Introduction, and choosing fish.

[Squash]

Hi guys, my name is Josh, this is my first stop here, because I need some help and this seems like the place to ask. This year is my first experience with fish, and they're not mine. I'm taking care of the fish tank in a Residence Hall (Dorms) with about 600 people in it at KSU. Last year the previous carer let the tank fall to an Algae bloom and everything but the Pleco died. Since then I completely recycled the tank, and over the course of the entire Summer got it ready for fish. Since then I've been making additions and they for the most part are doing very well.

The tank is a 70 Gallon, we have a Fluval 405 filter and two smaller ones. The first things I got were four Angel fish, two silver two black. They get along, except one of the black ones, (ironically, his name is Malcolm) gets picked on. Then I added a Dojo Loach, Albino rainbow shark, and a Red Tailed Shark. The Loach was killed by the Pleco, and the Red Tail jumped out of the tank, so I don't blame the tank. Then I got 5 red eyed tetra's and a Ropefish, no dramas, the tetras school well.

So we have a substantial number of fish, but I feel like we need just a little bit more. The fact that this is a dorm fish tank is important, people want what's cool more than practical, and I've been trying to facilitate that, getting sharks, and the ropefish, which most people assume is an eel (and I don't rush to correct them).

What do you guys think would make good additions to the tank? I'd really apreciate the suggestions and any other help you can give me.

 

[forrestcook]

from my understanding of tetras, they should be in groups of 6 or more for best results.

 

[MOsborne05]

If you want to keep the fish that you currently have, I would add more tetras to make it a nice big school of around 20. Zebra loaches and cory cats are both interesting bottom-dwellers, and a pair of german blue rams would add interest.

The best 'wet pets' in my opinion are oscars and puffers. But you would have to get rid of your current stock for them.

 

[Squash]

Thanks for the jiffy response. The fish store told me they school in groups of 5, thanks for the heads up, they're cheap so I might bring them up to 9, since schools with od numbers look cooler. It's funny you said puffer, because I just posted in the predatory thread about (ironically) a docile puffer I saw online, is the only reason why I'd need to retank because puffers are aggressive? What can you tell me about Zebra Loaches and Cory Cats?

 

[MOsborne05]

Does the tank have live plants or fake ones? Another option is discus, although they are kind of expensive and very sensitive. If you can find adult ones they would make an awesome display tank with some cardinal tetras and cory cats.

Zebra loaches are dark with thin yellow stripes and are very comical to watch. Zebra Loach - Botia striata

Cory cats come in all different sizes and colors, and are also very comical because they constantly scour the tank for food. Bronze Cory Cat - Corydoras aeneus

 

[forrestcook]

funny how people see things differently... I always saw zebra loaches as yellow with dark gray stripes...

 

[Big Vine]

If you wanna see some excitement in there, replace everything with a trio of convicts (M,F,F) and a few other Central American cichlids. I'd say a Salvini and maybe a Texas or Jack Dempsey.

This will give you...
Convict breeding---which in and of itself is interesting to watch.
(not to mention the fending off of the other cichlids when defending a spawn)
Colorful fish---salvini, Tex, and JD certainly won't give you the colors of an assorted African cichlid tank, but they're still quite eye-catching.
Enough aggression and ravenous feeding (on feeders---I suggest someone keep a smallish guppy breeding tank for this very purpose...do NOT buy feeders from the store) to keep 'blood-thirsty' fans happy.

BV

 

[Squash]

Thanks for the feedback. Does anyone have any good information about snails? They seem like they may be very useful.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Snails are good... they help clean up leftover food and whatnot. Why some people don't like them is that if you overfeed the tank, they can and will quickly overpopulate. The tiny pond snails or malaysian trumpet snails both stay pretty small and will reproduce readily. The trumpet snails are best in my opinion because they burrow through the gravel and help aerate it and get the gunk out.

If you're looking for just one good size snail, then an apple/mystery snail is perfect. If you get a single small one (quarter size or less) it won't have any babies so can't overpopulate.

Just so you know, if you go with loaches they'll generally eat snails.

 

[MissFishy]

With such a large tank, you could look into getting some Pacu. Lots of people mistake these for pirahnas.

 

[Seleya]

A pacu? A 70 is only sufficient for one pacu and it should still outgrow it.

Josh, I know you listed them at the beginning of this thread but could you give us a full count of who is in the tank currently? Also, what is the footprint of your 70?

 

[cchase85]

Agreed with Seleya. I think even one pacu will get too large for a 70...

 

[Avalon]

I'd go with a single, large cichlid and a pleco. In my experience during my college days, most people liked the big fish that could eat other fish (even the girls). Large pleco's have some mystique about them that guys like, and they can help keep the glass clean if you don't overfeed them. This is based on the sheer amount of people I had coming in and out of the house. My tanks of the little schooling tetras weren't nearly as popular, although I liked them. People for some reason tend to adopt singular, large pets better than little fish. Dogs--->Cats--->Big fish I guess?

I'd go with a male Jaguar, Dovii, Peacock Bass, or something else that won't shy away from the glass under heavy foot traffic.