What can I add to this current group

**magic8** · 10-26-2020, 04:20 PM

So in the near future I am going to be upgrading from a 65 gallon tank to either a 75 or a 90 I know going from a 65 to a 75 is not that huge of an upgrade but I will be going from a 3' long tank to a 4' long tank if I go that route which in the aquatic world is pretty big as it gives me an extra 1' of ground space so my question is once I do upgrade I will be looking to add something else to my tank along with my current inhabitants

I plan on using sand substrate again along with keeping in moderatly planted its about 65-70% planted now and the tank has never been healthier the plants really do wonders for a tank along with it being planted I will most likely be running 2 cannisters I will be using my current cannister along with a second one

some more important factors to consider are my tank temp & ph

I don't like messing with my ph so my ph sits steadily 7.2 from the tap so thats where my tank sits as far as my temp goes its at 77 F this is where my fish seem to be most comfortable I could probably go up or down a couple of degrees but they all seem to do well at this current temperature

the last thing to note is I do run two circulation pumps at either end of my tank to create some current my fish absolutley love swimming in the current plus its all but eliminated any algae that develops on top of that since putting in the circulation pumps my pants really took off and have never looked healthier so this is something I will continue to use in my upgrade

Now to my current fish

x8 Diamond Tetras
x8 Assorted/mixed Platys
x1 Bristlenose Pleco
x1 Rubbernose pleco
x4 Border Loaches (these guys love love love swimming and playing in the current)

So here are some fish I am thinking of I certainly have room once I upgrade to another small school of fish which I may still do but the topic here is more for a centerpiece fish(s) I know water parameters are very important I think most of these will fit into my water parameters not quite 100% sure though

1) Apisto's I think they are really striking but being bottom dwellers not sure how they would get along with my pleco's and loaches

2) Kribs another very colorful active dwarf cichlid again though being a bottom dweller not sure how they would get along with my bottom dwellers

3) Rams yet again another dwarf cichlid these though as pretty as they are from what I've read can be a bit more sensitive to water conditions not that my conditions are bad at all but the other two seem to be a bit more hardy and get stressed less easy than the rams do

4) Keyhole Cichlids this could be a hit or miss I'm not too worried about the plecos,loaches or the diamonds as the diamonds have decent size to them and can be a bit boisterous the keyholes are cichlids docile cichlids but cichlids nonetheless so I worry a little bit with them being in with the platys

5) lastly I've looked at putting a couple of gourami's in this tank I really like the paradise gourami's but I feel they would just be too agressive for this tank the tetras would probably be ok I'm not so sure about the platy's though I've thought about pearl Gourami's they would probably look really nice with the sparkle of my diamond tetras but I feel the current from the circulation pumps may be too much for the gourami's as I've read they really don't like much current I really don't want to eliminate something that my fish are liking and benefitting my tank to add a certain type of fish

thats the ones I came up with there could certainly be more but again I just starting thinking about this more and more recently because the tank upgrade may happen sooner than later

Thank-you

**Boundava** · 10-26-2020, 09:27 PM

Just a quick response to paradise fish...they are beautiful butt heads and are worse than aggressive cichlids with any and all tank mates. We had one for almost 2 years and he had to me in a 30 gallon with patties cause it was the only fish he didn't kill. He also worked as population control. he ultimately died of cancer-tumors that took him down within a week, RIP Overlord.

You could go with Honey gouramis or even 2-3 pearl gouramis if you don't have any aggressive cichlids in the tank because the pearls are shy and will starve around aggressive fish.

You can also boost the numbers on your Diamonds and keep the bottom dwelling apisto's, kribs or rams. The diamonds may also bee too boisterous with the pearls. You could go with one of the more aggressive gouramis like a three spot (gold, blue or opaline). They are aggressive but not killer aggressive like the paradise.

Here is some good info:

https://www.seriouslyfish.com/specie...s-trichopterus

**magic8** · 10-27-2020, 12:12 AM

Thanks Boundava
what you said about the paradise is pretty much what I've read!As far as aggressive fish go I really don't have any aggressive fish that would stress the gourami's out I used to have tigers in with my diamonds the tigers were fine with my diamonds but I wouldn't put chance them with too many other fish I wound up swapping them out and going with Platy's instead.I wouldn't say the diamonds are aggressive but they are very active all over the tank so the high energy level of them may make the pearl gouramis a bit shy on top of that I've read that Gouramis don't really care for current much where as my Diamonds & especially my loaches love playing in the current my plecos even enjoy hanging out in the current at times some of my platys play in it as well while others do not I wouldn't want to eliminate the current when I do upgrade as my fish seem to like it & it's really helped my plants flourish so if gourami's don't care for it the current that is they may not be the best fit.

As far as Kribs & Apisto's go I think either would be fine as they are mostly bottom dwellers I just worry about if they could co-exist with the other bottom dwellers in my tank which would be my x2 plecos and my x4 Border loaches though going from a 3' tank to a 4' tank I think there will be more than enough room for either one the dwarf cichlids to claim their own little territory I know the tetras could definetley handle themselves I just worry about the platy's if they wander too close to one of their caves same goes if I were to go with keyholes though I've heard though they are cichlids they are one of the more peaceful cichlids!

With extending the tank by an extra foot that opens up my options tremendously I could even go with a centerpiece fish and probably add a small shoal of about 6-7 of another mid tempered fish.

I may be getting ahead of myself but I'm itching to upgrade my tank sooner than later it may have to wait till after the holidays just gathering as much info as I can and doing my research way ahead is part of the fun as this is something I like to do!

Thanks Boundava

**RobRi** · 08-22-2021, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by magic8

So in the near future I am going to be upgrading from a 65 gallon tank to either a 75 or a 90 I know going from a 65 to a 75 is not that huge of an upgrade but I will be going from a 3' long tank to a 4' long tank if I go that route which in the aquatic world is pretty big as it gives me an extra 1' of ground space so my question is once I do upgrade I will be looking to add something else to my tank along with my current inhabitants

I plan on using sand substrate again along with keeping in moderatly planted its about 65-70% planted now and the tank has never been healthier the plants really do wonders for a tank along with it being planted I will most likely be running 2 cannisters I will be using my current cannister along with a second one

some more important factors to consider are my tank temp & ph

I don't like messing with my ph so my ph sits steadily 7.2 from the tap so thats where my tank sits as far as my temp goes its at 77 F this is where my fish seem to be most comfortable I could probably go up or down a couple of degrees but they all seem to do well at this current temperature

Which filter are you planning to use for 75 gallon tank? I have now this Polar which is kind of suitable for 55 tank, but not sure if I should change it for another if I am planning to change my tank.