First Tank - 75 gallon

[KatFish11]

looking for some advice as this is my first tank and want it to go as smooth as possible. Currently there is no fish.

The tank has been cycling for over a month now and been testing the water everyday with the master kit and today finally got numbers i like.

0 ammonia
0 nitrates
0 nitrites
8.2 PH. (any suggestions on how to bring this number down?)

I have a 110 aqua clear filter.
a 300 w heater
im using lighting from a 40 gallon tank.
have decorations with gravel and all fake plants.

temperature is at 78.4

looking for feedback regarding stocking ideas, want fish at all levels and peaceful. (Wife freaks out when she witnesses a fish eating another fish)
and also how many should i add at once?

I really like the look of the gourami fish
so i guess my biggest question how many without overstocking and what are some good tank mates?

any suggestions will be helpful

 

[TrueGrit]

What's your ammonia source for the cycle? It looks like you are attempting a fishless cycle. Are you dosing ammonia or do you have an ammonia source in the tank like old fish food or a piece of shrimp? Right now it looks like nothing is happening because your numbers, even nitrates, are all zero. Were you showing ammonia and nitrites at any point? Did you do a major water change to eliminate the nitrate buildup?

 

[TrueGrit]

As for gouramis they tend to be decent community fish with the standards being semi-aggressive and the dwarfs being more peaceful. Temperament can vary from fish to fish. The dwarves tend to be what you find in fish stores with varieties like flame, neon blue, and powder blue being the staples. Giant and kissing gourami are less common in stores. The dwarves pair well with tetras, mollies, platies, rasboras, danios, loaches, cory cats etc. Avoid semi-aggressive species that will stress them out like barbs and cichlids. There is always exceptions and your mileage may vary. I'd suggest adding a pair of gourami once your tank is cycled and then start GRADUALLY adding tank mates. If a new tankmate doesn't work then pull it and bring it back to your LFS. Even if they won't refund you it's better than having conflict in the tank. In a larger tank like a 75 you should have no difficulty building a balanced community around a pair of gourami. When in doubt, ask the community like you're doing now. Good luck and welcome to this challenging and fulfilling hobby.

 

[KatFish11]

What's your ammonia source for the cycle? It looks like you are attempting a fishless cycle. Are you dosing ammonia or do you have an ammonia source in the tank like old fish food or a piece of shrimp? Right now it looks like nothing is happening because your numbers, even nitrates, are all zero. Were you showing ammonia and nitrites at any point? Did you do a major water change to eliminate the nitrate buildup?

Yes doing a fish less cycle.
The only thing I added was a bacteria supplement to jump start new aquariums.

The ammonia levels have been a constant zero.
nitrites are at 0.5 ppm
And nitrates are at 20 ppm
Ph is still sitting at a 8.2 after driftwood has been added, thinking of taking it out cuz it’s making the water cloudy.

Still no fish yet, I spoke with an employee at a pet store and they recommended to add feeder fish to help start it however I really don’t want to go that route.

 

[KatFish11]

Actual photo of the test kit results