This Is So Cliche

[Verminator89]

First off can I just say; #Sorry #NotSorry
 
This is often asked so often, and I for one am always first on the bandwagon with the "how can you not know!", and "I know exactly what I'd be doing". This is always the case when this is asked, but I now see it from the other side. So what do I keep in my new potential tank. Tomorrow, i'm hopefully messaging a couple saying i'm going to take their surplus to requirement 72x24x18 (510L). It's costing me £80 and is an ex shop tank with a few scratches, sloppy silicone and a big ugly cast iron frame to sit on. Its going to be a fixer upper kind of tank. But what do i keep in it!?
 
Having been in this hobby now for 10 years (yikes!) I've always dreamed of the big 6ft'er, and knew exactly what i'd do with it. I sort of have my 'focal' point, being my 5 Red Head Tapajo's, and an L160 monster. With many many possibilities at my begging right now I feel lost, a bit overwhelmed. Suddenly I find my ideal culprits not coming to mind, and other options seem appealing. I just don't know....
 
So with that being said, what would you stock. I'm intrigued to see suggestions....
 
I'm selling a pristine 4ft tank with old english oak cabinet for a pretty grotty ex shop 6ft'er. I think i'm mad, but i've always wanted a bigger tank and this I can't turn down 

 

[Munroco]

I wish I could have a tank that size, so many possibilities. Can't you fit in both tanks?
 
My choice would be Angels, Apistos, cories and a shoal of medium size tetras in a heavily planted environment

 

[Verminator89]

A planted 510L would be pretty special. Unfortunately for me when I try anything I'm very much a 'all of nothing' kind of guy. I had a 70L planted tank which I threw a fair bit of money/resources at over time, and that was costly. So amplifying that to a 6ft tank will be far to costly to get the results i'm after. The low tech route is an option, but wouldn't quite cut for me i feel.
 
I desperately want to stray away from any 'tank busters'. A lot of people would say I have the perfect tank to try something, and one day I will, but I'm swaying toward a community of larger fairly harmonious group, but i definitely want to stray away a lot of smaller fish. My Geo's will in time get to a decent size, with males hopefully getting to 7-10", they're currently about 4". I'm struggling to find, well no....finding it impossible to find a comprehensive resource online to browse. Currently in the middle of a house move too, so all my books/encyclopedias are buried somewhere in a box. Typical!

 

[attibones]

I'd be going with discus. What you've got is pretty similar in dimensions to a tank I'm hoping to one day build for myself. It will be full of discus and shoaling fish and lots of small catfish species. However, if you don't want to do planted, then it would be very cool to see a group of African cichlids in that. I really like the look of the blue acaras. A tank full of those would be lovely.

 

[Fish'nchips]

Clown Loaches? Tempted on the Cichlids as mentioned as I'm thinking of taking it up.

 

[ShinySideUp]

I have Clown Loaches in my six-footer (it's why I had to buy it). I have seven and after taking advice here on the forum have decided that seven is quite enough (two of them are genetically small and will not grow).
 
My tank is 640 litre as it is also two feet from front-to-back. Ideally for Clown's a tank that is a square six foot would be better as they like to race around however that is pretty impractical except for commercial installations.
 
Would I get Clown's again if I knew what I know now? Probably not, I wouldn't want any more taken from the wild and kept in a small area (yes I would consider even a six-footer a little on the small side).

 

[Fish'nchips]

Wow - didn't know that.