# Just got a 75 gallon...



## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

Hi guys!

I just got a used 75 gallon tank and i am trying to think of what to do with it. I currently have a 40 gallon with a flowerhorn (still relatively small) and a 55 gallon planted tank (whose contents i would like to move to the 75...maybe). 

Anyway, what do you guys think i should do with it? Right now i am leaning towards setting up an african tank as i have never done that before. I find most africans boring but peac ocks are cool as hell. I am tryign to decide between an all discus tank, an oddball/predator/south american big fish tank, or african cichlids. I would also like to take my flowerhorn and put him in the 75 if i go with south american cichlids. 

I would like to enlist some of you to help me brainstorm for this tank. I would also like to set it up very soon.


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## mesapod (Aug 18, 2007)

well i think youre discus dea is pretty cool because discis are so pretty.


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

Yeah i really love discus. I have one now that i bought stunted. It is only 4" in diameter (if that). She lives ina 10 gallon by herself and lays eggs all day and eats out of my hand. She is much more secure in thast 10 gallon than she ever was in my 55 for some reason. 
I can probably get a decent deal on discus, around $4 bucks a fish if i buy them small. My only issue is that they might get freaked out in my house which is pretty active. 
I like that suggestion, although i really want to get my hands on some tanganyikans and go crazy. but that sounds like a lot of work.

Honestly, i need to go with something that is very hardy. I'd rather get something that won't get stressed out by just doing by weekly water changes.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Discus are cool, but if your going to keep the flowerhorn he'll need a 4ft tank. If your 40 a long tank?


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## neilfishguy (Oct 7, 2007)

4 bucks a fish for discus! thats the cheapest I have ever heard!


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

emc7 said:


> Discus are cool, but if your going to keep the flowerhorn he'll need a 4ft tank. If your 40 a long tank?



Yeah it is an old long perfecto 40 gallon. Once i get the discus tank set up i will be moving all of my fish from my 55 into the 75 along with the discus. The flowerhorn, or "Aquapuppy", as i call him, will be reloacted to the 55. 55 should be big enough to last him for quite some time.


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

I've got 7 clown loaches, three orino pbass, a payara and 3 prochilodus in my 75g. 

Amazon monster grow out tank!


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## TigerBarb12 (Jan 7, 2007)

In a 75g, i would put an angel pair, a school of either highfin black tetra, rasbora, or maybe some cherry barbs, but about 12 cherry barbs. Then id go with about 6-8 skunk loaches. If enough room, throw in a blue ram or 2


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## Bascerballer4 (Oct 22, 2007)

75 gallon tanks are actually the most minimum ideal looking tank around! Glad you got one


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

Ok, so i bought $150 of driftwood the other day. I tied some java moss, java fern, and some anubias to the tank. It is looking good. Right now i have my 7 glolites, 2 bolivian rams, and a flagfish in the tank now. I don't have any gravel in the tank yet as i am thinking i might turn it into a Tanganyikan tank. Unfortunately, i know nothing about african cichlids and they might actually be more expensive than discus.


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2007)

DO IT! Tanganyikan tanks are the best . you could do a school of cyprichromis, some shell dwellers, a tanganyikan eel, synodontis petricola, 2 goby cichlids (eretmodus OR tanganicodus), and im sure somthing else too. you wouldnt regret it at all. cost wise, yes tangs can be expensive, but i dont regret a single tang purchase i have made


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

Being a discus enthusiast, I would have to cast my vote for that, especially if you can get them for $4 a piece. I think I need to relocate. In my experience with discus, which may vary drastically from the experience of others, they are not all that timid a fish once they settle into their surroundings. I don't know exactly what you mean by "active" house, but unless it is wildly out of control, I would have few reservations about a discus tank. Fish, in my experience, tend to adapt to their environment. Fish kept in a room that is typically empty will tend to run and hide when someone enters, whereas fish kept in a more heavily used room will tend to be just fine with people around. That's just my opinion; take it for what it's worth. I'm still trying to recover from the fact that you can get discus so cheap. The cheap ones around here are about forty bucks.


