Community Fish Tank Wanted

[fshinggrl]

Ok... I have a 75 gallon tank and am trying to do research to what fish to introduce to it once it is up and running! I say 'trying' because I am being pulled in many different directions by my three kids & activities! My hubby is even getting a big over anxious to get fish... but he looks at me as if I have an extra head when I mention that I want fish that get along!!!

Some fish I am interested in are:

• Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid
• Krib (very interested in these, but have no intentions of breeding. What others would get along with 1 or 2 Kribs?)
• Oscar (can you have just one?)
• Dwarf Pike (I know they are aggressive, but can you have them with bigger fish that they might not be aggressive with?)
• Zebra Catfish
• Rainbow Fish
• Leleupi (Neolamprologus leleupi)
• Daffodil
• Brichardi

Can I put a krib in with any of the last three on the list even though they don't come from the same areas? What about cribs & dwarf cockatoo?

Do they all have to be about the same size? The last three are 4" mature. Any thoughts or do I have to narrow them down some more?

 

[england]

Hi, is all this stock you plan together? or is this options you been concidering?

Oscars a great,if you was planning on one of these then yes that size tank get only one,maybe you could have something else with him like a birchir and maybe a tbar cichlid,but these will need to be full grown.

Other than this nothing really as tank mates will need to be over 6plus inches and full grown as oscars grow quick,

you could look at something like

1 chocolate cichlid
6-8 colombian tetra's or beuno aires tetra
1 bristlenose plec<actually quite aggessive for a small plec>
1 senegal birchir

 

[fshinggrl]

These are just fish that I have thought of.. not necessarily together, but I don't want to have just a one species of fish in it!

Can I have cichlids & catfish together? Cories? I'd love to use the entire tank, not just bottom & not just top. Any suggestions?

Again, I'm liking the look of the kribs & cockatoo dwarf cichlids.

 

[england]

yes you can depending on what you go for..sorry chocolate cichlids are much like oscars but less likely to be aggressive and leave things alone in tank, my one is a stunner and lives with anything i have tried down to small ticto barbs..

1 chocolate cichlid<all the tank
1 tbar cichlid,<all the tank
1 senegal birchir<bottom dweller
4 pictus catfish<bottom dweller
8 colombian tetra<mid to top but do go all over

 

[Corleone]

These are just fish that I have thought of.. not necessarily together, but I don't want to have just a one species of fish in it!

Can I have cichlids & catfish together? Cories? I'd love to use the entire tank, not just bottom & not just top. Any suggestions?

Again, I'm liking the look of the kribs & cockatoo dwarf cichlids.

They should be ok together. I keep keyhole cichlids with kribs. As long as the kribs aren't spawning, they're quite peaceful and do fine with most tropical fish. If they try to breed, which is always a possibility if you have a male and a female, they can become real terrors.

I've also had corys and S. petricola catfish with the two species, as well as a bristlenose. If you go with petricola and bristlenose in particular I think you'd have a nice start - with the kribs and dwarf cichlids you'd have a lot of "big fish" look in small packages.

 

[fshinggrl]

Thank you!! I appreciate the information!!! I am sooo glad I found this website again! It's been a long search! You'all are great!

 

[fshinggrl]

Oh, and one more question.. is there a certain ORDER that I should be adding different species to the tank?

 

[MrNiceGuy]

Oh, and one more question.. is there a certain ORDER that I should be adding different species to the tank?

the idea is to introduce the fish from least-aggressive first to most-aggressive last.



for example, you wouldn't want to put a kribensis in first, then add cories a week later. by that time the kribensis will have already established his territory and will see the defenseless cories as intruders.

 

[fshinggrl]

Oh, and one more question.. is there a certain ORDER that I should be adding different species to the tank?

the idea is to introduce the fish from least-aggressive first to most-aggressive last.



for example, you wouldn't want to put a kribensis in first, then add cories a week later. by that time the kribensis will have already established his territory and will see the defenseless cories as intruders.

That is what I figured, but wanted to check. Thanks!

 

[didz04]

Have you figured out your final stocking yet or you still thinking?? How about trying a group of loaches like

yoyo loach - best in groups of 4+
Tiger loach - 4+
Horsefaces loach - These burrow in substrate - 3+
Zebra loach - 3+
There are so many more..

You could try some goby's

Bumblebee goby - however, these don't grow very big so won't fit in well if you're getting big fish like Oscars and birchirs as they will jus get eaten. They are territorial with their own kind.
Purple spotted goby - 2+ - These can grow big & not very hard to breed in captivity.
Peacock goby - also doesn't grow all that big but are easy cave spawners.

For a catfish specimen a bristlenose is good or Striped/spotted raphael catfish. I do recommend Pictus Catfish as they are very active fish and will be swimming around the front of the tank most of the time, get a group of 5 of these as they feel more comortable with their own kind. They will clear most of the uneaten food on the substrate as they are scavenging fish like all loaches. However, pictus will break up more waste (poop) from ontop of the substrate so your filteration movement can just drag it into the filter easily.
You could try out a type of Spiny Eel but go to the oddball section to get more information on which is most suitable
Finally I was going to say you could try out a pair of Bolivian rams or them golden rams.

I do recommend you to get a sandy substrate including for the cory's if you're stocking them and it will look better in my opinion.