750ltrs new tank - ideas?

[GlosGraham]

Hi all

First post but looking at the activity on here compared to elsewhere I guess I will get plenty of opinions

Basically I am due to get my new tank soon and I have various ideas in my head and I just don't know what to do.... Rather than answers on the back of a postcard I figured a forum would be good.

History wise I have kept tropicals for years. I currently have a 500 ltr tank which will be going and the 750 will take its place. The fish in the current tank will either be sold or rehomed.
The new 750 ltr will run a sump made up from one of my old 200 ltr tanks. In a change to the norm as I have only ever used canisters.

For the avoidance of doubt, 156cm X 70cm X 70cm are the tank dimensions.

Initially my plan was to get a Mbuna setup but then I thought it would be nice to have just one Oscar and a few cats. Great I thought and I was fairly set until I started thinking about how I like watching the community tanks and how it might not be so entertaining with an Oscar.
Then comes the possibility of a large tiger barb tank with something else or even a large rummynose tank again with something else.

As you can tell I have ideas in my head but no idea on what would actually be best. So opinions please.

 

[Essjay]

Hi, welcome to the forum

The first thing everyone will ask is - how hard is your water? You've thought about hard water fish (Mbuna) and soft water fish (rummy noses). The second question is, are you willing to alter the water in the tank if you decide on the 'wrong' type of fish for your hardness?

 

[GlosGraham]

Hi
Yeah, the joys of water parameters isn't an issue to me. Starting a fresh means I have no compatibility issues and altering water parameters I'm happy with doing.

I just have an idea in my head of maybe a large number of small fish would be more entertaining than one personable fish and more 'friendly' to the fish.

 

[Essjay]

Personally I prefer large shoals of a few species, but I do realise that's not to everyone's taste. A tiger barb tank could be interesting - with a tank that size you could have a huge shoal and see them behaving more naturally than with just a handful of them. Would they be as nippy in large numbers, for example.

 

[GlosGraham]

Yeah. I kinda like the idea of tiger barbs. I think there would be plenty of 'in fighting' but with a larger shoal maybe a more clearly defined pecking order.
Whatever happens in this sort of setup it would certainly be an active tank.

 

[Wills]

With a huge school of tiger barbs you could look at some other species in there synodontis catfish or skunk loaches would look cool. Pinstripe Damba from Madagascar would look good and the tigers would be too big for them to be food

 

[threecharacters]

Clown Loaches or other medium large loaches
Geophagus sp.
Spiny Eels
Mackerel Barbs
Giant Danio
Red Hooks or Silver Dollars
Monodactylus sebae or argenteus (brackish)
Pufferfish species
Archerfish
African Tetras (e.g. Alestopetersius caudalis, Phenacogrammus interruptus)
Small bichir species
Large African cichlids

So many options. Some of these might be too large, I'm not 100% sure. I would go with larger fish. I think a moderately large shoaling/schooling fish could be really cool. I can imagine nothing cooler than a really large school of big healthy clown loaches.

However, if I had to pick just one thing I would do a tank with Nimbochromis livingstonii. I would set it up like a Malawi shallows tank with a thick bed of Vallisneria. Livingstonii look unbelievable in breeding condition, and watching them hunt in the Vallisneria would be too cool.

 

[GlosGraham]

Sounds like an interesting one. Top of your list with clown loaches is something I have never liked. I don't really know why I am clown loach adverse tho.
I was just having a thought back to times of old. Keeping temperate and what may be the most underrated fish in the hobby.... White Cloud Mountain Minnow. What about a large number of these little ones? They colour up nicely. Lower temperature and limited for tank mates but....

 

[Fishmanic]

I have tiger barbs in my 29 gallon tank . There are just 5 at the moment due to die off. In the tank, I also have a bolivian ram, a BN pleco and 2 surviving salt and pepper cories .

A large school of tiger barbs would look awesome in a large tank. You could mix regular, green and albino and I believe they will all school together. Maybe add a Geophagus or two and some larger cories if hardness of your water is within reason. And a nice exotic L type Pleco would look cool too.

 

[mcordelia]

I've been really into tiger barbs lately (not from a keeping them perspective, but from a looking at youtube videos of them perspective). Here are a couple of cool videos with tiger barbs that have really done it for me lately:

someone recommended clown loaches and what I thought was cool about both of these tanks is how the clown loaches schooled with the tiger barbs!

Also, I love the size of tank you are getting! so many possibilities! Can't wait to see pictures!

 

[mcordelia]

I should have not hit send, since clearly I was still thinking about this, but anyway. My husband is really into blood parrots, and if that is a type of fish that you like, and you want to try a temperate tank, then goldfish might be a fun thing to try! I know it would somewhat limit the number of fish you can keep, but in a tank that large I don't think it will really pose an issue, combined with the fact that you have a lot of space to focus on a cool aquascape to really showcase the goldfish (well, any fish really)

 

[Discus_phil]

I would love a big shoal of tetra, rummys would get my vote. How about discus with them?
I believe rummys are ok with the higher temps!

 

[GlosGraham]

I have never been sure with discus, maybe it is the body shape... Certainly not the colours. They are always in the top part of the colour chart.

I think I might be swaying towards tiger barbs with something. I like the idea on a geophagus. From what I have read and videos online it looks plausible and provided I get the barb numbers right they should take a 2nd look at the geo.

 

[mcordelia]

I love it! have you considered blood parrots with the tiger barbs? I personally like that combination due to the contrasting colors, but I know there isn't great information out there on what water parameters are appropriate for blood parrots, and people have opinions about them anyway. I am planning on getting some for their reported personality though

post pictures as you go!!

 

[ClownLurch]

Sounds like an interesting one. Top of your list with clown loaches is something I have never liked. I don't really know why I am clown loach adverse tho.
I was just having a thought back to times of old. Keeping temperate and what may be the most underrated fish in the hobby.... White Cloud Mountain Minnow. What about a large number of these little ones? They colour up nicely. Lower temperature and limited for tank mates but....

Long Fin WCMMs I’ve 12. Love em. Mines only 120L and they’re everywhere in it at once. I dunno if I could go back to ordinary WCMMs now.
I had some with a Paradise Fish then a pair of Paradise Fish 20+yrs ago. WCMMs and Paradise Fish mix in the wild as well apparently. They seemed to be mates.
Emerald Dwarf Rasboras? Dunno if they’d irritate the Paradise Fish though?
I’ll be looking for Medakas soon. They’re temp compatible with all the above.