# What to do with a 75?



## vinimack720 (Apr 20, 2006)

Well its spring time now, and i have been thinking its time to do somthing to revitalize my tank.

Currently it has been up and running for some time over a year. Right now it has a pretty big gold fish (6 inches) and a 6-7inch dragon goby. Im thinking of redoing the whole thing, so they would have to find new homes before i add any more fish. 

So if you were going to set up a new 75 gal tank what would you put in it? Right now my funds are limited(paying for school, etc) but if i get the job i am hoping i will get i should have some disposable income. 

I was thinking about african cichlids, but i am going off to college in a little over a year and there would be no one to take care of my tank, so im thinking about fish that cost less money so that when i leave and donate them back to a fish store or some where i wont take that big of a loss. 

Sooo, what do you think? I like puffers, but im not sure if they would enjoy a very large tank and i know they have a limited number of tank mates that they wont eat. Bala sharks are interesting, as are this one type of catfish i saw at walmart(dont worry, i dont buy from them) but i cant think of the name right now.


Gimme some ideas!


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

If this were going to be a long-term setup, I think the following idea(posted by redpaulhus in another thread) woud be fabulous:


redpaulhus said:


> In a large enough tank, a large adult oscar will leave small fish alone because they are too much work to catch for too little food value (poor energy return for the energy to eat them).
> In my 125g tank I've got blue tetras, giant danios, odessa barbs, rosy barbs, and few tiger barbs as dither fish with a big (around 12") oscar and other sa/ca cichlids (dempseys, a small midas, blue acaras, green severums, and convicts) -- the dither fish don't get chased, the other fish eat pellets, flake, frozen food and live worms (none of which can swim away :mrgreen: )
> 
> My barbs tend to swim along the bottom and midwater (except when I feed, then they hit the surface) and the danios and tetras cruise the surface. There's also an adult gold gourami who would easily fit in the Oscar's mouth if he tried - but he doesn't give it a second thought.
> ...


So I figure that in a 75g you could have a big oscar and a good school of tiger barbs. Now that would be a smashing tank!


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## vinimack720 (Apr 20, 2006)

MyraVan said:


> If this were going to be a long-term setup, I think the following idea(posted by redpaulhus in another thread) woud be fabulous:
> 
> So I figure that in a 75g you could have a big oscar and a good school of tiger barbs. Now that would be a smashing tank!


thanks for your advice, but it is not going to be long term. A little over a year at the most. I was thinking about a couple schools of fish and 1 or 2 moderatly priced centerpiece fish(angels maybe?)


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

Get two reticulated stingrays. Around $30 a piece. And a few bala sharks if that is what you like.


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2007)

How bout a school of rosy barbs a school of neons and 2 blue rams and 6 discus. The discus are expensive though so maybe get some small angels instead? If you get large angels and small neons the neons will be food but adult neon gets alon fine with adult angels just dont mix adult angle and small neon.


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2007)

won't the barbs nip the angel's fins? i would get 2 different species of rainbowfish, 6 of each. and a few more fish from southeast aisa. chinese algea eaters, gouramies, and some barbs but only a few.


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

I like a school of larger size tetras (black skirts, white skirts, diamonds etc..), Angels, Kribs and a few cories for clean up. That would give you a variety of top, mid and bottom dwellers as well as a nice mix of color and body type.


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## PEVINE (Mar 7, 2007)

Danh said:


> Get two reticulated stingrays. Around $30 a piece. And a few bala sharks if that is what you like.


I like that Danh



i would get some PIRANHAS
http://www.aquascapeonline.com/store/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=22


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Ugh, people. Only post advice if you know what your talking about. Dont get bala sharks, dont get pirahnas, and PLEASE dont get rays.

Basically, you can do a few types of setups, and it depends on what floats your boat. A 75 IMO would be a great home for a single oscar, or for a community of african cichlids. you could do about 20 africans in there if you chose the right kinds, and it would be a beautiful dispay.

