grown.

What about some of the larger rainbows instead? They're fast enough and don't have dangling fins to tempt the barbs, and are nice and colorful.

 

[fishdude25]

Ok! I've heard a little about the rainbows, but don't know much about them. Which species would you recommend?
Also, i was doing some Googling and came across apistogramma cacatuoides. Would this do well with my current stocking? It's quite gorgeous lol
Thanks!

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[Luananeko]

Apistos could work, but the shark may harass them since they share the same level of the tank. Depends on your shark's personality.

For rainbows, take a look at the various species in the Melanotaenia or Glossolepis families. They'll typically have the most color, larger sizes (for being more centerpiece types), and short fins so as not to tempt your barbs. Make sure to double check your stocking levels when considering them though, as they're happiest in a group of 5+, which means they'll need a decent chunk of your bioload capacity.

I have trouble eyeballing stocking numbers for 75g tanks, so I usually plug guesses into Aqadvisor.com's calculator as a sanity check and fine tune with my own gut feel and research from there.

 

[FWFishTanks]

maybe a Severum or two?

 

[Smcoyle87]

I have to say I agree with the suggestion of a Severum. They have some awesome personalities too!

 

[Rivers2k]

Red Spot Severum would work well. Jewel would not and GBR wouldn't stand out from that crowd to be a center piece IMO.

 

[fishdude25]

I have heard that severums dig a lot. My tank is planted, would the severum harm the plant roots with all its digging?

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[Rivers2k]

May not do well with plants. I don't do live plants so I don't have experience. Some say no it doesn't work others say depends on the plant. To be safe you might want to go another route.

What about gold gouramies? They are pretty impressive when full grown. Koi angels might look nice.

 

[fishdude25]

Would an apistogramma work instead of a severum, then?

I'm concerned my tiger barbs would nip at a gourami or angelfish. But then again, I have 21 tiger barbs now, so maybe they'd keep to themselves. Thoughts?
-fishdude25

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[FWFishTanks]

The gourami would probably hold its own, not sure about the angel. With 21 tigers, you should be fine either way.

 

[Luananeko]

Would an apistogramma work instead of a severum, then?

I'm concerned my tiger barbs would nip at a gourami or angelfish. But then again, I have 21 tiger barbs now, so maybe they'd keep to themselves. Thoughts?
-fishdude25

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Depends on the tiger barbs and the gourami's personality. Some gourami will get pushed around easily and will just hide constantly from stress when kept with over exuberant tankmates. Others are more bold and will be the boss of the tank. Just depends on the fish.

An apisto wouldn't stand out from the rest of the fish well enough to be considered a centerpiece, and may compete with the shark for territory. I think you're better off with a mid-water fish like rainbows or possibly the severum. I've never kept severum personally, so I can't speak to how well they'd fit with your plants.

 

[Bichir Bro]

Depends on the tiger barbs and the gourami's personality. Some gourami will get pushed around easily and will just hide constantly from stress when kept with over exuberant tankmates. Others are more bold and will be the boss of the tank. Just depends on the fish.



An apisto wouldn't stand out from the rest of the fish well enough to be considered a centerpiece, and may compete with the shark for territory. I think you're better off with a mid-water fish like rainbows or possibly the severum. I've never kept severum personally, so I can't speak to how well they'd fit with your plants.

I don't keep my Red Spot Sev in with plants but I've only ever heard bad about them and plants. I just put some seaweed in for my guy to munch on and he devoured it!
I also agree with the fact that Apistos wouldn't stand out in the sense to be classified as a 'centerpiece' fish . I mean yeah they totally are awesome and insanely colorful but in a tank as large as a 75 planted they'd likely get lost and only be seen occasionally.



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[fishdude25]

Depends on the tiger barbs and the gourami's personality. Some gourami will get pushed around easily and will just hide constantly from stress when kept with over exuberant tankmates. Others are more bold and will be the boss of the tank. Just depends on the fish.

An apisto wouldn't stand out from the rest of the fish well enough to be considered a centerpiece, and may compete with the shark for territory. I think you're better off with a mid-water fish like rainbows or possibly the severum. I've never kept severum personally, so I can't speak to how well they'd fit with your plants.

Okay. I really like the look of the severum, and am leaning towards getting one of those. I have a sand substrate with some gravel mixed in, maybe it would discourage a severum from digging so much?? If anyone with some experience with severums could chime in, that would be most appreciated!!
Thanks!
-fishdude25

 

[Rivers2k]

I didn't find mine to be much of a digger. I think people have problems with them eating the plants. So I think it depends on what plants you have I have read they do ok with anubias, java fern, onion root. They are an amazing fish it is the one fish I am upset that I let go.

 

[fishdude25]

I didn't find mine to be much of a digger. I think people have problems with them eating the plants. So I think it depends on what plants you have I have read they do ok with anubias, java fern, onion root. They are an amazing fish it is the one fish I am upset that I let go.

I have melon swords and some java moss. Would these plants do okay with a severum?

 

[Rivers2k]

I have melon swords and some java moss. Would these plants do okay with a severum?

I really don't know I am not a plant guy. I did a quick google search and I see a youtube video of someone that had one with a melon swords, anubias, and amazon sword for 10 months at the time of video but it eats the jungle val. Another thread said the severum dug up there swords so I guess it's a try and see type thing. If it doesn't work with your melon swords you could switch to Anubias.

 

[Luananeko]

The general rule seems to be that if it's not an angel or a dwarf cichlid like an apisto or ram, you run the risk of your plants being either eaten, shredded, or dug up. So only try them if you like the fish more than you care about your plants.