How would you stock a 21"x21"x21"

[simonas]

I am after inspiration guys, I have the above sized tank with live rock coral and fish in but I want to break that down and use it for freshwater like my other tanks. I only usually keep bigger fish so I am after some inspiration from you more knowledgeable people

I have bandied about the thought of dwarf channa to breed them or hillstream loaches to try and breed them both of which would save on heating
Or are there small enough african cichlids I could keep in a tank this size

Please help me think outside the box

 

[Obsessed with fish]

What are you water parameters?

 

[simonas]

What are you water parameters?

I don't test my freshwater but its pretty neutral where I live usually 6.8-7ph and softer water rather than hard

 

[Obsessed with fish]

I don't test my freshwater but its pretty neutral where I live usually 6.8-7ph and softer water rather than hard

Most African cichlid species like a ph of above 7.4, but south american and west African cichlids like softer water which would be fine for your water, but hillstream loches should be fine in your aquarium, in your water i would suggest honey gouramis, tetras (neon tetras are my fav) and Cory catfish too.

 

[Wills]

If you can harden your water Lake Tanganyika would give you a couple of interesting options - mainly in the shell dweller groups but an interesting choice. I have a group of Red Eye Red Tail Puffers in a similar sized tank and that works really nicely quite tricky to keep as you have to feed them snails to keep their beaks under control, not as tough as other puffers but not impossible. I keep mine with cherry and amano shrimp as well - very gentle fish really, I think the young cherries get picked off but there is a healthy colony growing in there and the puffers leave them alone.

Wills

 

[Acorno]

You could do a group of keyhole cichlids, or African butterfly cichlids. Any option would work with a group of medium sized tetras like red eyes.

 

[simonas]

If you can harden your water Lake Tanganyika would give you a couple of interesting options - mainly in the shell dweller groups but an interesting choice. I have a group of Red Eye Red Tail Puffers in a similar sized tank and that works really nicely quite tricky to keep as you have to feed them snails to keep their beaks under control, not as tough as other puffers but not impossible. I keep mine with cherry and amano shrimp as well - very gentle fish really, I think the young cherries get picked off but there is a healthy colony growing in there and the puffers leave them alone.

Wills

I like those puffers are they the Irubesco?

I fancy cichlids though so will have a good look in to Tanganyika as in all the years I have kept fish I have never kept africa lake cichlids