How much to stock a 66 gal tank

[Ashlea]

Hey there

I have decided on a really nice 66 gal tank and I would like to know how much you can stock it.
So far, with the little research I have done I have decided on Daninos, Tetras, Platies, Purple Chilids and Corydoras.

Does anyone else have any suggestions? Will these go well together? It said in the reasearch that I did they all of these were not particuarly aggresive. I am also looking for fish that would be good for a beginner like me.

[cocoa_pleco]

are "purple cichlids" kribs? if they are, i would go 2 kribs, 10 danios, 10 tetras, 5 platys, and 10-15 corys

[Devon Greatwolf]

First off what exactly is a purple cichlid?

Second what type of Danio and tetras are you refering to?

As far as the cories go remember they are conspecific, so to see good behavoir you should keep a minimum of five of the same species.

[Ashlea]

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My mistake, I misspelled it. Blonde moment. I would like some Spotted or Zebra Danios. Seems my spelling has been wonderful of late :c2:
Working too hard!

[kaoticice]

purple cichlids = kribs.

Yeh ur stocking is fine, maybe add some algae eaters like a BN.
Ed

[Ashlea]

Great! I am wanting a couple of Ottos. Would the tank be big enough for 2-4?

[gm72]

I like the stocking suggestion of Cocoa but would also add a centerpiece fish. Gouramis are my favorite such fish.

[Ashlea]

I do want to add a centre piece fish for sure, but the reason I have chosen the few that I have for now is because I want to start off on easy beginner fish. I am not sure how difficult Gouramis are to keep happy.

[gm72]

Not a difficult fish to keep, but kudos on wanting to do things the right way.

Have you cycled a tank before? Strongly advise you to follow a fishless cycle schedule.

[Ashlea]

No, I have not. It is a mircale my little Stanley made it! :(
I only heard about cycling once I started research. I will be doing a fishless cycle for sure.

Another question, what sort of filter is the best for a tank as large as 66 gal? I currently don't have filtration with Stanley. I do partial water changes weekly and he is now sitting in his bowl waiting for his water to warm after a full change.

[Lady Hobbs]

And a different suggestion would be to omit the cichlids and stick with community and have larger schools of tetra's. Mixing cichlids with community can sometimes lead to problems.

[gm72]

Filtration for a 66 gallon I would suggest a canister filter. I am particular to Eheim canisters, the 2028 would be a nice option for that tank, or a similar Fluval would also be an option.

[Ashlea]

Ah ok. So if I remove the cichlids I can do one or two feature fish such as the gourami? I would like a schooling tank, I prefer the movement it allows, plush I enjoy the interaction.
Any suggestions as to pretty fish that I can put in, I would also like shrimp to things that won't eat them would be great.

[C-Dub]

I recently started a tank almost the same size. Only thing in there now is tetra's. The tank is already exciting to watch too. Serpae and gold pristella tetra's seem to really work well together. The serpae's are really nice red/orangeish and black, and look beautiful, the pristella's aren't as colorful