What to Put in 75 Gal

[Kerrinne]

Ok...my tank should be ready in a couple weeks to add my fish from my 10 gal. Below is what I will be transferring and what I want to buy to round out what I own already. I think I will be way understocked for a 75 gal after this, so I would like opinions on what else I could put in here with these guys.

3 Giant Danios - want to buy 3 more for a total of 6.
2 Buenos Aries Tetras - want to buy six more for a total of 8
1 Golden Algae Eater
1 Black Mystery Snail
And I considered buying three cory cats.

What else could I or should I include here that would get along with the above and share similar water conditions? TIA.

 

[patryuji]

With such a large tank I would probably put in 8-10 corys and try to keep it to 2 different species of cory or just one. They are happy in big groups.

I can tell you one thing to *not* put in there: any fish with shark in the name since it probably won't get along with the golden algae eater.

 

[Menagerie]

And I considered buying three cory cats.

You should buy a herd!!! They like company and you will be rewarded by their antics.
Serpae Tetras are also nice.
Here is a link I just ran across: http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/easyfish.htm
Lots of ideas in there.

I love rams--very colorful, very cute and if I were you, I would get a small pleco—BN or clown pleco.

 

[tsonnenl]

I'm learned from my 72 that my eyes wander mostly to three things: large colorful schools, a few large fish, and the unusual.

I ALWAYS notice the fish which contrast best against the background, which is mostly green in my planted tank. A large school of 12 or more cardinal, not neon tetras is a must. In my old 20, I thought a school of 6 was cool and was plenty of the same fish. 12 really is twice as cool. Others that catch the eye are Red Phantom Tetras which get a nice deep red or serpae tetras. Loaches that stay small have good personality and have great colors. I realize that I hardly ever look at fish that I have that are yellowish or silver, so I wonder now why I bothered.

Another thing to consider would be to find some kind of larger "centerpiece" fish to go in there, like angels. In larger tanks filled with all smaller fish your eye tends to step back and look at the tank as a whole more than at individual fish. Two or more angels or a few dwarf cichlids will stand out and will end up seeming more "personable." One thing, if you do end up adding larger fish to a tank with mostly smaller ones, be sure to add the larger ones LAST and buy the youngest ones you can find. Despite what I have read everywhere about angels and cardinals/neons, I have never seen them being chased after letting the cardinals get some size on them before adding juvenile angels.

I was surprised to see how much I liked the amano shrimp that I put in there for algae eating purposes and never expected to watch them. They're fascinating. I'm now at 20, and I only ever see about 5 at a time since they're good at hiding. I threw in two african dwarf frogs and an smaller pleco just for something different too. Despite 40+ fish readily visible in the tank at all times, I constantly catch myself ignoring them to look for the frogs or see where the pleco has hidden itself.

In the end, with a 75 you have plenty of room to try fish out to see what you like. Have fun!

 

[tsonnenl]

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[tsonnenl]

Don't push refresh after posting.....ugh.

 

[ferret]

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I agree on a herd of cories, and maybe 1 dojo loach (You GOT to have a loach ;p). I must stress however that giant danios grow a bit large, as do BA tetras, so you're more heavily stocked than you may realize. Those BA tetras get close to 3 inches in length. The giant danios hit 4, I believe.

Get the new tetras and danios, and cories. See how they work out, and if it seems like the tank is still open a bit, look into the serpaes. I love mine, and they're be a flash of red in the tank.

 

[Kerrinne]

Thanks for the advice so far. I'm looking into some of the suggestions. I just don't want a whole tank full of one fish or a whole tank full of nothing but one kind of one fish. But I definitely think the cory cats would be worth looking into a greater quantity of after reading your suggestions. Thanks!

PS - Ferret...what happened the Saturday before last? We woke up early to wait for your call.