WhistlingBadger
Professional Cat Herder
Retired Moderator ⚒️
Tank of the Month 🏆
Fish of the Month 🌟
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2011
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- 6,973
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- Location
- Where the deer and the antelope play
Hey, kids. We're coming into year four on the rainbow tank build, and the clients are ready for something new. So, I'm planning on rebuilding this summer. It's a 150 gallon with great lighting and filtration. The clients asked me to give them about five options to choose from, and in a tank this size, the sky's the limit. The only real caveat is that our town has very soft but slightly alkaline water, so I don't want to go with hard-water options. Constantly goofing with water chemistry is too much work for a tank I don't live with.
Here's what I'm thinking.
Option 1: Keep the same basic stocking (assorted rainbows, emerald brochis, panda garra, zebra loach, one or two other things; see link in my sig) but rebuild with new substrate and less venerable plants. My least favorite option, as I really like trying new things, but sometimes you stick to the devil you know. This setup works, and it has made lots and lots and lots of people happy over the years, so if they want to keep it I'm good with that.
Option 2: Cool-water, Wyoming native/semi-native. A tank this size could easily accommodate a school of bluegills or pumpkinseeds as centerpiece, filled out with some native minnows and bottom feeders. We could even house a few young trout if they want to spring for a chiller.
Option 3: South America. School of angelfish, a couple kinds of medium-ish tetras, lots of ottos, cories, maybe a pair if bristlenose and rams on the bottom.
Option 4: Southeast Asia. Moonlight gouramis and/or snakeskin gouramis; a couple types of barbs/rasboras; two-spotted cats; panda garra.
Option 5: Central Africa. I am just beginning to research this region, but the Congo/Stanley pool waters house some truly amazing-looking fish.
Option 6: Softwater community combining any of the above, choosing for beauty and behavioral compatibility rather than region of the world.
Option 7: Large and/or predatory fish. I always prefer a bunch of small-medium fish to a few big ones, but I must admit that keeping a few chompies would be fun.
Oops, that seven options, and I haven't even thought about it that hard yet. See my problem? So what do you think? If you had a 150 to stock and someone else was footing the bill, what would YOU do?
Here's what I'm thinking.
Option 1: Keep the same basic stocking (assorted rainbows, emerald brochis, panda garra, zebra loach, one or two other things; see link in my sig) but rebuild with new substrate and less venerable plants. My least favorite option, as I really like trying new things, but sometimes you stick to the devil you know. This setup works, and it has made lots and lots and lots of people happy over the years, so if they want to keep it I'm good with that.
Option 2: Cool-water, Wyoming native/semi-native. A tank this size could easily accommodate a school of bluegills or pumpkinseeds as centerpiece, filled out with some native minnows and bottom feeders. We could even house a few young trout if they want to spring for a chiller.
Option 3: South America. School of angelfish, a couple kinds of medium-ish tetras, lots of ottos, cories, maybe a pair if bristlenose and rams on the bottom.
Option 4: Southeast Asia. Moonlight gouramis and/or snakeskin gouramis; a couple types of barbs/rasboras; two-spotted cats; panda garra.
Option 5: Central Africa. I am just beginning to research this region, but the Congo/Stanley pool waters house some truly amazing-looking fish.
Option 6: Softwater community combining any of the above, choosing for beauty and behavioral compatibility rather than region of the world.
Option 7: Large and/or predatory fish. I always prefer a bunch of small-medium fish to a few big ones, but I must admit that keeping a few chompies would be fun.
Oops, that seven options, and I haven't even thought about it that hard yet. See my problem? So what do you think? If you had a 150 to stock and someone else was footing the bill, what would YOU do?