(PS- Pevine, are your tank setups serious? Youve been here for more than three days, you should know more than that.)


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## PEVINE (Mar 7, 2007)

whats wrong with them? and yes they are serrious? apperntly i am doing someting right, all my fish are alive


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## Crayola105 (Mar 3, 2007)

vinimack720 said:


> thanks for your advice, but it is not going to be long term. A little over a year at the most. I was thinking about a couple schools of fish and 1 or 2 moderatly priced centerpiece fish(angels maybe?)


I'm guessing he can't do oscars.


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## Guest (Apr 29, 2007)

pevine your setups are bad for yur fish and all your 55g ones are gunna die


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

*sigh* here we go again.............

Thread may become locked in the near future.


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## Guest (Apr 30, 2007)

Hey sum1 said angels and kribs but if the kribs start breeding they could kill the angels


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

What wrong with rays??? retics don't get over 12" very often.. I have kept motoros in a 90g before I upgraded... There's nothing wrong with two retics in a 75g... If you're not familiar with them then you'll need to do your homework first... as you should with any fish you're unfamiliar with. 

If we're giving our opinions of other people's suggestions, I think 20 africans would be horrible in a 75g. That is just my opinion though. Nothing more.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Rays need a lot of swimming room... 75 gallons HARDLY gives them enough room to turn around. I'm sorry but I'm a big fan of giving a fish a tank big enough to be happy in. Rays in a 75 just won't cut it. They'd be board to death in there. 20 mbuna cichlids though would be just plain fine, they have relatively small territories and would probably breed which is the ultimate key for a species to be thriving in a tank... never heard of RAYS breeding in a tank of that gallonage.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

oh and for future reference... http://www.fishforums.com/forum/general-freshwater/2483-our-view-stocking-levels-stunting-fish.html


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

A 3" retic would have plenty of space for a long time with NO problem turning around. My buddy has had one in his 75g for months. 

I never told him it would hold them forever, nor did I say to make sure to get a pair to breed them.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Still a firm believer of getting fish that you can house properly for the long term.


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## Guest (May 3, 2007)

Pacu-2 or more feet in length
Irridecent sharks-18 or more inches
Bala shark-not exactly sure but more than 9 inches for sure
Colombian shark-2 or more feet in length. I also believe that they need salt water when they are adults. at least brackish.

I've been reading on threads on this site and there are people that wouldn't even put a piranha in a 55 let alone a 29 gallon. 

I have been told many many many times on this site that just because your fish are alive doesn't mean that they are happy. 

more examples to support my evidence coming later. i am not trying to start an arguement. just saying that your fish will not be happy long term.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Possible suggestions -
Amazon Biotope tank
Tetras, Cories, and Apistos

Mixed Bag
Silver Dollars, Pink Kissing Gouramis, and Pictus

New Hobby Fish
Glow Danios, and other colored fish such as cardinal tetras


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

Retics are one of the smallest species of freshwater stingray, but still, a 75 gallon tank is absolutely too small to house even one. Yes, of course, a 3 inch diameter one would have room, because it's not even close to being fully grown. I had a small specimen in a 30 gallon grow-out once, and once they decide to swim, they really go everywhere they possibly can. A 75 gallon Breeder tank actually would work out as an excellent grow-out, but nothing more in the terms of long term care. 150 gallon tanks are better, and larger of course even more so. Motoros are generally kept in tanks around 180 gallons. They have been bred in tanks as small as 55 gallons, but that of course was only for a few weeks. 

Of course Balas are out of the question, get over a foot in length and need large areas to swim. IMHO i'd do needlenose fish if you like somewhat predatory fish. But, i'm just biased . Do you like oddball fish, preds, community fish, etc,?


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

^ listen to him.


