# Needing a change



## lnk (Mar 10, 2013)

I am feeling a little bored with my 6 foot 125 gallon tank. I originally bought the tank for my big severum and angel fish, but they have all since died. I am now left with a few juvie angel fish, some gouramis, red tail shark and a bristlenose pleco. The tank is looking kind of bland and empty right now.

It is the main focus point of my living room and I feel like I need a change, but I am not sure to what. I have done the community tank thing, planted tank, cichlids. Not sure what to do next now. Anyone have any good suggestions?

tank is 72X19X24


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## hi-revs (Nov 3, 2010)

Fahaka puffer. This is what i'd do if i were to set up another 6ft tank


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

Do a big biotope tank with schooling fish.


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## Hydrocynus (Jan 26, 2011)

Perfect size for African show tank, will have lot of action and colors. If you got the dough go with peacocks or haps, get high quality ones if you can


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## joeyk (May 30, 2016)

African cichlids would be a pretty solid option. Tropheus, a tang community tank, mbuna, or even an all male hap/peacock tank would look great and fit well in a tank of those dimensions. 

I filled my 55g with a group of 20 juvenile Tropheus duboisi about a month ago. So far, it's definitely the most entertaining species I've owned. 

If you wanted a more community tank route, a tanganyikan community tank could be a nice fit. A species of shell dwellers, a species of rock dweller (ie julidochromis), an open water species like cyps or paracyps, and maybe even a small group of synodontis (if you don't want fry) would be a good place to start. 

A tank of that size could handle a pretty decent size mbuna colony too. Maybe a species like saulosi, as both the males/females get some good colour


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## lnk (Mar 10, 2013)

hi-revs said:


> Fahaka puffer. This is what i'd do if i were to set up another 6ft tank


I have seen the fahaka puffers and they do look really nice. But don't they get too big for my tank?



charles said:


> Do a big biotope tank with schooling fish.


Interesting, I never thought of this. Could be a fun project. Wouldn't be sure on where to begin with what biotope though.



joeyk said:


> African cichlids would be a pretty solid option. Tropheus, a tang community tank, mbuna, or even an all male hap/peacock tank would look great and fit well in a tank of those dimensions.
> 
> I filled my 55g with a group of 20 juvenile Tropheus duboisi about a month ago. So far, it's definitely the most entertaining species I've owned.
> 
> ...


Will have to look into the cichlids more, I did a tank with smaller one years ago, but I guess now I can look into some of the larger species. Could be a fun option as well.


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## datfish (Sep 7, 2012)

Large schooling fish, like red line torpedo barbs, filament barbs, tinfoil barbs, etc.

A couple of large goldfish.

A teacup stingray.


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## lnk (Mar 10, 2013)

datfish said:


> Large schooling fish, like red line torpedo barbs, filament barbs, tinfoil barbs, etc.
> 
> A couple of large goldfish.
> 
> A teacup stingray.


A teacup stingray would be really cool! I thought they get too big for my tank though?

I do like the torpedo barbs, but I don't like that whenever I see them they are $20 each.


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## datfish (Sep 7, 2012)

lnk said:


> A teacup stingray would be really cool! I thought they get too big for my tank though?
> 
> I do like the torpedo barbs, but I don't like that whenever I see them they are $20 each.


Your tank would be the absolute minimum, with no other fish in the tank.

Buy them off people online when you can, that's how I got my 14. I spent $150 total I believe.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

You can try a SA biotope tank.

A big tank for big fish is nice. But more and more of my customers are going from big-tank-a-few-big-fish to big-tank-with-hundreds-of-schooling-fish. 180g is the smallest you should try to do this. 24" in width is a bare min size. The goal is to get a couple of big school of schooling tetra (total opposite color of each other; ie, cardinal/rummynose, cardinal/gold tetra). School will be 100 to 300 per type.

Then the top section of your tank will be occupy with another schooling tetra like hatchet to fill the floater portion of your tank.
Then the bottom will be 2 types of schooling corys.

For the schooling effect, put 1 or 2 angel fish in there. Those will keep the tetra school tied. They will herd the tetra around the tank.

For the oddball, you can choose a few apisto., blue rams, exotic plecos, Dicrossus maculatus, or dicrossus filamentosus, and a small schooling of bleeding heart or red phantom tetra.

This would make an very natural biotope tank from SA with fish from top to bottom of your tank.


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## aprilsaquarium (Aug 22, 2016)

Or..goldfish. Each one has its own personality and so many types to select
From. They are quite social . 
But yes a lot of schooling fish also looks nice 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## stratos (Apr 21, 2010)

I've done the giant school of fish thing, and it is kind of neat for a while, but I personally got bored after about 6 months. They just kind of go back and forth.

In terms of personality and discussion value, a nice pair of tiger or red oscars and a trio of Geophagus species is cool.

Or a single really high grade Flower Horn perhaps? I had a nice one for over a year in a 90 gallon tank in my living room. It was a popular fish for the family and for visitors:


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## lnk (Mar 10, 2013)

charles said:


> You can try a SA biotope tank.
> 
> A big tank for big fish is nice. But more and more of my customers are going from big-tank-a-few-big-fish to big-tank-with-hundreds-of-schooling-fish. 180g is the smallest you should try to do this. 24" in width is a bare min size. The goal is to get a couple of big school of schooling tetra (total opposite color of each other; ie, cardinal/rummynose, cardinal/gold tetra). School will be 100 to 300 per type.
> 
> ...


I really like this idea. I saw a video on youtube of a wolf fish with a whole bunch of neon tetras. Looked really interesting, and was thinking of going that route with 1 big fish, some schooling fish and maybe a few plecos. Not sure what that one big fish would be though.

But the SA biotope would be a good idea as well. Would make for a tank with lots of colour and movement.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

You have to get a really big wolf fish for it not to snack on the tetra.


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## Cstar_BC (Sep 24, 2016)

How about some silver dollars ? They're pretty peaceful and fun to watch eat - besides they are pretty to watch


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## lnk (Mar 10, 2013)

aprilsaquarium said:


> Or..goldfish. Each one has its own personality and so many types to select
> From. They are quite social .
> But yes a lot of schooling fish also looks nice
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You know the girlfriend always wants goldfish, but I am just not a big fan of them. They were the first fish I started with when I was a little kid, but I just don't have much interest in them now.



stratos said:


> I've done the giant school of fish thing, and it is kind of neat for a while, but I personally got bored after about 6 months. They just kind of go back and forth.
> 
> In terms of personality and discussion value, a nice pair of tiger or red oscars and a trio of Geophagus species is cool.
> 
> Or a single really high grade Flower Horn perhaps? I had a nice one for over a year in a 90 gallon tank in my living room. It was a popular fish for the family and for visitors:


Thanks for the advice. I am hoping to find one or a few larger fish to keep the excitement going with schools of smaller fish. Not sure if that would be possible without the schooling fish becoming snacks though.

I like geos that would make a good addition I think. Not really into flower horns or oscars.



Cstar_BC said:


> How about some silver dollars ? They're pretty peaceful and fun to watch eat - besides they are pretty to watch


I have thought about silver dollars. They are on the list of fish to add.

So far I have been thinking between a single big cichlid or maybe even the fahaka
A tank filled with a bunch of schooling fish
SA biotope with some plecos.


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

Sorry to say it but is 20 a fish is to much then your in the wrong hobby


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## engotski (Nov 9, 2014)

Blue Zaire variant of frontosas with syno cats and a few calvus...


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## lnk (Mar 10, 2013)

engotski said:


> Blue Zaire variant of frontosas with syno cats and a few calvus...


Just checked out a few pictures of that and I must say that is pretty nice looking fish. I don't think I have seen them that blue before.

What else could I add with those fish. The gf thinks this is the best idea so far.


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## Mick2016 (Jun 16, 2016)

Definitely would go for the "schooling fish" tank idea . . . with lots of live plants. Neon Tetras, Black Neons, Glowlight Tetras, and Harlequin Rasboras. About 30-40 of each. :0)

(Rummy Nose Tetras are nice too, but a little more frail and very sensitive to even slight water condition fluctuations.)

P.S. Throw in a few bottom dwellers, too. Corys? Otos?


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