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

Dr. House, don't get too upset. These would be assorted small discus from a wholesaler. There is no telling how many will actually survive. The only thing i am worried about is the maintenance involved. With all of that driftwood, there are plenty of places food could end up that I could never get to to siphon. Tanganyikans are hardier fish and could handle a little rotting food. I am still very much on the fence about this. I like the idea of having a discus tank, especially as a contrast to my flowerhorn. However, i also would like to try something i haven't done before. We've got really hard water here in North Jersey (7.8pH out of tap) so it lends itself to African fish. I'd liek to continue the debate though...


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## neilfishguy (Oct 7, 2007)

a really cool thing would be to do multis (shell dwellers). I have heard in a large tank like that you can see what they are like in nature because there can be many males because there is so much territory. apparently they will divide up into a few little colony and i heard its really fun to watch.


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

As long as you are fairly careful with feeding, I don't foresee the nooks and crannies being a problem. Of course, I'm of no further use in this debate as I am adamantly in favor of discus. It's a disease.

I've never cared much for Africans, but that's just me, which is unfortunate because my tapwater is liquid rock. Plenty of people just LOVE their Africans, so if you've got the disposable income to try it and return them if it doesn't work out, then go for it. I had a 55 gallon in which I kept P. Demasoni and L. Caeruleus. The colors were stunning and the deep blue and yellow made for a nice contrast. I just couldn't stand the darn fish...always bickering and squabbling...it was like being with my in-laws. Tanganyikans, while they lack the color and hardiness of mbuna, definitely have the market cornered on uniqueness. You don't see many of those tanks.


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

P.S. I don't care if some guy throws them out his window onto your doorstep like a newspaper. $4 is a good deal. I'm exercising my right to continue my envy.


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2007)

First off, dont assume that discus are any more or less hardy than tangs are. they both are VERY much different, but they both require good water conditions. Nextly, your water has a higher ph, and you say its hard, discus dont care honestly, they want stable condtions, if you can provide stable, you can keep discus. My discus tank is at a ph of 7.8 and moderate hardness. The important aspects of discus is 1) heat, 2) clean water, 3) stable water 4) good food. If you get in a bunch of crappy discus, you can easily turn them decent with a few steps. this is what i do for ALL incoming discus
1) turn your tank up to 90 degrees
2) add salt, a tablespoon per 5-10 gallons should do
3) after 3-4 days back the heat down to 86
4) begin doing your waterchanges of 50% weekly or biweekly depending on how many fish.

with all that said, and i know you just bought the driftwood and all, i prefer my tanganyikan tank to my discus tank, by a lot. you get lots of color, interaction, and other different behaviors that just surpass discus by alot! IMO. if you can say you dont like african fish, tells me that you havent tried the right kinds, there are many many many fish from africa, each displaying its own behavior, color, temperment, etc...I am attaching some photos of fish in my tang tank, enjoy


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Mike-
Those fish are simply gorgeous! May I talk to you about your fish when I am set to do my Cichlid tank? It will be a while yet.


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2007)

of course! everyone knows i like talking about fish!!


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## mesapod (Aug 18, 2007)

ya discus might not do too good in your water


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## mesapod (Aug 18, 2007)

i think african cichlids are really cool! tha would be an awsome tank


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2007)

mesapod said:


> ya discus might not do too good in your water


Discus would be fine, assuming you keep them warm, well fed, and in clean and stable water.


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

I am positive I could pull off having discus. However, those African pictures really are making me want some tangs. How big is your tank Mike? How much $$ total have you spend on the fish in that tank? How did you acquire them (special order, LFS, aquarium clubs)?

Also, my friends and I are making an internet show next month and they wanted to use my house as a drug dealer/pimps house because of all of my tanks. I thought peaceful discus would be an amusing in-joke with that. I want a scene where the character pets my Flowerhorn and hand feeds him a live fish or something. bwahaha!

I am glad we are having this discussion over this tank. I appreciate all of you guys for taking the time out to help me with this decision. In the past, most of my tanks have been rush jobs and i want this to be doen right from the ground up. Patience in a virtue, especially in fishkeeping.