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## Guest (May 4, 2007)

flamingo said:


> Retics are one of the smallest species of freshwater stingray, but still, a 75 gallon tank is absolutely too small to house even one. Yes, of course, a 3 inch diameter one would have room, because it's not even close to being fully grown. I had a small specimen in a 30 gallon grow-out once, and once they decide to swim, they really go everywhere they possibly can. A 75 gallon Breeder tank actually would work out as an excellent grow-out, but nothing more in the terms of long term care. 150 gallon tanks are better, and larger of course even more so. Motoros are generally kept in tanks around 180 gallons. They have been bred in tanks as small as 55 gallons, but that of course was only for a few weeks.
> 
> Of course Balas are out of the question, get over a foot in length and need large areas to swim. IMHO i'd do needlenose fish if you like somewhat predatory fish. But, i'm just biased . Do you like oddball fish, preds, community fish, etc,?


Agreed. Retics can grow up to a foot in disc diameter.


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## Guest (May 4, 2007)

okay...here it goes...

Do you ever watch those animal cop shows on TV? Have you seen all those dogs, cats, birds, snakes, etc.? They are all alive. Does that mean that their owners, or previous owners, are takeing good care of them? I think not. What you are saying is that just because the fish are alive, you are doing something right. The people that own the dogs and cats on TV are doing something right according to your guidelines but in reality, they are doing everything wrong. I highly doubt that they bought their dogs in that condition. They let the dog get that way. 

This is what I would do if I had a 75 gallon tank:

Rainbowfish
Congo tetras
various small, cool looking plecos; bristle nose, gold nugget, rubberlip...
3-spot gouramis, blue and gold
2 schools of 8 or more-any specie of tetra excluding neons, cardinals, and glo-light

OR:
mixed afrcan cichlids

OR:
mixed south american cichlid


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

Retics don;'t grow quickly either. You could keep a retic in a 75g for a few years. 

A motoro would never fully grow in a 180g...


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## Kyoberr (Dec 6, 2006)

I think I would probably fill it up with plants as much as I could, then get maybe one big fish (if I could) and then the rest would be small schooling fish, like zebra danios (really cheap) or neon tetras.


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## Guest (May 4, 2007)

what would your one big fish be? an angel might look good along with lots of tetras. neons, head and tail light, X-ray, silver tip, etc. that would look really cool.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

the only problem with angels and neons is... the neons get hunted down... a really big school would help... but lots of plants would hinder. Go with cardinal tetras or black neons instead a bit more girth = a tetra that lives.


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## Guest (May 5, 2007)

whoops..never thought of dinner...I would ad black neons.


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## Guest (May 7, 2007)

are cardnals bigger than neons


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## tromeokid (Mar 8, 2006)

trust me the bala's will outgrow the tank. its also hard to give any fish store back a fish that is too big. no one would take my bala's when i tried to give them away. luckly i found someone who had a big enough tank to take them off my hands. stay small and less exotic (no rays!)


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

I'm jealous. I wish I had a new 75 gal to set up!
Anyhoo, I'd suggest something like this:

Large school of medium sized tetras (black neons, cardinals, or rummy-nosed)
4 assorted angelfish (personally, I'd go with a black, a platinum, a zebra/leopard and a gold... but that's just me)
5 corydoras or yoyo or burmese loaches

Or a tank of schoolers (looks great in a longer tank - not so great in a tall tank), something like:
10 cardinal tetras
10 rummy-nosed tetras
8 dwarf neons
10 harlequin rasboras
8 corydoras julii
2 pearl gouramis


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

Not all exotic fish get big


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I think since most of the fish we get come from the amazon, africa, or south east asia, all of them are exotic.


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## tromeokid (Mar 8, 2006)

I apoligize for snagging this thread but im also getting error messages when i try to post and i really need some advice. 

i have a 75g that im trying to complete. so far this is my stock

1 adult angel
1 horse faced loach
1 rope fish
1 africian butterfly
3, 4'clown loaches
3 bosemani rainbows
3 smaller neon blue rainbows.

should i stop now or is there room for more rainbow species? im really digging those. I had 2 large balas but luckly found homes for them and since they have been gone the clowns are more active...actually all my fish are more active. i hear corys are good for sand but I didnt know if i should add too many more fish. 
I do know my bosemani's are all male and i should probably get a female or 2 so they show their best colors. any suggestions??

thanks!


