Stocking Ideas for Single Species 75G

[EVoyager31]

So I am losing my mind trying to figure out what I want to put in my new 75 (48.38 in W x 18.38 in D x 21 in H). Heavily planted, plenty of light, running a cascade 1000. Minimum 25% water changes on most of my tanks each week, more depending on water parameters, etc. I ask here because when I look into it online, everyone only wants to suggest rummynoses and cichlid tanks, not my jam.

Originally I was thinking I wanted to do another community tank, but I want to do something slightly larger that the 1"-2" fish that I have usually kept (neons, Rummynoses, cherries, cardinals, etc.). I want to go only slightly bigger, but I want NUMBERS and plenty of activity from the fish. I have ruled out cichlids, not super into them at this point in my modest fish keeping career. I then went into a deep hole looking into single species tanks--if I can find a fish I will be satisfied with. 

A single species Tiger barb tank could be neat, but I'm not sure I will be satisfied unless I could put 30-40 of them in the 75 and I have read multiple things saying "its fine" or "too many" or "even more!" etc. etc. 

Thoughts? Ideas on what single species I could stock with and get great color and plenty of activity?

Edited December 13, 2021 by EVoyager31

[Expectorating_Aubergine]

Get some exodon tetras. Those things are cool. At least where I live, they are starting to stock them at petco....

[Colu]

A group of 15-20 Dwarf neon rainbow fish would be great center piece fish and a pair of bristlenose and some   nerite snails for algae control

[EVoyager31]

On 12/13/2021 at 4:50 PM, Colu said:

A group of 15-20 Dwarf neon rainbow fish would be great center piece fish and a pair of bristlenose and some   nerite snails for algae control

Thats a cool idea, I’ll look into them!

[Oblivious_666]

I enjoyed my all skirt tetra glofish tank when I had it. Call me tacky, but I had plastic coral for the hardscape to give it a "pseudo saltwater" feel. was planning on switching it to finer white gravel and adding vallesnaria to the tank to send the look full circle.

[sudofish]

The dwarf neon rainbowfish would be cool. They are always zooming around. They would also do best in a big group like 20 to keep any single fish from being over-targeted for aggression.

[StockEwe49]

I was thinking rainbow fish as well!

[CalmedByFish]

I'm going to look up care requirements for those beautiful blue fish. 

But I was going to suggest platies. They're about 3", come in a lot of colors, are very active, and since you can let them make more of themselves, not expensive! Bonus points: Hardy.

[GameCzar]

Along with the other great suggestions you've gotten, congo tetras would be amazing too!

[scott the fishman]

the redline torpedo bard is beautifull fish. that gets up to 6 inches and schools' fast swimmer .

[Wingman12r]

P. Velifera Very active, get 4"-5" and have cool mating displays.

[BlueLineAquaticsSC]

Some ideas that come to mind: Honey Gourami, Samurai gourami, Odessa barb, betta sorority, SA puffers, threadfin rainbows, Congo tetras, diamond tetras, African dwarf frogs (Not a fish but close enough) 

[Minanora]

There's a ton of options. Many listed above are great. Take your time and be sure to consider what will go well with your plants and not uproot or eat them all. 🙂

I'm a broken record and say a massive amount of guppies is always the way to go. 😛 But they're not big, or flashy or related in any way to what advice you asked for! I'm on the rainbow fish train for a legit recommendation.

[EVoyager31]

On 12/13/2021 at 10:40 PM, Wingman12r said:

P. Velifera Very active, get 4"-5" and have cool mating displays.

That is one odd looking fish, very cool!

[JettsPapa]

I'll second (or maybe third) the suggestion of rainbowfish.  I have 10 Lake Kutubu rainbows in my 65 gallon community tank.  You could probably have close to twice that many in a species only 75.

If it weren't for your "plenty of activity" requirement I'd suggest pearl gouramis, but they spend a good bit of time just chilling.  They're beautiful fish though.

[Aqua junky]

When I first started in this hobby I was thrilled about keeping larger fish but the more time that has passed there's somthing about a 75G that is fully planted with a single strain of Guppy's let loose to just go nutz.  With me I'd have a massive colony of Guppies with Cory's cleaning up the bottom and a half dozen of my favorite Ottos or Plecos!!

 

[PedroPete]

Lots of good ideas here! I was thinking mollies, trout goodeids, swordtails or angels.

[Gideyon]

If and when I get a tank that size, I'd like to go with rainbow fish.  

