67 Gallon - The Plan... advice?

I get it now! Kinda like 55g only taller, cool. I'd get harlequin rasboras or maybe just a ton more dwarf rainbows or more CPDs, instead of red-eye tetras; their teeth (unlike rasboras, CPDs & rainbows) are much toward the front of their mouths (like pirhanas) & can "nip" most any fish or shrimp.

On my 55g "riverish" tank I have 2 AC 70s & a powerhead. On my 75g I have a Fluval 404 & AC 70.

As for plants, it depends on your lighting. Some are almost fool-proof: java fern, java moss, anubias tied or glued to wood or rocks. & most cryptocorynes planted in almost any susbstrate. Those are very easy & a good starting point. Tare a few more that "may" work too.
 
Thanks for the plant advice!! And the filtration, gives me a starting point at least.

After reading up a bit more on rainbowfish I think i'm going to pass on those and find something else. Someone else on another forum mentioned that they are hard-water fish as opposed to soft-water which is what all the other ones I listed are. Plus they prefer a stronger current.

I still want some sort of bigger fish to add in the mix though. Just struggling to find the right fit. Something around 3-4" that would be good in a community. Really, what I should do is find that fish first and then build my community around it lol.

Any suggestions for a good 3-4" species that would be ok with smaller schooling fish like tetras and/or rasboras?
 
Well, I like gouramis; either honey (pair or trio) or a pair of pearls...They are bigger & pretty peaceful, CPDs are a bit iffy with them but "should" be ok. Maybe a trio of pearls 1 male & 2 females. Their mouths are too small to do much damage if there are plants for small fish to hide in.
 
So in doing a bit of reading I came up with a few cichlids that seem like maybe they would be ok in a community tank? Let me know your thoughts if you have kept any of these or know about them.

Recap: looking for a good size center-piece fish that can get along with tetras/rasboras/oto's.

South American Cichlid ideas. I would just be choosing 1 kind (if you know... how many would I want? F/M ratio?)
  • Cockatoo
  • Panda
  • Keyhole
  • Gold Ram
  • Apistogramma
  • Angel Ram
**Was typing this just as you responded, fishorama. Gourami's are something I have been looking at too. I do like both the honey and pearls. Good to know they should do ok as long as the tank is setup right. I wasn't sure on them.
 
Well, I HATE angel rams, poor little deformed fish!! Regular blue rams (or gold, meh) or any of your other choices seem ok...but they are all almost bottom fish as are all your other fish options...that's why I suggested gouramis, you need some upper level swimmers. Think hard & research before you decide.
 
Ok thanks good to know!!! That is the biggest piece of information that I feel has been missing from almost every source that I have used.... where the fish swim. Every once in a while a source will list a fish as a bottom-dweller or a mid-level swimmer but generally they just don't even mention it at all.

I will do some more thinking and researching for sure before I make a decision. I have plenty of time lol considering I haven't even bought the substrate or filters yet.

Thanks for your help! Glad to have this resource to ask people in the know!!

Everyone continue on with the suggestions and advice. I will be checking this thread regularly and probably updating it with more questions as I go.
 
I was mainly just including them because they are interesting to watch, with the added bonus of a little bit of natural clean-up.

However, I did a few hours of research last night and the gouramis got me sidetracked onto a new idea that is totally different but I think would be better for me overall. Reading that they could be compatible with shell-dweller cichlids got me on a cichlid roll...

I have always loved cichlids. I like their colors, body shapes, and they're interesting to watch. So, I am now getting an idea to do a Lake Tanganyika biotope tank. It will be cheaper for me to hardscape (I was kind of stressing about the cost of the substrate/plants not to mention all the filtration, c02, and fish) considering I can just add some nice sand and choose some cool rocks and shells. It will also be easier to maintain on a larger scale. I still plan to do a planted tank on my smaller 16 gallon for my pea puffers.

This is my thoughts on stock for the Lake Tanganyika idea. I watched a few videos on YouTube and these seem to make a pretty and interesting tank, without any reported compatibility issues. Ideas are welcome for additions or changes. I am still learning about all of the different kinds of Tang Cichlids.
  • Shell-Dweller/Multis
  • Lemon Cichlid
  • Goby Cichlid
  • Caudopunk Cichlid
  • Pemba Cichlid
Questions:

With the Pembas I was reading that you should start with about 6 of them and then wait for them to pair off and keep one pair and get rid of the rest.... that's all fine and good to me, but how do people "get rid of the rest"? Do you sell them online and ship them? sell them to a local fish store? put them on craigslist? all of the above lol? Would this apply to pretty much all of these cichlids or just certain kinds?

Stocking order? Who should go in first? The shell-dwellers so they can setup their territories first? The less aggressive fish so that they don't get harassed by the more territorial ones and can find their favorite hiding spaces first?

Thanks for all the help and brainstorming!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom