What would you stock this tank with?

[JenNewbie]

OK, in follow up to whether to keep the 75gal, here are the current occupants (most of my original fish died shortly after the move & a vicious case of ich):

2 angels (1 of which has never grown)
2 gourami
2 corys
2 common pleco
1 female betta
1 clown pleco
1 panchax/killifish (never 100% ID'd this guy)
5 black neon tetra
3 harlequin raspbora
1 danio
2-3 glowlight tetra
1 dojo loach

I've tried to beef up the schooling fish, but the fish do fine during quarantine & then slowly die off, so I'm leaning toward a few "showpiece" fish and then calling it good.

I noticed a hairline crack starting in my 20gal, so I picked up a very nicely priced 30gal hex tank as a replacement. Is there enough room for me to add anything to the 2 fantail goldfish & 5 white clouds that will be relocated to this tank?

 

[Jchillin]

You actually have 3 1/2 showpiece fish (the gourami's and the angels). You are a bit overcrowded with the 2 common pleco's. This is also the first time I've seen someone who has a community tank with angels, gourami's, a killi and a betta.

The schooling fish dying off after quarantine is a concern. Do they die off while in the QT or after introducing to the main tank? It could well be that they are dying off in the main tank due to aggression (feeding or territorial) issues with the main tanks regulars. For example, I recently added a school of rummynoses to my 30g and within a few days, all of my buenos aires and bleeding heart tetras died.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Have you looked at your water parameters in the main tank?

 

[JenNewbie]

Water parameters are always 0 for nitrates/nitrites/ammonia. pH is 7.4. I've tried fish both from PetsMart & from an LFS, w/ no perceptible difference in survival rate. The angels are the most recent (4-5 mos ago) acquisition, so they're not responsible for previous die offs. I think I just have the same luck with fish as I do with plants. Doesn't matter if I ignore them or shower them with attention. Nothing seems to make a difference.

See, this is why I currently have a love/hate with this tank. It honestly doesn't seem to be my negligence or irresponsibility. The fish just die! Also, the tank dimensions aren't friendly to plants. I have a double bulb light with daylight spectrum bulbs in order to get light to the bottom of the tank. The plants flourish for several weeks, then the plants also die off. Then they make a comeback. I'm thinking I should just go with a simpler set up before I go crazy...

I love my killi! Unfortunately, since the one angel is the only one who's growing to a normal size, it is definitely starting to dominate the tank. And there's not a lot of vegetation for everyone else to hide behind anymore. *sigh* Anyone want a 75 gallon setup?

 

[Davy_Jones]

Oww, I like it, hiding spots, driftwood, shell. Is that sand?

 

[JenNewbie]

The sand came with the tank when I bought it. I later found out it's not the best substrate for live plants, but it is good for the dojo loach & the corys, so I guess it's a tie. I'm wondering if I would have better luck with "potted" plants.