Well, It's Certainly Big... What Would You Do With A 6X2X2?

[sadguppy]

We had a bit of a disaster last month, when our filter failed and pumped water all over our living room carpet. We also lost a lot of our big, nice fish After moving both tanks (3ft and 4ft) out of the room my husband suggested that we should replace them with one tank, this leaving one whole wall free for storage.

So that's what we decided to do.

I found a guy on a local facebook site willing to swap his stumped 6x2x2 for our 4ft 240l. After a very hard day's work, it's in. Shamefully I have not actually worked out how big it is, but suffice to say, it's BIG.

I have no idea what we will even keep in it! We want a general community and want to keep the fish we have - angels, rainbows, loaches, tetras, barbs and other community fish, but now we feel it would be a travesty not to get at least some bigger fish.

So what would you do if this was your tank??

 

[zoeb2912]

lovely tank.
 
I would have,
leopard bushfish
african butterfly fish
a massive shoal of congo tetras
pim pictus cats
and... either an elephant nose or a knife fish, thats if the tank is big enough. 

 

[Stu4648]

Depending on what part of the tank you want the bigger fish and how much space for additional fish there is; Eartheaters, could be nice if you want something biggish and peaceful (most but not all) for the bottom third of the tank. There are quite a few different species from 5" to 10"+.  
 
I am hoping to get a similar tank soon, I hope to go the Clown Loach, Bala Shark or Clown Loach, Denison Barb route.

 

[techen]

Stealing my idea >:C!!!

Also note you can't have clown loaches and angels, Something I wanted to do but its a bad mix

 

[Wills]

Also note you can't have clown loaches and angels, Something I wanted to do but its a bad mix

 
Is it? I cant really see a problem with them together?
 
Anyway lol back to original questions a 6x2x2 is a180 gallons, I know this because its my next tank next year
 
I'm always a fan of South American tanks They make nice biotope tanks and you get a great variety that just seem the blend together really naturally. I also like South American cichlids, most are (within reason) community friendly and the colours you get between all the different levels is just incredible! I like the suggestions of the Earth Eaters, loads of vareties in that grouping from the small ones like Biotodoma (Cupid Cichlids) to the bigger species like Geophagus and Satanoperca One of my favorite fish are Severums I have a true Heros Severus but there are other species like the Rotkiel and the larger Greens, Golds, Super Reds and Notatus. They have fantastic characters and are placid enough to have other cichlids and schooling fish and catfish in there as well. Other bigger cichlids to consider would be things like Uaru, True Parrot Cichlids and Chocolate Cichlids all have fantastic character and would absolutely thrive in a tank like this.
 
One of the things I like most about South American fish is the variety of fish available, Hatchet Fish, Headstanders, Disk Tetras, Silver Dollars (and their relatives), Pencil Fish, Darter Tetras, Whiptail Catfish, L number plecs, the vast species of Cories and Brochis catfish, Wood Catfish. Its the sort of community that is easy to build with so much colour and so much personality, for me you just cant beat it
 
Wills

 

[sawickib]

I agree geos are awesome in my 180 gallon i have geo jurupari, red head tapajo and winemilleri. I also have angels, pearl gouramis and a severum, the bottom feeders are a whole bunch of upper jaw bichirs. Nice 3D background btw.

 

[Stu4648]

I agree geos are awesome in my 180 gallon i have geo jurupari, red head tapajo and winemilleri. I also have angels, pearl gouramis and a severum, the bottom feeders are a whole bunch of upper jaw bichirs. Nice 3D background btw.

Geos also do the aquascaping in your tank for free, whether you want them to or not. My two biggest males always try to fill each others excavations in, much to the others bemusement as the pile of sand they are trying to shift never gets any smaller. Annoying for them but funny to watch.

 

[sadguppy]

Some great ideas so far, it's getting me excited

I'm not sure about geos, as I am hoping to plant my tank and I can't actually reach the bottom my long handled aquascaping tools are going to finally come into their own!) so I really can't be replanting every five minutes, they're lovely fish though and I've always thought they were pretty. Worth having a messed up tank for though?!

We put in the sand (good old argos play sand) and bogwood yesterday. The bogwood which completely dominated my four foot tank looks TINY so now we are on the look out for a huuuuge piece! Today we will be setting up the sump and maybe doing some planting.

I have yo yo loaches and angels and have never had a problem and was hoping to get some clowns now I have the space ad they're something I have always wanted but I never dreamed I'd get a six footer.

And this is silly but I'd also like to be able to rehome an abused common plec maybe one day haha, see them all the time in my local facebook fish group getting too big for their 100l tanks

 

[Stu4648]

It is possible to keep plants with geos if you use pots, personally I just use plants that can grow off the bogwood, driftwood etc... and leave the substrate free for the geos to sift. Having said that I do have one large plant that has managed to survive rooted into the sand, occasionally the roots do get exposed but then they fill it back in shortly afterwards.
 
I do like the Clown Loach idea though, you may as well when you have a big enough tank to accommodate them. 

 

[fluttermoth]

And this is silly but I'd also like to be able to rehome an abused common plec maybe one day haha, see them all the time in my local facebook fish group getting too big for their 100l tanks

I don't think that's at all silly, I think it's a wonderful idea, and I wish more people with big tanks would consider it

Good for you!