Community tank recommendations.

[procyg]

Hi All, 

Been a long time since i have been on the forum but hoping that you all can provide me some recommendations for my 75 Gallon planted community tank.  Current inhabitants (all about 9 months old) are 5 Red head Tapajos, 1 blue acara and 4 bronze cories.  Non have really colored up much and I am looking to add a little pop of color.  Thinking about 10 lemon, Columbian, or cardinal tetras.  Open to other suggestions but i am trying to keep it relatively on the less expensive side.  Tank Params are  PH 7.1-7.2 with moderate hardness (6-7 degrees) and but low Kh of 1 or 2 degrees.  thx

[Tlindsey]

On 8/22/2024 at 3:31 PM, procyg said:

Columbian

That would be my choice.  

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Personally, I would up the number of Cory’s, too. You get completely different behaviors out of them if they’re in a bigger group!

[Tony s]

On 8/22/2024 at 5:49 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

Personally, I would up the number of Cory’s

@procyg This was my first thought. I had 6 skunks that used to hide a lot in my 75g. I doubled it and they were everywhere. Other thoughts 1)columbians would be good. 2) just one angelfish for color 3) outside the box... a school of 8-10 rasbora borapatensis  one of the tightest schoolers there are. 8-10 would occupy a whole 5 gallon section of the tank at any given time. 

[redmare]

I agree with upping your shoal of corydoras! I personally love rummynose, but to get a nice big school can be pricy. I think the columbians would look great. I would also add an algae eater, I personally love bristlenose plecos but I think a SAE could work too. My 75 gallon community has two angelfish, nine cories, eight pristella tetras (the last left of an aging group), some endlers that seem immortal, and I have six platies in quarantine waiting to go in- I chose them because I wanted to fill up the tank with some colour without spending a lot of money! Your kh is a bit low for platies, but adding some crushed coral would be a really easy way to buffer it up to their liking if you also want a cheap way to add lots of colour. 

[procyg]

Thanks all. I started with 6 Cory’s but lost 2 early on. I have been thinking about getting more but don’t love the bronze color and not sure how mixing would go.  

I also forgot to add in that I  have an albino bristle nose and 2 nerites as part of my crew.  The nerites have to be about 4 years old now. 
 

My only concern with the Columbians is their color.  Think they kind of match the geophagus and acara. I’ll have to go to my lfs and see them again

 

 

[Tony s]

On 8/22/2024 at 10:43 PM, procyg said:

I have been thinking about getting more but don’t love the bronze color and not sure how mixing would go.

Not going to be a problem. Corys won’t care. They just might not school together. Albino aeneus will school together. Same fish. Different colors. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Choosing a different group of Corys works - look up lineages and pick a different group and get a large number 12 or more, they’ll shoal with your Aeneus. As the founding member of the Panda Cory appreciation society we’d be happy to welcome you to the club! 
 

Im a big fan of Diamond Tetras, Blueberry tetras, Red Phantoms and I’d get 10-12 minimum. 
 

I would purchase a 20 g long, I’d quarantine these fish with a sponge you can cycle in your 75 for a week prior. You’ve put a lot of effort in so QT is important. I QT for 1-4 weeks depending on the source. 

[Ninjoma]

I like turquoise rainbowfish a lot

[mynameisnobody]

@procyg just as a heads up, geo pyrocephalus are one of the most aggressive geo’s. I had the opposite idea of them so I added 8 to a 180. That lasted a little over a year and then all hell broke out. Too many males and they are mean. I couldn’t get it to work in a 180 gallon. You’re going to have the same issue at the year mark in an 75, unless you win the genetic lottery and have 1 male and 4 females. Also that blue acara is going to get the brunt of this. I’m not trying to discourage you, just give you a heads up because I had no idea and apparently no one else did either, except for some cichlid forum people. Those guys warned me after the fact and they were spot on. Good luck and keep your eyes peeled. 

[procyg]

On 8/25/2024 at 5:02 AM, mynameisnobody said:

@procyg just as a heads up, geo pyrocephalus are one of the most aggressive geo’s. I had the opposite idea of them so I added 8 to a 180. That lasted a little over a year and then all hell broke out. Too many males and they are mean. I couldn’t get it to work in a 180 gallon. You’re going to have the same issue at the year mark in an 75, unless you win the genetic lottery and have 1 male and 4 females. Also that blue acara is going to get the brunt of this. I’m not trying to discourage you, just give you a heads up because I had no idea and apparently no one else did either, except for some cichlid forum people. Those guys warned me after the fact and they were spot on. Good luck and keep your eyes peeled. 

interesting.  i have never heard that tapajos were aggressive.  that said any cichlid can become a killing machine.  The good thing is the acara is a chunky monkey and dwarfs the tapajos right now but will keep an eye on it.   

[procyg]

On 8/23/2024 at 7:52 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

Choosing a different group of Corys works - look up lineages and pick a different group and get a large number 12 or more, they’ll shoal with your Aeneus. As the founding member of the Panda Cory appreciation society we’d be happy to welcome you to the club! 
 

Im a big fan of Diamond Tetras, Blueberry tetras, Red Phantoms and I’d get 10-12 minimum. 
 

I would purchase a 20 g long, I’d quarantine these fish with a sponge you can cycle in your 75 for a week prior. You’ve put a lot of effort in so QT is important. I QT for 1-4 weeks depending on the source. 

yup already have a 20 running with BN pleco, and a rainbow cichlid that moved with me to my new location.  i am waiting for them to naturally age out as they are 4+ years old at this point.  I never really wanted to add them to the new tank since that was all one order and i didnt want to potentially expose them to anything. I like the blueberry and racoon tetras but not sure i have that in my budget at this point.  i cant get those at my lfs.  

Only place i would even remotely consider not quarantining is Dan's fish but probably still would even from him.  Have a 10 kicking around in storage too if i need something quicker with an extra sponge running in the 75 to use.