Stocking a new 72 gal tank

[kamla]

Hi Guys, I am back with more stocking questions.
We went last weekend to buy a 55 gal tank but ending up getting a 72 gal bow type tank . The wife like the way it looked and the LFS said it is easier to take care of a bigger tank.

The tank will begin cycling on sat 19th, but I want to ask your opinions about stocking
Here is what I thought, all the fish will live in the same ph level and temp so I picked them

5 Platys (2m & 3f)
5 Swordtails (2m & 3f)
5 Mollies (2m & 3f)
7 Harlequin Rasbora
7 Zebra Danio
7 Tiger Barb
4 ghost shrimp
4 Corydoras Catfish
2 RedParrot (don’t know about this one, but the LFS said it would be O.k.)

I really like Bala sharks and Clown Loachs, but people in this forum talked me out of it.
Can I add clown loachs to a 72 gal tank or is it still too small.

I know it will take me 2 months to fully stock my tank
I spoke to the LFS about the number of fish, I showed him my list and he said I would be fine as long as I stocked it slowly..

 

[Menagerie]

[center:7aa7e58452] Welcome back to AA, kamla!! [/center:7aa7e58452]

the LFS said it is easier to take care of a bigger tank.

True(ish) I don't think there is a big difference between a 55 and 72 gal. Both are large enough that water parameters will have a hard time getting messed up once they are established.

What is the pH from the tap, after letting the water sit over night?

Clown loaches are slow growing, but will reach a 8"+ size over many many years. If you wanted to get three, I would not get the parrots. I have seen some huge clown loaches, but they have been few and far between. Personally, I stopped keeping them because the young ones mostly found in LFS here die within a few months (just my luck I guess). If you like the look of those loaches, but want something a tad smaller, go for yo-yo loaches. They are a ton of fun and stay around 4".

The ghost shrimp will become snacks to the parrots, IMO. As for sharks, someone else will need to answer that.

 

[Meredith]

also don't mollies and swordtails do better with salt in the water? This would not sit well with the corys.

 

[TankGirl]

Mollies are not the best fit for your setup, IMO, because of their preference for a brackish environment (they are frequently, maybe even predominantly, kept in FW but IME they always come down with something and do not thrive long-term). With the swords and the platies you don't really "need" mollies since the other two are so similar. You may in fact get cross-breeding between the platies and the swords, and either way you WILL get babies.

The bala shark is a true tankbuster and I'd have to recommend against them. You could get some rainbow fish - a nice school of boesemanis would be great. I have never kept parrots so I can't comment on those.

I'd consider getting 6-8 cory cats in that size tank. They will be so much happier and I believe you have the room.

What is your filtration? Have you considered fishless cycling so you don't have to go through the hassle of stressed fish enduring a cycle? If you read through some posts about what people go through during a cycle it might sway you to fishless. You could also consider stocking it with ALL of the fish at once and using Bio-Spira.