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## Guest (Oct 29, 2007)

My tank is 210 gallons. In a 75 you could easily do one school of tropheus (15 of them), and some other oddballs. They arent cheap, and i aquired them through my local LFS, but you are probably looking at 15-40 dollars each tropheus, depending on the species. If you go with duboisi's (ones with the blue face) then they are normally around 20 each. you need a large school, min of 12, to keep aggression down. 
There are many choices you could do in a 75, cyprichromis+shelldwellers+ tang catfish would also make a great tank


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

If i did Tangs it would be a "community" tank. I don't like the idea of a species tank. I've heard tropheus ar egreat algae eaters too so i would like a few. would that be possible?

Also, shell dwellers and some calvuses would be a must. they are so cool looking. 

So it would actually be cheaper for me to get discus then...wierd...


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2007)

no, having just a couple tropheus is bad, cause you end up with just one . you have to have 1, or a large group. and with tropheus you have to be wary of what you are feeding your tank, they are VERY sensitive to bloat based on the foods you feed. so if you want 1 tropheus, or a group, the food you feed is very important.


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2007)

I suggest a group of Cyprichromis, some shell dwellers, and a pair of Julidochromis.  Would be an awesome tank IMO. I'm changing my Mbuna tank to a Tanganyikan community.....


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Your not goigng to like my advice... but here it is. Move your flowerhorn up. The 75 will be just big enough for him to live for the rest of his life. I seem to remember you telling me about the flowerhorn in the 40 a while ago, and it is not nearly big enough for him.


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Unfortunately, I have decided to go with the discus tank idea, simply because i already have one and then i can consolidate my tanks. Unfortunately, the heat in my house still isn't working and my heaters are working on overdrive just to get the tempterature around 80. Can heaters wear out from constant use?
Also, since that tank is no longer in production i can't get a lid for it so i am losing a lot of heat out the top of the tank. Hopefully the heat will be on in the next few weeks and i can put more discus in there. The one i have in there is a trooper, i think she'll be fine for now. 

Gourami, don't worry. I am moving that flowerhorn into a 55 for the time being. As he grows, I will move him into larger tanks. I am sure he will end up in the 75 eventually. He should be moved in by the end of this weekend. 

It is wierd, i never though a Tanganyikan tank would be more expensive than a discus tank. When I get the money, i will take the 40gallon the flowerhorn was in and turn it into some kind of african tank.

EDIT: Gourami. I would like to get a several hundred gallon tank someday for the flowerhorn. Will I ever be able to put it in a tank with another fish? (allowing for a suitably large tank)


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

Sounds like a plan, xerxeswasachump. I hope you'll post pictures of the setup so that discus-enviers like myself can stare at it for hours and wish we had a discus tank.


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

Dr_House said:


> Sounds like a plan, xerxeswasachump. I hope you'll post pictures of the setup so that discus-enviers like myself can stare at it for hours and wish we had a discus tank.


Lol, what's keeping you from making a discus tank? It is so much easier than everyone makes it out to me. I had one of my discus living in a 10 gallon by herself for like 6 months. she did fine.


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

The expense of getting quality discus here is what keeps me from it. I'd basically have to order them online. Plus I have a hard time committing to such an expensive fish. Of course the hit to my pocket book is not what causes me to give my fish proper care, but when it impacts it to that magnitude, it's definitely a factor. And my water is not really good for discus. I know they can adapt and that my water can be altered to meet the requirements, but until I'm ready to do that (which I'm currently not), I'm just staying away from them.


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## Guest (Nov 10, 2007)

chances are you wouldnt have to change a single thing about your tap water..stop freaking out about it! discus THRIVE in most ph's and hardness.


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

Temperature is the only real problem. I got real lazy with my discus in that 10 gallon. She'd go weeks without a waterchange and she's still kickin'. Then again, this could just be a hardy discus. 

Update: The girlfriend crushed my dreams of a discus tank. I made the mistake of telling her i was about to spend $125 on fish and she freaked out. I went to petco and bought a couple of mollies and swordtails instead. I'm radically dissapointed right now. 

I think i'm gonna go buy some $5 angelfish and call it a day. 

On the bright side, the discus i do have is doing quite well. Although one of her side fins is a little wierd. I will post a pic as soon as she'll sit still long enough for one.


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