Stocking a 75g community

[Sweetness]

Hi
I'm new to fish keeping and just want some opions on my stock ideas.
I have a 75 gallon with a marineland c220 canister and a seachem tidal 75. And a long air stone running. Some rocks and driftwood and a couple of "low light" plants.

Currently
6 purple harlequin rasboras
6 harlequin rasboras
1 bolivian ram
3 small angelfish (1.5" big)

Would like to add.
A low / bottom swimmer.
- 1 Keyhole or
- 2 apisto or
- 6 cory cats
Another schooling fish
- 6 rummynose or
- 6 cherry barbs or
- 6 yellow tetras
Open to ideas if lfs has.
Then another top swimmer
- 1 dwarf gourami or
- 1 honey gourami
Open to ideas

PS. I understand it's better to have angelfish with GBR but when I got the Angel's the ram(s) where in the same tank. Temps at 78 in the day 76 at night.
Also, looking for more hardy fish.
Thanks

 

[CrazedHoosier]

Why not increase the quantity of your current schools and add just one more new school? It’ll be sort of chaotic in there if you add two more. Beware of the three angels, as two may form a pair and bully the third.

Keyhole cichlids are quite shy and would probably benefit from being in a pair or small group. I know nothing about apistos, so can’t comment there.

I think if you add two more schools or increase the quantity in each of your current schools, you’ll be fully stocked keeping the extra dwarf cichlids in mind.

I’m not sure if German blue rams are better suited to be with angels than Bolivians. Angels and Bolivians are both from the Amazon River basin, while the German blue ram is not.

 

[Sweetness]

Thanks crazedhoosier for the advice.
You see every time I see a fish it's like omg I want it. I'm new in the hobby and I understand that's not possible but wanted some type of variety.
So I still would like a different school. Just for some color.

About the angelfish I will keep an eye on as they grow most definitely. If there starts to be a problem do I add another angelfish (same size) or do I need to remove the one?

So you saying get more rams? 3 or 4 more? Or if I decide for the keyholes get 2 or 4? Would the group be ok with a single ram?

And for the gbr let's not go down that rabbit hole.

 

[CrazedHoosier]

Thanks crazedhoosier for the advice.
You see every time I see a fish it's like omg I want it. I'm new in the hobby and I understand that's not possible but wanted some type of variety.
So I still would like a different school. Just for some color.

About the angelfish I will keep an eye on as they grow most definitely. If there starts to be a problem do I add another angelfish (same size) or do I need to remove the one?

So you saying get more rams? 3 or 4 more? Or if I decide for the keyholes get 2 or 4? Would the group be ok with a single ram?

And for the gbr let's not go down that rabbit hole.

I’m still like that and I’ve been at it for years! You could do one more school, but no gouramis or any of that especially with your angelfish issue coming about.

You typically shouldn’t add a younger and smaller angelfish to an established, mature group. The older angels will almost always pester, if not kill, the younger. In order to have your best chance of success with them, I’d suggest going and getting 2 more similar sized angels or taking 1 out if a pair forms. In the wild, angels swim in large groups. It’s best to try and get a small group going for them in the aquarium.

You could get away with either 4 Bolivian rams overall or a pair of Bolivians and a pair of keyholes.

I’m thinking your final stocking would look something like:
Purple harlequin rasbora (x10)
Harlequin rasbora (x10)
TBA school of fish (x10)
Scalare angels (x5)
Bolivian rams (x4)

 

[ProudPapa]

I’m thinking your final stocking would look something like:
Purple harlequin rasbora (x10)
Harlequin rasbora (x10)
TBA school of fish Cory (x10)
Scalare angels (x5)
Bolivian rams (x4)

I fixed it for you.

 

[CrazedHoosier]

I fixed it for you.

Pfff, haha. Cories do look great in a 75 gal, though!

 

[Sweetness]

Lol.
Sorry never kept Cories.
Would they be ok with the 4 rams?

I'm going to play devils advocate. What's so fascinating about them?
Just want to get some input on them.

To me who has never kept them they seem like just " worker bees".
Sorry for the ignorance but I just want to get a better understanding or appreciation for them. Thanks

 

[gandalf1420]

Cories are really fun to watch. They're super active and when you have a lot of them they swarm everywhere, it's really cool. I thought the same thing until I bought some. They're a really fun fish.

 

[CrazedHoosier]

Cories have never personally been my thing, but I do have a soft spot for the albino ones. They reach a decent size and just look so classy.

Bolivians would have no reason to dislike cories, and probably wouldn't try to bother a school of them.

 

[ProudPapa]

Lol.
Sorry never kept Cories.
To me who has never kept them they seem like just " worker bees".
Sorry for the ignorance but I just want to get a better understanding or appreciation for them. Thanks

I've kept bees, and enjoyed watching them too.

 

[Feohw]

First GBR aren't really better than Bolivians for angels. 78 is fine for angels as it is for Bolivians. Angels are suitable tanmates for both rams as they can also go over 80.