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

I think you should increase your numbers of the fish you currently have, instead of getting more species.
Angels, for example, should be kept in groups of 4. They don't "need" to be, as they aren't tight schoolers, but they do enjoy being in groups.

Loaches should also be kept in groups. At least 3. Same goes for rope fish.

I also think you have too many ground dwellers. In proper numbers, you'd have:
3 rope rish, 3 clown loaches, and 3 horseface loaches. IMO you should get 5 of ONE of those types (or 3 rope fish, because they're quite bit). Horseface loaches would be my suggestion, as rope fish are big and so are clowns.

If you want to get more rainbows, I'd suggest that you forget about the angelfish. Go with 3-5 bosemani rainbows, and a larger school of (10?) neon blue rainbows. OR get 3-5 angels, and a school of small neon rainbows.

And a handful of butterflies.


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## tromeokid (Mar 8, 2006)

I was thinking about moving the angel to my empty 29 gallon and maybe getting a few small ground dwellers in that one which would eliminate the need for more Angels in the 75 gallon. the rope, horse face and butterfly were from my origional setup i did when i first started and didnt know any better when it came to researching how many i would need. I would like to give away the horse face or give it back to the pet store but i can never find him... hes always under the sand. the clowns are very healthy and im sure i could give those away very quickly,.same with the rope fish. i hate to see them grow then give them away but i need to do whats best for the system itself. 

thanks for the advice!


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

The ropefish and ****************faces will gather in a small group with others of the same species, but they're perfectly fine on their own. Only disadvantage- horsefaces are a little more cowaradly when kept alone. But, they don't need groups. Ropes can be kept seperate also. The whole stocking level just, well, to bluntly say- isn't the greatest, but not the worst. Just watch the ropefish as it grows- that horseface would be eaten later on.


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## Mazzy (Dec 16, 2006)

IMO Africans, you can get them from a "mixed" tank relatively cheap and as for "donating" to a fish store, instead you could simply sell them to another hobbiest. 

As for the rays, I cringed when I saw that as well. I have kept rays myself and a 75 is really not big enough. Yes teacups aka retics. are very small when you buy them - they are basically newborn pups. A properly fed ray should outgrow a 75 in pretty short order though. Honestly I guess, to give the other poster credit, you could technically keep a single retic in a 75 for that year time frame and let him grow out in it but then you have the issue of getting rid of him/her as well. Also, they eat A LOT and so you'd have to be prepared to spend substantial cash on foods (I always used shrimp, squid, scallops, and some kind of pan fish that was on sale that week - it adds up quick) and then, an hour or so after feeding, you're going to have to vaccuum out the dog sized poo that it leaves for you and all the shrimp shells or other uneaten debris. It's a lot of extra work and a lot of extra cash for someone going to school IMO.


PS.... if you've never had a ray, jsut to give you a real idea of what would make a ray "happy" as far as living out it's days in captivity goes - the last ray I bought, a motoro, came from a person in Detroit with a total of three adult rays, two motoros and one retic. They lived in a human sized (12-18 (didn't measure ) foot around and 3 ft. tall) pool in his basement with two 50 gallon drums for his filter. That's a breeding set up for rays! Now what are the dimensions on that 75 again


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## tromeokid (Mar 8, 2006)

thank Flamingo, I realize my stocking is awful and thats why im trying to get some suggestions on a new arrangment. the africian butterfly will be gone either tonight or tomorrow (found someone who wants another). i went and purchased 3 blue neon rainbows to go with my 3 bosemani's. i plan on doing mostly rainbows but wanted to know how many i could get in a 75 comfortably with the 3 clowns, the rope fish and the adult angel.


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