65 gallon stock list

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EllieAtkin

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Apr 3, 2021
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I’m in the process of starting up a 65 gallon planted community. My fish plans are :
  • 3 pearl gourami
  • 2 angels
  • 2 blue rams
  • A school of cories
  • A school of tetras or rasboras
  • A pleco, undecided on type yet
Questions:
  • Is 2 a good number of angels?
  • Which fish would you add first?
  • Any other fish you would recommend?

 

dudley

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Feb 9, 2005
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Hi E EllieAtkin and Welcome to AC!

Can you post the dimensions of your aquarium please?

Is your tank already set up and cycled or did you just get the tank?
 

EllieAtkin

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Apr 3, 2021
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The tank is 36x18x25 high
Tank is only just set up, I will be planting it soon and then letting it cycle before adding fish.
 

Sprinkle

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Mar 21, 2020
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The tank is 36x18x25 high
Tank is only just set up, I will be planting it soon and then letting it cycle before adding fish.
You would need a source of ammonia to put start the cycle. Dr Tims one is good apparently. Also tetra safe start bottle bacteria is recommended but i dont not recommend it from my experience. Is this in inches? Your tank is apparently 70 gallons (US). You should have group of 4 for angels at least. Try looking for bigger species of tetras such as rummynoses or cardinals, angels would eat neon tetras. Get a BN pleco, it will getlike 4” only. Do 6 or more corydoras aeneus, they are very social with each other. I keep them, trust me :)
Also, angelfish are cichlids. Rams also are cichlids but only smaller (dwarfs), so i wouldnt really recommend getting rams, or if you want you can do either rams (those things get smaller than angels) or angelfish.
 

EllieAtkin

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Apr 3, 2021
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What’s your reasoning for not keeping rams with angels?

You would need a source of ammonia to put start the cycle. Dr Tims one is good apparently. Also tetra safe start bottle bacteria is recommended but i dont not recommend it from my experience. Is this in inches? Your tank is apparently 70 gallons (US). You should have group of 4 for angels at least. Try looking for bigger species of tetras such as rummynoses or cardinals, angels would eat neon tetras. Get a BN pleco, it will getlike 4” only. Do 6 or more corydoras aeneus, they are very social with each other. I keep them, trust me :)
Also, angelfish are cichlids. Rams also are cichlids but only smaller (dwarfs), so i wouldnt really recommend getting rams, or if you want you can do either rams (those things get smaller than angels) or angelfish.
 

Sprinkle

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Mar 21, 2020
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What’s your reasoning for not keeping rams with angels?
Both are cichlids and they may fight together, given that angels are very aggressive (yes they can be) in smaller numbers especially when breeding, guarding fry/eggs. But if you want trouble on your hands, go for it :)
 

FishAddict74

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Dec 8, 2020
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The tank is 36x18x25 high
Tank is only just set up, I will be planting it soon and then letting it cycle before adding fish.
Since it’s a three foot tank, I would not have two angels unless you’re going for a pair. Pearl gouramis are not as aggressive as others, but i think trying for three in a 3ft tank is gonna be a challenge as well. That and angels and gouramis occupy the same part of the tank, so I also doubt 5 semi aggressive/semi territorial fish will work in that amount of space. I’m not saying not to try if it’s what you want, just be prepared to move something if things go south Assuming you’re deciding one any of the smaller types of plecos, the rest looks good to me.
 

Wyomingite

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Oct 16, 2008
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I’m in the process of starting up a 65 gallon planted community. My fish plans are :
  • 3 pearl gourami
  • 2 angels
  • 2 blue rams
  • A school of cories
  • A school of tetras or rasboras
  • A pleco, undecided on type yet
Questions:
  • Is 2 a good number of angels?
  • Which fish would you add first?
  • Any other fish you would recommend?
Hello and welcome to AC, EllieAtkin.

So to address a couple of things brought up in this thread so far:

Rams and angels will be fine together. They occupy different levels in the aquarium. Blue rams, however, tend to be delicate and exacting about conditions. I consider blue rams an 'expert' level species. If you don't have any experience in the hobby, I would suggest looking at one of the common Apistogramma species, like Apistogramma cacuatoides or Apistogramma agassizii, or Bolivian rams (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus) instead of a blue ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) or any of it's variants, like electric blue rams, gold rams, etc.

FishAddict 74 is right, two angels can be tricky. There's a good chance that one will start bullying the other. I would suggest a single angel as a centerpiece fish to avoid any heartache.

FishAddict74 also has a good point about the angels and pearl gouramis. Angels are semi-aggressive, and pearl gouramis are as peaceful as gouramis get. I suggest making sure your plants and other decorations like driftwood are strategically placed to break-up the line of sight in the tank so that is easier for any bullied fish to get out of the way quickly and easily.

Some tetras and rasboras can be very persistent about picking at longer fins of larger, slower fish, like the extensions on the dorsal, tail and anal fins of angelfish and the long, narrow pelvic fins of both angels and gouramis. This stresses out the larger fish. Serpae tetras and black skirt tetras are a good example of this. When choosing a tetra or rasbora species, make sure you research your schooling fish and get a peaceful species that won't harass the angels and gouramis.

