P.h. 8 60G Tank Suggestions Please?

[Sammy1911]

Hi
I have a 60G display tank with small gravel a selection of bogwood and rocks with an overhead filter, PH 8 temp 24 degrees 16GH. I have vallis, twisted vallis, cryps and sagiteria (sp?). The tanks gets around 5hrs of artifical daylight and i regulary feed them live brine shrimp, decapsulated brine shrimp eggs, flake or frozen foods. Maintenance wise I happily to do 20-30% water changes weekly to maintain good water quality. The current occupants I have are:
5 Pearl Danios
10 neon tetras
3 Siamese algae eaters

I also have apistogrammas cichlids in there at the minute but will be moving them to another tank (I have a breeding tank with apisto pebas which I will be selling so fancy trying something different, but not with the intention of breeding - I have my 2nd son due May so just want something interesting to watch moreso). Anyway, I'm planning on changing my tank for a more suitable 'hard water' community tank in the summer. I've had a little look and quite like the bumble bee goby, corys, pufferfish - more unusual types, full of character, interesting to watch and colourful? Asking too much!?

I'd love to hear your suggestions as to what you would do if you were in my place? I've gone through google but it's just getting more confusing ifkwim

Thanks for reading x

 

[deftuch]

would that puffer be a dwarf puffer? cos all the do is fin nip!

 

[Sammy1911]

So no good with the puffer? Don't fancy a fin nipper

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Far from exhaustive, but here a few good fish for hard water...

Ilyodon spp.
Steatocranus spp.
Megalechis spp.
Brochis splendens
Odessa Barbs
Lemon Tetra
Persian Killifish
African carachins (Congo Tetras; Yellow Congo Tetras; Long-finned Tetras; Distichodus spp.)
Kribensis (although you end up with fry of just one sex)
Microsynodontis spp.
Empire Gudgeon
Northern/Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon
Butterfly Goodeid
Indian Glassfish
Norman's Lampeye
Some Halfbeak species (Wrestling/Ebrardtii?)
Paradise Fish
Florida Flagfish
Orange Chromide

 

[deftuch]

So no good with the puffer? Don't fancy a fin nipper

no dwarf puffers and 9 out of ten amozon puffers nip fin. i found this out the harfd way.. i have both!.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I have a similar tank and similar water stats. I keep a community of black-bellied limias (livebearers), swordtails (pygmies, actually, but ordinary swordtails would do fine), merry widows (also livebearers), 2 bristlenose plecs, amano and cherry shrimps.

 

[Sammy1911]

I have a similar tank and similar water stats. I keep a community of black-bellied limias (livebearers), swordtails (pygmies, actually, but ordinary swordtails would do fine), merry widows (also livebearers), 2 bristlenose plecs, amano and cherry shrimps.

Sounds good, thanks! I was thinking of getting some shrimp and have noticed that a lot of people tend to keep those two together amano/cherry - silly question: is there a reason? I was thinking of cherrys or crystal tbh with a group of corys and its merely coincidence really I suppose but you're about the 6th person to mix those two in particular. Just wondered!

 

[OldMan47]

You might want to try some of the less common livebearers such as the goodeids. Most, perhaps all, of them prefer very hard water with a relatively high pH. I have several and find them delightful in my 12 degrees GH and KH water. Among my favorites are the Characodon lateralis.