Stocking ideas for 75 gallon tank

[varun]

Hi Guys,

 

I recently got a 75g tank. This is what i want to stock it with and wanted to know yall's opinion.

 

30 harlequin raspbora

15 CPD

2M and 4F swordtails

10 RCS

5 apple snails.

 

I am just not sure on my centerpiece fish and thus thought of swordtails. open to ideas and suggestions. please let me know if my selection has any conflicts or if i can improve in any way.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Sounds like a fun tank! My mind immediately goes to two places:

1: Have a plan to offload Swordtails. Livebearers can get out of control quickly. When I first got into fish I couldn’t wait for my Platy’s to breed and by the end of it I was begging for it to stop lol. 
 

2. RCS I assume is Res Cherry Shrimp? If you only stock 10 of those in a 75 gallon just know you’ll never see them in that small of a number. If it’s heavily planted they could breed and up the numbers, but with lots of hungry mouths that could be a challenge. 

[jwcarlson]

Livebearers just aren't my jam, but maybe they are yours.  The issue, I think, would be that your 75 is going to become a swordtail tank in very short order, my experience is that they'll eat eat just about all your shimplets, but they might not quite destroy the adults.

I'm not sure how much of the CPDs you'd see.  I have 10 of them in a 10 gallon and never see them other than when I net them out to spawn them.

If you're looking for a color pop and action like you'd get from swords, I would think about some of the smaller psuedomugil rainbowfish.  I got one furcata rainbow accidentally when I bought my CPDs and he's my kids' favorite fish, they call him "Upside Down".  I swear he tries to breed with the CPDs and he's an absolute riot to watch.  Beautiful fish, stunning eyes.

Good luck with your 75, they're a great tank size! 🙂

[mynameisnobody]

Sounds like a cool setup. I would advice against the CPD’s, only because the swords are very boisterous and the CPD’s are the literal opposite so you will probably never see them or any of the shrimp. 

[varun]

I think it's amply clear that sword tails are a bad idea. I did not know that they are live bearers. I think I am just gonna increase my number of red cherry shrimp and cpd and chuck the swordtail. 

[mrPickles]

Good call. My CPD and RCS are not shy at all in my 90 gallon with corys, 2 bristlenose pleco, 3 male guppy, and kuhli loaches. The CPD literally swim right up to my hand when I put it in the tank. They quickly became my favorite fish.

[varun]

nice. yea i have decided too to substitute the sword tails with kuhli loaches. i am so excited! do you think i can keep a single betta with all of this?