65 Gallon tall stocking help!!

[Fishyone2]

Good afternoon, everyone. I have been cycling my 65-gallon tall tank (L 36in, D 18in, H 25in), and I am wondering what good community/shoal fish I should put in it. I posted a picture of my aquarium if it helps with ideas. I would like a small/medium-sized cichlid, but I am unsure about tank size and other factors.


pH 7.5

GH 180

KH 80

Water temperature 76/77°F (can be adjusted)

Substrate: medium-size river rocks (very smooth/not sharp)

 

[CassCats]

If you like small cichlids, you could consider either Bolivian rams or kribensis... one or the other. There are some other specialty ones, but the ones above are 2 I know that would do well in your parameters and tank size. It all just depends on what you prefer. Maybe add a little patch of sand since many are sifters and enjoy picking through the sand to forage for food. Gravel limits this, but isn't necessarily harmful.

36" is shorter than a standard 55 gallon despite volume being higher, so you have to factor that in with stock options. You'd want to avoid larger fish, so I wouldn't suggest acara or such even though it's a 60+.

Either cichlid option above allows you to still choose from general rasboras or tetras or other types of fish, provided space and parameters are adequate. Again, depends what you like. But I know if you like kribs, there are some neat African fish that could compliment them, but @GaryE would have better knowledge there. If Bolivian rams are a better choice for you, I'd pair them with something like lemon tetras and go for a larger group of them

 

[Fishyone2]

Oh, I do like those lemon tetras. I wanted to get tetras; I was looking at black skirt tetras because my brother has them, and I was looking at polar cichlids—they say they get about 6 inches. Would that be too big for this tank? Say 10 tetras, 2 polar cichlids, and bottom feeders? This is my first tank, so I am learning and want an active tank without over stocking

 

[CassCats]

I'd skip the bottom feeders, because they'll be in the cichlid territory and 36 inches is not enough room to share.

Could do a pair of polar blues, but they're also much more aggressive, they're a hybrid crossed with convicts and other cichlids... and there's mixed results on temperament but apparently when they breed they can get really nasty. So I would think really hard on of you want to do a pair of them only or perhaps look at keeping a pair of smaller, more peaceful cichlids with something up top. But definitely skip the bottom dwellers in this tank since cichlids are bottom spawners. If it was a 4 foot tank, you have more leeway depending on your choices, but not in a 3 footer.

 

[Fishyone2]

I appreciate the information. Glad I decided to make a post about this! I may end up doing lemon tetras or white skirts with a small cichlid pair.

 

[Magnum Man]

I have 4 aquariums with that profile... 3-45 talls, and 1-65... I have South American mid sized Cichlids, and African tetras, in 2 of the 45's, and Tilapia breeding stock in 1-45, and the 65...

mine are working... but with that tank profile, it would work best if you had some bottom, middle, and top layer fish... when I put together both my Tetra community tanks, I incorrectly assumed the Tetras would be top water fish, it I discovered the African Tetras took the middle layer, and the South American Tetras took the bottom... I would think 2-3 medium small Cichlids, for the bottom... most Tetras will take the middle, if the bottom is taken, and something like hatchet fish are top water only, and I've heard most pencil fish varieties will be happy with the top zone... I have zebra Oto's in with my mid size Cichlids, and that has been working well, as would a pleco or two

I always thought this shape of tank would be nice with Angel fish, and I do have one, in my Cichlid tank, but I've never been able to keep more than one in a tank long term, but I experimented, with Sliver Dollars ( which would also be a perfect match for this tank size )... I found one silver dollar, and one angel pair up nicely 2 out of two times I tried it...

4-5 Silver dollars ( I like Tigers ) would make an impressive community in a tank like this...

 

[Fishyone2]

I could do a silver dollar school; that wouldn't be bad. What species of cichlid would you recommend? My brother has three polar white cichlids in his 125-gallon tank. They are small now, but he says they will get to 6 inches. Is that too big for this tank?

 

[gwand]

Are those the man made Frankenstein cichlids? If so then two thumbs down.

 

[Magnum Man]

I really like my Cupids, and they are about the right size... I also really like my Electric Blue Acaras, though they are likely man made

 

[Fishyone2]

I have no clue.. new to aquarium keeping and just cycled my 65g (fishless) and trying to figure out a good stock for it

 

[Magnum Man]

 

[Fishyone2]

This is going to be harder than I thought; it was so easy just to throw glowfish in my daughter's tank lol

 

[FranciscoB]

I would discourage placing a school of silver dollars in a 3 foot tank. Too small a tank. And they do like to be in schools, and they live for decades. Yes, people cram them in there but it is not good.

 

[CassCats]

Agreed, they're active schooling fish. No on the silver dollars.

Length is more important than volume in these tank shapes. Taller tanks aren't the greatest despite being "larger" just because it's a 65 gallon

Parrot cichlids aren't the best of choice, they have some health issues risks and can be aggressive because they're also hybrids. I'd skip them unless you opted just for those without any other fish in the tank. They have a short body and bent spine, makes them more prone to internal health problems that are very difficult to treat. It puts a lot of unnecessary strain on their body.

Wouldn't opt for angels, they also get large, and do better with a lot of horizontal space as well as vertical space to allow for temporary territory claim while also allowing loose shoaling behaviors that they portray in the wild.

Electric blue acara also need more space than 3 feet length, they're a larger fish, around 6 inches too, wouldn't recommend.

 

[Fishyone2]

Sounds like I should have gotten a bigger tank lol it was cheap on FB Market place and first time owning a tank didn't realize length is such an issue. I'll figure something out