My 60G Tank - Ideas?

After having a few smaller tanks when I was younger, I am going to be adding a new 60g tank to my home. It is the 48" long 60g tank. Obviously, I still need to set it up, cycle it, and get all that taken care of but I am already trying to envision what I will keep in this tank. From my previous fish-keeping experience I am familiar with a number of species that are my "favorites". Of course, I am also aware that I cannot have all of these in my tank. What I would hope to do is have as many as my "favorites" as I could. In that regard, I wanted to share this list with you and get some suggestions on what would be compatible and able to live together in my 60g tank.

The "Favorites"
African Cichlids
Tiger barbs
Clown loach
Angelfish
Bala or Irridescent sharks
Gouramis

I think that is the basic list... not sure if I left anyone out.
Also, I am aware that there are a wide variety of "African Cichlids" and it is pretty broad. In the past I had hornet (or bumble bee), electric blue, and convicts that made me a fan of them in general.

Thanks SO much. I am thrilled I found this forum and look forward to being more and more active as I get my tank up and running.

Most of those look ok, but the bala sharks swim way to fast for a 4 foot tank, they really need a 6 foot.

The clown loaches get very big too. 4 foot would be ok for quite a few years if you buy them young but would eventually need rehoming.

Have fun getting it all going.

Convicts are american

I have a SA cichlid tank, would recommended to anyone!

Tizer said:

Most of those look ok,

Click to expand...

Just a quick question to clarify...
They all look okay in the sense that any of them can live in the tank individually?? Or they all look okay in the sense that any combination Thanks so much!

good luck with ur new big tank! have fun and take lots of pics!

I wanted clown loach in a 4ft tank, but after researching, they are too big and a schooling fish, so don't go. Same with the Bala sharks.

Barbs, angels, gouramis and cichlids are fine together, as long as the gouramis and cichlids aren't too big for the tank

CrazyAirborne - Thank you so much for the welcome! I am happy to be on here and eager to get more involved as my tank gets up and running.

Codheadjohn - Thank you for the advice. I knew, or at least had a sense, that I could not have/keep the whole list but the ones you suggested is a good chunk of the list. I was afraid angels and barbs could not be together, for example, because the barbs would nip up the angel fins. Another reason I am glad I found this forum and happy for the advice!

The tank is up. I thought I would try and share a pic of it, even though I think I still need to add a few things to it.

You might also notice Brady the Cat. He is excited because he assumes this is a gift for his 4th birthday.

Cat with killer lazer eyes!

Alrighty then... up and running at last! I put the pic below, which I also shared in the more appropriate "pics of members tanks" forum. I appreciate the advice SO much that I found on here, not only in response to my question but in other threads I browsed through.

I got the tip in one to test my tap water... see what I was starting with. Would have never thought to do that, but took the advice and got my results:
pH 7.6 or 7.7
Ammonia, Nitrite, & Nitrate all 0

I also needed to get a grasp on fishless cycling and how to go about it. Thanks to the resource guide on this forum and bdd1952's article on it, I got my answers. I just now started by adding the initial ammonia, aiming to get to 5 ppm.

If all goes well, this will be a smooth start to my tank. The only issue so far is that my tank & stand are not 100% level... they were level when empty but after filling it is leaned ever so very slightly forward. It is barely noticeable at all to the naked eye, only with my level do you see a slight degree. I am not overly concerned, though. With 60g there is a lot of weight pushing down and it doesn't seem like it would tip unless someone purposely aimed to pull it over. I could still level it off with a couple tricks too, if it sticks in my mind.

One fairly minor concern right now, and the only one, thanks to so many of you. Seriously, if not for all the good tips and advice on here I am sure I would have a LIST of worries right now! I am looking forward to learning more, getting more experience, and hopefully starting to share some thoughts and advice more than ask for it. Thanks again!