[BigSkrimp]

Serpae tetras, rosy barbs, odessa barbs

[CalmedByFish]

Just for fun, you might could get female mollies, male guppies, and let them make gollies/muppies. They'd be colorful, active, probably big enough, and if you're not great at math, just 1 species.  

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I would consider a group of Pearl Gourami's - they would use the whole tank, have an amazing iridescence and are just so fluid and graceful in their movements. They will squabble and set a hierarchy but in a heavily planted and scaped 75 g they'll do great. You may end up with only 1-3 males and a harem of females in a tank that size. 

Tetra wise I love my diamond tetras, of all the tetras I have and I have a few those are my choice - the bodies reflect light so beautifully and their fins begins to elongate and get flowy with a pink to red sheen. They are also a great size - not quite as big as the congos or the Colombians (if you want blue and red like the dwarf rainbows these would be a great choice) but not as small as the phatoms, serpae and lemons.  

You can never go wrong with rainbows. The one thing I worry about with dwarf rainbows is the reports I have seen on the rainbowfish forum on FB that their genetics are really poor and you need to be careful in sourcing. It is not unusual to get a few posts a week sometimes about suddenly dying dwarf praecox. Same thing can be said to some degree with the Boesmani - if you are not getting them from a home breeder, rainbow nerd or one of the better importers they may not ever look like you see them in google images. I got some dwarf praecox from LRB a few years back and they were great - their passing was my fault not their genetics (broken heater). The dwarfs show their colors early but the the other types sometimes take years to color up from juveniles. 

A barb tank can be amazing. In a large group they'll really show off for you. I love my cherry barbs and a huge group would be amazing. It really depends on which way you want to go size and color wise. Some less common ones that are amazing are drapefin barbs, rosy barbs including the longfin variety and the mascara barb is a gorgeous fish. 

[EVoyager31]

Thanks everyone, I think I’m convinced on a rainbow tank and just have fewer (maybe 15) Bosemani Rainbows and maybe a couple bottom dwellers! 

[JettsPapa]

On 12/14/2021 at 6:00 PM, EVoyager31 said:

Thanks everyone, I think I’m convinced on a rainbow tank and just have fewer (maybe 15) Bosemani Rainbows and maybe a couple bottom dwellers! 

What kind of bottom dwellers?  I vote for 10 or so of one of the smaller cory species.

[EVoyager31]

On 12/14/2021 at 7:58 PM, JettsPapa said:

What kind of bottom dwellers?  I vote for 10 or so of one of the smaller cory species.

Probably some albino cories because they will have high contrast against my black gravel, though I worry about their little barbels.. I’ve kept them on both sand and gravel before but never on ecocomplete.. you think that would be too sharp for them?

[EVoyager31]

On 12/14/2021 at 5:19 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

I would consider a group of Pearl Gourami's - they would use the whole tank, have an amazing iridescence and are just so fluid and graceful in their movements. They will squabble and set a hierarchy but in a heavily planted and scaped 75 g they'll do great. You may end up with only 1-3 males and a harem of females in a tank that size. 

Tetra wise I love my diamond tetras, of all the tetras I have and I have a few those are my choice - the bodies reflect light so beautifully and their fins begins to elongate and get flowy with a pink to red sheen. They are also a great size - not quite as big as the congos or the Colombians (if you want blue and red like the dwarf rainbows these would be a great choice) but not as small as the phatoms, serpae and lemons.  

You can never go wrong with rainbows. The one thing I worry about with dwarf rainbows is the reports I have seen on the rainbowfish forum on FB that their genetics are really poor and you need to be careful in sourcing. It is not unusual to get a few posts a week sometimes about suddenly dying dwarf praecox. Same thing can be said to some degree with the Boesmani - if you are not getting them from a home breeder, rainbow nerd or one of the better importers they may not ever look like you see them in google images. I got some dwarf praecox from LRB a few years back and they were great - their passing was my fault not their genetics (broken heater). The dwarfs show their colors early but the the other types sometimes take years to color up from juveniles. 

A barb tank can be amazing. In a large group they'll really show off for you. I love my cherry barbs and a huge group would be amazing. It really depends on which way you want to go size and color wise. Some less common ones that are amazing are drapefin barbs, rosy barbs including the longfin variety and the mascara barb is a gorgeous fish. 

I’m thinking instead of the dwarf species that was mentioned here I would get some Bosemani Rainbows and just fewer of them.. I think their size will make it seem more full once they're full grown.. and I won’t have to worry about tiger barbs or other semi aggressive fish with my mysteries (which are my very favorite things in my other tanks).