I'd definitely agree on getting at least one more ram. I don't like housing them alone. You could do as much as 6 in a 75g, I'd stick with 4 personally. I've never had corys, but from the way everyone talks about they seem great. A bunch of goofballs and a fun fish to have. I'd either do a school of them or kuhlI loaches.

 

[max h]

Either a school of Cories or smaller Loaches like the Zebra or Polka Dot Loach. I have really been enjoying the different loaches I have in various tanks.

 

[ProudPapa]

I've never had corys, but from the way everyone talks about they seem great. A bunch of goofballs and a fun fish to have. I'd either do a school of them or kuhlI loaches.

I probably spend more time watching my corys than I do the other fish.

 

[Masoud]

I think having a large school of harlequin rasboras is much better than having small schools of different species,if I were u I would add more rasboras and one dwarf gourami,trust me once u get a dg u will have enough fun to forget all the fish u have

 

[CrazedHoosier]

I think having a large school of harlequin rasboras is much better than having small schools of different species,if I were u I would add more rasboras and one dwarf gourami,trust me once u get a dg u will have enough fun to forget all the fish u have

I would not reccomend a dwarf gourami to a beginner given their very poor success rate in the community. They either turn out to be overly aggressive or really sick, and sadly, anything else is much rarer.

 

[Masoud]

I would not reccomend a dwarf gourami to a beginner given their very poor success rate in the community. They either turn out to be overly aggressive or really sick, and sadly, anything else is much rarer.

man its 75g! there is just no way for a single dg to become overly aggressive in that huge tank,specially if it has enough hiding places, the main reason the dgs are hard to keep now is the DGIV,other than that I think dg is an easy fish to keep

 

[coralbandit]

Skip the DG ..They are poor quality fish .Most come infected with DGI ...Only safe supplier in US is wetspot ...
Soo many better choices ..
Add to your rams and increase schools ..
Look into pearl gouramis so you have a decent sized fish over time ..
I expect the angels to be the first voted out ..Not nice fish and bullies to smaller fish on the regular ..They should grow to 6 inches in less then one year ..
No bully is needed in a community tank ..

 

[WetRootsNH]

Skip the DG ..They are poor quality fish .Most come infected with DGI ...Only safe supplier in US is wetspot ...
Soo many better choices ..
Add to your rams and increase schools ..
Look into pearl gouramis so you have a decent sized fish over time ..
I expect the angels to be the first voted out ..Not nice fish and bullies to smaller fish on the regular ..They should grow to 6 inches in less then one year ..
No bully is needed in a community tank ..

+1 on the pearl gourami. Gorgeous fish with great personality. I'd take one over a DG any day. Or any other gourami for that matter (though I am fond of sparkling gourami as well but I've never kept them.)

 

[CrazedHoosier]

man its 75g! there is just no way for a single dg to become overly aggressive in that huge tank,specially if it has enough hiding places, the main reason the dgs are hard to keep now is the DGIV,other than that I think dg is an easy fish to keep

Maybe, but not worth the risk to someone new to the hobby IMO. It isn't even worth the risk to me and I love gouramis.

 

[Sweetness]

Thanks everyone for your input.
Ok I've decided the gourami will be for my second tank. Lol
I called the wife today and asked how the fish are and she said one angelfish gave her the sink eye and they can not be friends.
I told her we should get 2 more angelfish. She said can we do 6 so the colors match.
20 harlequin rasbora total
6 angelfish?
4 rams
6 cities
Now for the rams the 4 are bolivian no other variants of them. I think the lfs has dwarf, gold, black but those are all part of the gbr family ( if I'm not mistaken).

 

[Feohw]

I would say adding that many angels would be overstocking the tank. And yes, all other rams are variants of M. ramirezI (German blue). So don't mix them with Bolivians.

 

[CrazedHoosier]

Thanks everyone for your input.
Ok I've decided the gourami will be for my second tank. Lol
I called the wife today and asked how the fish are and she said one angelfish gave her the sink eye and they can not be friends.
I told her we should get 2 more angelfish. She said can we do 6 so the colors match.
20 harlequin rasbora total
6 angelfish?
4 rams
6 cities
Now for the rams the 4 are bolivian no other variants of them. I think the lfs has dwarf, gold, black but those are all part of the gbr family ( if I'm not mistaken).

Haha, six so the colors match! That stocking sounds fine to me!

Yes, gold, German blue, electric blue, balloon, are all mikrogeophagus ramirezI (German blue ram). The only other names Bolivian ram (mikrogeophagus altispinosus) should go by is ruby clown cichlid and Bolivian butterfly.

 

[Sweetness]

HI me again.
Was thinking of going to the lfs tomorrow and getting 2 more small angelfish and the rams.
Question the ram I have is male. If I'm getting 3 more should I get 3f or 1m,2f or 3m?
And since the angelfish are small I can stock all of them at the same time?

Ps. Oh ya my sister came for a visit and knows I got a new tank and brought me 1 glofish (tetra) it about the same size of my angelfish. I have to bring him back to petsmart.

 

[Feohw]

For the rams, I'd do a male and three females personally, but you could do two males and two females. I prefer either more females or equal numbers.