Finally, the pleco. Make sure you know what species your getting and how large it gets. Any of the plecos sold under the moniker "common" pleco are going to get from 10" to 24" (possibly even larger). There are plenty of attractive pleco species that are 6" or less that would do well in this set up. It's worth paying a little extra money to get a pleco that you know is going to do well long term instead of buying a "common" pleco for $6.00 and be stuck with a fish that is going to outgrow your tank and that you very may well not be able to get rid of easily once it does.

WYite
 

FishAddict74

AC Members
Dec 8, 2020
737
390
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Hello and welcome to AC, EllieAtkin.

So to address a couple of things brought up in this thread so far:

Rams and angels will be fine together. They occupy different levels in the aquarium. Blue rams, however, tend to be delicate and exacting about conditions. I consider blue rams an 'expert' level species. If you don't have any experience in the hobby, I would suggest looking at one of the common Apistogramma species, like Apistogramma cacuatoides or Apistogramma agassizii, or Bolivian rams (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus) instead of a blue ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) or any of it's variants, like electric blue rams, gold rams, etc.

FishAddict 74 is right, two angels can be tricky. There's a good chance that one will start bullying the other. I would suggest a single angel as a centerpiece fish to avoid any heartache.

FishAddict74 also has a good point about the rams and pearl gouramis. Angels are semi-aggressive, and pearl gouramis are as peaceful as gouramis get. I suggest making sure your plants and other decorations like driftwood are strategically placed to break-up the line of sight in the tank so that is easier for any bullied fish to get out of the way quickly and easily.

Some tetras and rasboras can be very persistent about picking at longer fins of larger, slower fish, like the extensions on the dorsal, tail and anal fins of angelfish and the long, narrow pelvic fins of both angels and gouramis. This stresses out the larger fish. Serpae tetras and black skirt tetras are a good example of this. When choosing a tetra or rasbora species, make sure you research your schooling fish and get a peaceful species that won't harass the angels and gouramis.

Finally, the pleco. Make sure you know what species your getting and how large it gets. Any of the plecos sold under the moniker "common" pleco are going to get from 10" to 24" (possibly even larger). There are plenty of attractive pleco species that are 6" or less that would do well in this set up. It's worth paying a little extra money to get a pleco that you know is going to do well long term instead of buying a "common" pleco for $6.00 and be stuck with a fish that is going to outgrow your tank and that you very may well not be able to get rid of easily once it does.

WYite
+1
I forgot about the fin nipping. I had a school of serpae with an angel and I had to rehome the angel pretty quick because the serpae were damaging his fins pretty badly and causing the angel to hide in the upper corners. This was in a 4 foot 75, so I imagine it would be worse in a 3 footer
 

EllieAtkin

AC Members
Apr 3, 2021
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4
3
38
Thanks, I have read in a lot of places that rams and angels are fine together so I was surprised by the previous responses.
I have previously kept fish for a number of years but have been out of the hobby for a few years due to life getting in the way. I previously had mostly African cichlids and have never kept rams but I am confident I can keep them happy.
Would 1 angel be happy alone? I don’t want to breed them at this point so if it would be happy I’d be fine with a single centre piece fish.
As for the schooling fish, I’m still researching but have ruled out quite a few due to fin nipping.
For plecos I’m so far looking at a few of the dwarf varieties, i know the common plecos and quite a few others get far too big for my tank.

Hello and welcome to AC, EllieAtkin.

So to address a couple of things brought up in this thread so far:

Rams and angels will be fine together. They occupy different levels in the aquarium. Blue rams, however, tend to be delicate and exacting about conditions. I consider blue rams an 'expert' level species. If you don't have any experience in the hobby, I would suggest looking at one of the common Apistogramma species, like Apistogramma cacuatoides or Apistogramma agassizii, or Bolivian rams (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus) instead of a blue ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) or any of it's variants, like electric blue rams, gold rams, etc.

FishAddict 74 is right, two angels can be tricky. There's a good chance that one will start bullying the other. I would suggest a single angel as a centerpiece fish to avoid any heartache.

FishAddict74 also has a good point about the rams and pearl gouramis. Angels are semi-aggressive, and pearl gouramis are as peaceful as gouramis get. I suggest making sure your plants and other decorations like driftwood are strategically placed to break-up the line of sight in the tank so that is easier for any bullied fish to get out of the way quickly and easily.

Some tetras and rasboras can be very persistent about picking at longer fins of larger, slower fish, like the extensions on the dorsal, tail and anal fins of angelfish and the long, narrow pelvic fins of both angels and gouramis. This stresses out the larger fish. Serpae tetras and black skirt tetras are a good example of this. When choosing a tetra or rasbora species, make sure you research your schooling fish and get a peaceful species that won't harass the angels and gouramis.

Finally, the pleco. Make sure you know what species your getting and how large it gets. Any of the plecos sold under the moniker "common" pleco are going to get from 10" to 24" (possibly even larger). There are plenty of attractive pleco species that are 6" or less that would do well in this set up. It's worth paying a little extra money to get a pleco that you know is going to do well long term instead of buying a "common" pleco for $6.00 and be stuck with a fish that is going to outgrow your tank and that you very may well not be able to get rid of easily once it does.

WYite
 
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