Anyone remember me? Potential tank revamp...

[VirgoWolf]

Been a while since I've been here, it's so different now!!

So I'm thinking about revamping my 120 for the kids for Christmas this year (I'm planning early I know LOL). I'm considering downsizing, but as I look at the fish I'm interested in, I'm thinking keeping the 120 might be a good idea (I love a lot of bottom dwellers, so giving up floor space seems counterproductive LOL).

I've been pretty much out of the loop for a while, I still have the tank up and running, but it's been so long since I came to MFT or read up on anything fish related... I've had the same 4 fish for years (3 smallish oscars and a L001 plec), the 220 broke when we moved (like 10" from being on the stand and it got dropped... *SICK* ) couldn't afford to replace it, so I had to throw the fish into my mom's 70gal until I could get something, ended up with the 120...

I want to do something more low maintenance (read: smaller fish that won't clog the filters with giant turds and rip all the equipment apart daily) and that is more interesting for my kids. So I'm opting for a community, but I'm overwhelmed with the amount of info flooding back into my head! LOL I have stuck pretty close to biotope specific tanks for a long time now, so the community idea has me confusing myself... especially with the options in a 120 and issues with our water.

Right now we have HAAARD well water, but we're going to have someone come out soonish and see what we can do about that since it's causing some major issues for us with laundry and bathing, etc... so I'm not sure what our water will be like come Christmas... could be just an issue with our water softener needing to be fixed and replaced, possibly a whole house filter, maybe even springing to connect to city water, I'm not sure what's going to happen...

That being said, I still want to start thinking about stocking... I will just have to adjust if the water issue ends up on one extreme or the other... or maybe use my idea for stocking to help decide what to do about the water issue! LOL (yeah, I've been called the crazy fish lady before LOL)

So here are some of my ideas (I am aware that I can't have them all together LOL) I have kept and/or bred almost every single fish on this list in the past, LOL.

Cichlids:
GBRs
Blue Acaras
Rainbow Cichlids
Apistos
Kribs
POSSIBLY angels if I can't fit in any of the other med-large fish with the rest, I'm not a big angel fan, but I do like having 'centerpiece' fish...

Tetras:
Black neons
Glowlights

Cyprinids:
Celestial Pearl Danios
Glowfish
Leopard Danios
Giant Danios
Rosy Barbs
Tiger Barbs
Rainbow Shark

Catfish:
Otos
Small plec(s)
Loaches (yo-yos, kuhlis, etc...)

Livebarers:
Guppies
Platties
Endlers

I would LOVE to have a BGK again, but I'm pretty set on smaller fish, so I'm pretty much giving up on that one...

So with that in mind, what kind of community would YOU create in a 120gal? I don't like to overstock, and to me fully stocked is overstocked... I want enough fish for it to be an active looking tank, but I don't want to go overboard, I like them to have their own space, which I know I'm pushing it with all the bottom dwellers on my list! LOL I'm really going to have to pick and choose...

 

[KcMopar]

Have you looked into the African cichlids? Your water is great for them. They are also very colorful as well.
What part of MI. are you form. I am originally from Kalamazoo.

 

[VirgoWolf]

Yeah, we've had Africans, I'm not a big fan... Love the color and activity, but they're too aggressive and I want plants and such, not just rocks LOL... Something about them I just don't love... I could have them in a 2nd tank, but not the main tank... I don't have time/money/space for another large tank anymore though... besides, our water is horrible for laundry and bathing, so it will definitely be changing! LOL I can't handle the laundry issues and my kids dry itchy skin, etc... anymore! LOL

I'm from the Metro Detroit area (we used to live in the Pontiac area, Ypsilanti area, and now we're in the White Lake area).

LOL I think it's time to change my signature! LOL

 

[VirgoWolf]

Anyone think Rainbow Cichlids could get along in a community of all smaller fish? I've only had one and he was pretty peaceful, he got pushed around by everyone actually, so I would assume so, but I keep reading they are semi-aggressive and should be kept with fish their size or bigger... Would they bash on GBRs and guppies?

 

[Thyra]

You didn't mention serpaes and I like them because they are so colorful and active. I have them in two of my tanks and have had no problems with fin nipping. Platties come in so many colors as do mollies. Female bettas if you pick and choose are also very flashy - right now I have three in one community tank - a blue, red rust, and a white with red finnage. Neons and cardinals are nice too.

 

[VirgoWolf]

Nope, didn't mention them because I don't like them... they've been pretty aggressive fin nippers in my experience, I even had a single one left from a community tank I had way back when I first started and all the other fish died off besides that one serpae and a rainbow shark, I put them both in my Mbuna tank and that little serpae OWNED that tank! LOL The Labs and Acei and USD cat all bowed down to that tiny little red brat! LOL

I like platties colors, might opt for them instead of guppies for this tank if I di livebarers at all... I am considering a second tank, probably a 20L, that I might do guppies in with the celestial pearl danios and some ADFs... or something...

Didn't mention neons or cardinals because I don't have good luck with them being healthy... after 1 bout with NTD and a weak bunch of cardinals, I'm kinda put off...

 

[Fuzz16]

Angels, kuhliis, bgk, gbr, apidtos if you ptomise to send me fry. Not a danio fan-they stress fish. Cardinals? I take platys over guppys-duh. What bout hatchets? Flagfish?

Or a bunnnnny!

