re: NEW 75 GALLON TANK...HELP!

Question
i have recently set up and started to populate a 75 gallon freshwater aquarium......I have 6 glow tetras, 6 neon tetras, 3 fancy guppys, 3 ballon molly, 3 tinfoil barbs, 1 red tailed shark, 1 upside down catfish, 1 angelfish, 1 plecostomus,.....i am trying to populate my tank with more fish or critters that would do well with these other fish and make for an interesting and different set up with fish that don't kill one another.....please advise me on what would do best but would be interesting to populate my tank further....thanks so much...i am new to this and don't want to torture anyone unsuspecting fish....:)

Answer
Hi Rose,

Those tinfoil barbs are going to get awfully big. I have a friend with a 75 gallon aquarium and he has (three times now!) traded in his tinfoil barbs for new, little ones because they simply get too large for this seemingly enormous tank. Same for pacus and iridescent sharks...these are, what we call in the hobby, tankbusters! They just don't fit in the average home aquarium, so steer clear of these.

The best way to stock your aquarium is to figure out what kind of water you have. A test kit will tell you, and it's best to have your own, but if you do not, the pet store will probably test your water for free. Basically, a pH of 7 is neutral, so lower than that means your water is soft and higher than that means your water is hard. Alkalinity is what keeps pH stable, so low alkalinity means your aquarium is prone to getting acidic, the pH is prone to falling. High alkalinity means your aquarium is resistant to pH drops, and it usually goes along with a hard water aquarium, with a pH higher than 7. All aquariums naturally acidify, as the uneaten food and waste break down, so in many ways, hard water makes for easier fishkeeping!

So for that reason, I hope your water is on the hard side. In that case, look for more livebearers. You already have guppies and mollies, but try swordtails and platys. Rainbowfish also do very well in hard water, the dwarf rainbowfish or neon rainbowfish, Melanotaenia praecox, is hardy and a fine inhabitant of a hard water tank.

Since you have an angelfish, fish like tiger barbs are out, but you might try rosy barbs, who are generally more peaceful. Cherry barbs are small little fish that don't cause any trouble. X-ray tetras (or Pristella tetras) are very hardy and don't make waves, they prefer hard water and tolerate some salt (although you don't need to routinely add salt to your tank, no matter what the store says!)

Beware of fin nipping tetras such as serpae tetras or black widow tetras...the tetras you have are fine, they don't usually nip. Tetras with long or veiltail fins should be avoided, such as the congo tetras, which are awfully pretty but not compatible here with your rambunctious tank. One of my favorite small fish are harlequin rasboras, but brilliant and scissortail rasboras are nice too.

You'll see the upside down catfish more if you provide a piece of driftwood in an area of view, they like to spend all their time under either tall plants or driftwood, just as they would in the wild. They also do best in groups, so get a couple more of them!

I am personally very fond of corydoras, so peppered corydoras and bronze corydoras are must haves for me. They need groups of 6 or more to feel comfortable, and when the red-tailed shark grows up he might start quibbling with them. Here's an article on stocking a tank:
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/evenstocking.htm
It makes a good point...stock your aquarium evenly for best effect!

Feel free to ask me about specific fish before you buy them. Research is key to success, and Google has made it quick and easy...no reason not to read about prospective fish for your tank, ahead of purchase! Or ask someone online such as myself, or post on a forum such as http://www.fishforums.net

I hope that those suggestions help, take care!
Nicole