"adopted" Some Fish...what Else Can I Get?

[leah00]

Hello!

I've recently adopted some fish from a relative who decided they no longer wanted their aquarium. Luckily, I had a 75 gallon just sitting here that I've wanted to set up again. They gave me the fish, some decorations, some plants, and a Magnum 350 filter. Score!

These are the fish... Remember, please, that I did not purchase these fish. I'm not an expert but I have kept fish before and I like to do things right and research before I buy.

1 iridescent shark (I don't know what to do with him but I doubt he's staying)
1 very lovely koi goldfish (again, probably going to be rehomed)
1 common pleco (I don't want him either...I'm not very grateful, am I?)
1 female beta
1 platy or female swordtail (I can't tell the difference)
3 red eyed tetras
1 yo yo loach (my favorite!!)

Ok, so assuming I can rehome the ones I said, these are some that I want. Not all of them, this is just my rough draft list.

Yo yo loaches (2 or 3)
Pictus cats (2)
Pearl gourami (1)
Honey gourami (2)
Lemon tetras (6)
Platys or swordtails (3)
Black mollies (3)
Zebra danios (10)
Hatchetfish (6)


The only thing on that list that is a must is the yo yo loaches. I love loaches and this poor lonely guy just sits in a pirate ship all day by himself. He's going to get some buddies soon!

Any thoughts? Anything on that list sound not so good? I won't get all of those fish, but what combos would you pick?

Thanks!

 

[attibones]

I would boost the number of yo yo loaches, actually. According to seriouslyfish, pictus cats (are adorable!) are also a shoaling species. Have you ever had these before? I haven't, but it seems that they are predators who will eat whatever fits in their mouths, so it'd be best to keep an eye on this species. Seriouslyfish also states that tankmates for pictus cats should be active fish, but the gourami species are fairly slow moving and therefore susceptible to injury from the pictus. The pictus may also find any platy small enough to bully. Also watch the danio size for this reason.
 
Mollies may require harder water than the other species listed.
 
The mollies and the pictus may be the only ones which will cause any issues. If you remove the both of them, add more loaches and maybe more lemon tetras or hatchets, then you'd have a nicely stocked tank, I think.

 

[leah00]

Thanks! We did have three pictus cats years ago but we lost the whole tank of fish during an ice storm that ripped our electric box of our house. They didn't bother anyone but we didn't have tiny fish at the time.
My husband and I will have to talk it out. He really wants the pictus and I really want the danios.

The main fish that I don't want to be bothered are the loaches. I've always loved loaches.

 

[attibones]

I think the loaches would be fine with any of the potential fish you've mentioned though. Perhaps you could put the danios in a different tank if possible? That way everyone wins?

 

[Noahsfish]

I'm assuming your tank is fully cycled and heated, rehome the goldfish asap, they're cold water and they shouldn't be housed with tropical under any conditions.

 

[the_lock_man]

You may well have a problem rehoming the iridescent shark, as it's only really public aquaria that have tanks the right size for them - they grow to over a metre long.
 
The thing about the danios is that they like much cooler water than everything else, they are really a temperate fish, not a tropical one. If you have them at tropical temperatures, their metabolic rate increases, and therefore shortens their life expectancy. If I were you, I'd go with the pictus.