Need ideas for stocking my new 60gallon tank

[cactusgal]

Well My 60 gallon tank is still cycling but I'm trying to figure out what kind of fish I will put in it when its done cycling...I would sure appreciate any help with this ,as This is my 1st large community tank..and hope to chose species that will get along.

I run a fluval 305 filter,air stone,lots of live plants and a co2 machine,2 heaters 150 watts each set at 27,I have fairly soft water as well.


Here are some of my ideas

3 danios
3 dalmation mollies (2 female,1 male)
2-3 clown loaches
2 dwarf gourami's (not sure what type)
3 guppies (2 female,1 male)
2 ballon mollie 1f,1m
6 neon tetras
8 harlequins (red rasbora)
maybe 3 playts
6 blood tetras
angels? maybe 2 but I think they are too aggresive??
siamese algea eater...not sure how many maybe 2
glass shrimp?? or will they be eaten by the other fish?


I'm open to any suggestions,and also aprox how many fish to stock with.
I've heard 1 fish per gallon..but that seems like a little too much..I was thinking more like 30 fish for the 60 gallon??

[snoopy65]

The one inch per gallon "rule" is not something to go by. As far as 30 for a 60 gal, that depends on which fish. If you go with small fish, that is fine, but larger and you will be grossly over stocked. I would not get clown loaches as they will get way too big for a 60 gal tank. If you get guppies and mollies, they will cross breed so if you decide to sell the fry, you should let anyone know who buys them that they could be hybrids. 2 angels would be fine in a 60 gal, but if they pair, then you would have aggression from them. If you go with siamese algae eaters, make sure that is what they are as sometimes Chinese algae eaters are sold as siamese and chinese algae eaters get aggressive with age. Personally, I would not get the danios and just up the harleys or neon tetra. I do not know about dwarf gourami, but you may have aggression between them and any angels you add. I am sure you will have others chime in with their opinions.

[customdrum]

you dont want to mix alot of those fish as said above.
heres some thoughts on what i would do but its your tank and not mine lol

6 cory cats
2 bristle nose plecos, algae eaters
4-6 ottocinclus, algae eaters
25-35+ neon tetras or 25-35+ harlequins (red rasbora)

if you did mollies, guppies, platys they would over run the tank in a few months with tons of babys. i think its better to keep the tank more simple than cluttered with fish

[Sawyer]

Skip the angels (they eat small fish), gouramis (might be too aggressive, and if you do do dwarf gouramis, get only 1), and clown loaches (will outgrow tank, need a group of at least 5-6).

The rest would be fine, but up the schools for the danios and tetras.

[odinthejd]

I would totally go with cichlids. Get a bunch of mbuanus and your tank will look so amazing! Get some broken slate in the back and your fish will love you!

[cactusgal]

Ok so I will leave out the clown loach's as they will get too big.
As far as the angels....I was hoping to have them so they would keep the molly,guppy and platy population down?? But will the angles go after the neons and fish that size???

I will look into cichlids as well!
thanx for the info so far!