 

[Thyra]

I would believe that serpaes could be like that if you didn't have at least 4 to 6 in a tank, but when in a group mine have stayed together and played together for most of two years now. There are angel fish in with them besides some other community fish. I also have a male betta in two of my community tanks with no problems. I believe they help keep the population from the livebearers down - never seen them catch one, but they do seem to be stalking. Everyone has all their finnage. I have never had any guppies, but I am now reading on this forum that people have problems with aggressive ones.

 

[Fuzz16]

Serpses bullied my fish, angels and bettas.

Forgot to mention sorotity girls too!

 

[Andrew Castagna]

I used to have three serpaes and they bullied fish twice their size. Now they are at my Local Fish Store and I dont care where they go.

 

[VirgoWolf]

So far this is what I'm thinking (but it has plenty of time to change! LOL)

(this is to start with, obviously with the cichlids, once pairs form I might cut back a bit...)

6 Angels (ugh... but the only middle layer fish of decent size that isn't too aggressive for the others)
6 GBRs
6+ Kuhli loaches (Fuzz thinks I should add more... I'm thinking I've claimed too much bottom space to go too far)
8ish Platties
?# 3? BN plecos... I'm thinking about getting a group of albino longfins and keeping 2? females and getting one normal brown shortfin male and seeing if anything happens, in a community, I won't count on breeding, but I wouldn't be offended if it happened


Then maybe a 20L with some guppies, micro rasboras (yeah that's what they were when I got my first ones, that's what they always will be to me LOL), shrimp, and maybe a mystery snail or two...

And I'm working on my hubby to let me get this Marineland Classic 4 Gallon Hidden LED Desktop Kit at PETCO for a betta, and a snail and a few shrimp since I want a betta with a community so bad, but I lack the commitment to try after my betta did well with a single oto for months before ripping his fins off and picking on his scales while he died... I loved that oto...

 

[VirgoWolf]

So far this is what I'm thinking (but it has plenty of time to change! LOL)

(this is to start with, obviously with the cichlids, once pairs form I might cut back a bit...)

6 Angels (ugh... but the only middle layer fish of decent size that isn't too aggressive for the others)
6 GBRs
6+ Kuhli loaches (Fuzz thinks I should add more... I'm thinking I've claimed too much bottom space to go too far)
8ish Platties
?# 3? BN plecos... I'm thinking about getting a group of albino longfins and keeping 2? females and getting one normal brown shortfin male and seeing if anything happens, in a community, I won't count on breeding, but I wouldn't be offended if it happened


Then maybe a 20L with some guppies, micro rasboras (yeah that's what they were when I got my first ones, that's what they always will be to me LOL), shrimp, and maybe a mystery snail or two...

And I'm working on my hubby to let me get this Marineland Classic 4 Gallon Hidden LED Desktop Kit at PETCO for a betta, and a snail and a few shrimp since I want a betta with a community so bad, but I lack the commitment to try after my betta did well with a single oto for months before ripping his fins off and picking on his scales while he died... I loved that oto...

 

[Thyra]

You haven't mentioned what happens to the Oscars. Although I have no experience with them, from what I am hearing from others you could have more trouble with them than serpaes.

 

[Fuzz16]

The oscars will be going to a guy with larger tanks and will receive good care.

3 gbr pairs may be a bit much, lots of cichlids with not a lot of dithers. Why not do a pair of apistos and pair of egbr...whch their expensive but prettty

 

[VirgoWolf]

Yes, I have a friend that has turned his basement into a fish room with all LARGE tanks and LARGE fish... They would be in good hands with him and I could keep up with them on his blog.

I don't want 3 pairs of GBR, I just figured I'd get 6 and then let them pair up, keep 2 pair and maybe an extra female or two if it works out that way.

Good point on the dithers... maybe I should keep the tetra schools I planned originally (glowlights and black neons), maybe 8-12 of each?

I like the electric blues, but I still prefer the normal rams. I thought about apistos, but it's easier and cheaper to just stick with rams and I like them better than all of the other dwarfs, so I'm good with sticking with just them.

 

[Fuzz16]

Im a cardinal fan

 

[VirgoWolf]

Eh, I got burned out on the neon thing, and they're really just more expensive neons... and I didn't have much luck with them... I like the glowlites for my daughter and the black neons for my son Just a cute little tribute to them...

 

[Jenn.B]

I haven't been on the aquarium scene for very long, and am still learning, but my favorite tetras by far are rummynose. They are colorful and I haven't had any problems with their health or them being nippy. If you're looking for bigger centerpiece fish other than angels, dwarf gouramis are pretty different, but they don't get that big...I've had absolutely no experience with full sized gouramis so I have no idea if they'd be compatible. The only other fish you might want to think about is some type of synodontis, I have a dwarf in my 10g with a platy, molly fry and yoyo loaches, and he brings a whole different personality than the others that I adore.

 

[Orion]

Since you don't want any cichlids from Africa, I guess I can suggest my favorite New World guys

Look at some Severums. Or about anything Hero Sp. . Had some years back in a 75 gallon Community in with Columbian tetra's and other stuff and they were awesome. I do like the Columbian tetra's in large groups in large tanks. And my guys never once bothered a plant, and I had a decent amount in there too. (I'm too lazy, but I'm sure there are still some threads from way back when around 2006-2008 that's got that tank detailed out. Now that same tank has been sitting in my garage for two years ... )

 

[Fuzz16]

I mention sevs go her..ive never had one so thought id live the experiance through her! But she said their too big

Shame on you for empty tanks!!! Lol