Low tech 75g stocking suggestion

Rafini

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Jun 24, 2012
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Hey guys I have a low tech 75g planted aquarium, eco plant substrate by fluval and a 30g sump (netting over the drainage pipe). Its been up and running of about 5 or 6 weeks now, I currently have 6 brilliant Rasboras, a kissing gourami, 3 siamese algae eaters and a couple of mollys. ( I have seen some fry around)

My tank looks very big and mostly devoid of activity, my plants are doing well except for a few hygrophilias that melted their leaves off since arrival, but are still healthy and growing new leaves. they just dropped their old ones which i have heard is fairly common for them to do.
on the plant front, I may possibly add a few more hardy easy to care for plants but I'm happy to just let my current plants grow out. (they are mostly crypts and swords)

I have about $140 worth of gift cards this christmas for a nice pet store in my town and I was hoping to pick some more stock up this week in the sales.

Could anyone reccommend me some suggestions?
I`m thinking more activity and color in the tank would be great, just looking for some suggestions.

Heres a picture from a few weeks ago the lighting looks strange in photos but in real life it looks fine, if anyone knows what that bushy plant is in the center, its 3 times as tall now and I am considering getting another one
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Thanks Rafini
 
Your kissing gourami could still be with you 15+ years from now and depending on the individual may or may not permit other fish to live with it. Some are quite aggressive.
 
I think the plant in the middle is a Cabomba. If you want color, I recommend Platys. Activity, get barbs or Danio.
 
I was pretty sure it wasn`t cabomba, its light in color and more open fan shaped arrangement. I am pretty sure it began with an E. I do like cabomba though and I think it would be a nice addition.

Don`t worry about the gourami, if he has any issues he can go straight in my 120 with the semi aggressive cichlids and filament barbs.

I was thinking that a group of gouramis would make a good surface dwelling species. I would probably just get the pearl gouramis I am aware that the blue and gold 3 spot varietys are quite aggressive.

as for corys my water is very hard and alkaline, with all that fluval eco gravels buffering effect I should be a little slightly closer to neutral but I just haven`t ever had much luck with corys, are some species hardier than others?

other than that I would like to get a bristlenose or two and a group or 2 of shoaling species, I was thinking maybe cardinal tetras, but I would very much like something Blue as I don`t have much from that color in the aquarium so far, So I may pick up some of the blue colored platys maybe.

Just looking for some cool suggestions really, I could go in a few different directions with my set up
 
You can have a few Pearl Gouramis, just make sure they females. They look almost like males, just shorter fins and no red color.
I do not know why you cannot keep corys, they should be able to adapt to your water.
You can try Synodontis cats. They do grow bigger though.
Try and get a close pic of the center plant, maybe we can tell for sure what it is.
 
Looks nice but your rosette plants seem a little too deep. If the "crown" (where the roots meet the leaves) is too deep, the leaves will eventually begin to rot and the plant will die. Try pulling them up just a little
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I had a M+F pair of pearl gourami`s back when I was a kid in my first tropical aquarium, I was just lucky as they looked the same when I got them lol.

Tanker you are completely right I did a little research on your suggestion and its definitely a cabomba, it is just a much paler color than the ones I see around here usually.

I did get the cories from a not so great source and my tank was new when I tried to add a group a few years ago. I am willing to try them again, now that I know my water wouldn`t be an issue.

I`m sorry this is my first planted tank, which ones are the rosette plants? I will lift them a little out asap
 
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