Stocking my 60 gallon tank

[Atraiiin]

Hello everyone,
I have just gotten into this awesome hobby and ask myself what have I been doing my whole life? I’m addicted which is why I upgraded from my 20 Gallon Hex tank to a 60 gallon tank. I need some advice on what stocking options I can do. I love my Corydoras and would like to keep them, unless there are other bottom feeders I can substitute them with. I really want to get a pair of Bolivian Rams or GBR and hopefully have them breed, but I’m in love with how the African cichlids look... so I guess what are my options here? Do I get a pair of bigger fish and run with it or go balls out with smaller fish and have a community? I like swordtails they are cool
Fish, but I can have swordtails in a 20 gallon. I’m so stuck and now I’m blabbing on hahah, the people at the pet store are young kids collecting a check and don’t care and will sale me any fish so I made an account and trying to get advice from those who actually do this for real. The guy at the store said I could have a goldfish and Oscar in a 20 gallon....

 

[Waterstrider]

The guy at the store is nuts. Lol you sound like me. Yeah there’s tons of fish that fill a Cory cats role,. I prefer small plecos and loaches myself of which there are a variety. Cory often do poorly with most cichlids imo.

 

[Retired Viking]

Welcome to the forum, My largest tank is a 55 gallon, years ago I add 8 African Cichlids to my community tank, they were rescues my daughter brought home. Shortly after I had to remove the other fish except my pleco because the cichlid went after the other fish. In a year I had over 50 of them in the tank. I ended up removing just about everything from the tank to get them to stop breeding. I gave away a lot of them.

 

[Metalhead88]

Well first off, don't listen to that guy at the store. Oscars need a 55 gallon tank at minimum with no tankmates. This is awful advice and everything that guy says afterwards should be discredited.

You have lots of options here. Do you want a lot of fish? or a few larger ones? Most importantly, what is your hardness? You've mentioned swordtails, african cichlids, corys, and rams all of which fish are very sensitive to a specific hardness. Rams and corys prefer softer water where swordtails and african cichlids will prefer harder water. These are some of the fish where hardness is very important.

Khuli loaches are another option instead of corys.

I'll wait for more info on your water and interests to comment further.

 

[Retired Viking]

Well first off, don't listen to that guy at the store. Oscars need a 55 gallon tank at minimum with no tankmates. This is awful advice and everything that guy says afterwards should be discredited.

You have lots of options here. Do you want a lot of fish? or a few larger ones? Most importantly, what is your hardness? You've mentioned swordtails, african cichlids, corys, and rams all of which fish are very sensitive to a specific hardness. Rams and corys prefer softer water where swordtails and african cichlids will prefer harder water. These are some of the fish where hardness is very important.

Khuli loaches are another option instead of corys.

I'll wait for more info on your water and interests to comment further.

I agree with @Waterstrider and @Metalhead88 do not believe what you hear from the guy at your LFS, research it before you buy it.

 

[Atraiiin]

Well first off, don't listen to that guy at the store. Oscars need a 55 gallon tank at minimum with no tankmates. This is awful advice and everything that guy says afterwards should be discredited.

You have lots of options here. Do you want a lot of fish? or a few larger ones? Most importantly, what is your hardness? You've mentioned swordtails, african cichlids, corys, and rams all of which fish are very sensitive to a specific hardness. Rams and corys prefer softer water where swordtails and african cichlids will prefer harder water. These are some of the fish where hardness is very important.

Khuli loaches are another option instead of corys.

I'll wait for more info on your water and interests to comment further.

That was going to be my next question all
My levels are damn near perfect in the tank, except my water is super hard, I don’t know how to lower this to softer water, I may have to go with a hardy fish I fi can’t get the water softer.

 

[CryptFan]

A trio of pearl gouramis, a few different schools of tetras or rasboras and Corydoras would be awesome.

 

[Atraiiin]

How big do the Gourami get? What about some guppies in the mix? I know they breed like rabbits but with a tank this size should be an issue and not all dry will
Make it?

 

[Waterstrider]

I have K loaches myself and love them. They are small though if that’s an issue.
synodontis does well with Africans . Plecos do great with central and South American cichlids much of the time.
If you want a single cichlid with personality, firemouth does great in that tank and could be kept with a breeding pair of bn plecos if you like projects. All of those do fine in hard water tanks. Gold dust mollies are good in those size too

 

[Atraiiin]

Well first off, don't listen to that guy at the store. Oscars need a 55 gallon tank at minimum with no tankmates. This is awful advice and everything that guy says afterwards should be discredited.

You have lots of options here. Do you want a lot of fish? or a few larger ones? Most importantly, what is your hardness? You've mentioned swordtails, african cichlids, corys, and rams all of which fish are very sensitive to a specific hardness. Rams and corys prefer softer water where swordtails and african cichlids will prefer harder water. These are some of the fish where hardness is very important.

Khuli loaches are another option instead of corys.

I'll wait for more info on your water and interests to comment further.

Can I get African cichlids with the loaches? I know they prefer harder water? Or what about Bolivian rams? I want a pair of cichlids but my water is so hard here in Denver and I’m unsure how to soften it

 

[Atraiiin]

Welcome to the forum, My largest tank is a 55 gallon, years ago I add 8 African Cichlids to my community tank, they were rescues my daughter brought home. Shortly after I had to remove the other fish except my pleco because the cichlid went after the other fish. In a year I had over 50 of them in the tank. I ended up removing just about everything from the tank to get them to stop breeding. I gave away a lot of them.

What about just a pair of African cichlids? And what other fish can go with them? I know they are on the more aggressive side

 

[Waterstrider]

Africans not so great with loach.
It really sounds like you want Africa here, so I’m gonna throw you an idea. Pseudo tropheus saulosi. It’s a 2 in 1 fish. The 2 sexes look like different species!
there are some African cats in the synodontis group that can do well with them

 

[Atraiiin]

I have K loaches myself and love them. They are small though if that’s an issue.
synodontis does well with Africans . Plecos do great with central and South American cichlids much of the time.
If you want a single cichlid with personality, firemouth does great in that tank and could be kept with a breeding pair of bn plecos if you like projects. All of those do fine in hard water tanks. Gold dust mollies are good in those size too

Are the k loaches good cleaners like the corys? That’s why I like them they are fun to watch but they also have a job to do. I want to get a pleco but I heard their bio load is an issue. I like the swordtails they are awesome and I’m sure I could get a make and a few females and have them breed and that would make a good tank, with some mollies and guppies maybe a school of tetras or rasBs. But they can all handle hard water and corys can’t? My 20 hex is very hard and I have two Julie corys in there and they seem to be doing alright.

 

[Atraiiin]

Africans not so great with loach.
It really sounds like you want Africa here, so I’m gonna throw you an idea. Pseudo tropheus saulosi. It’s a 2 in 1 fish. The 2 sexes look like different species!
there are some African cats in the synodontis group that can do well with them

Honestly I want to do a pair of dwarf cichlids such as electro blues, of Bolivian, but my issue I guess is my water being two hard. So if I can’t make it soft I don’t think that’ll be an option. I appreciate your recommendation and I’ll look into it. Tank is cycled but no fish in it cause I want to do it right.

 

[Waterstrider]

Yeah rams don’t like hard water, I’m telling you lol, google saulosi they’re super bright and you could probably do several.
Electric blue acara could handle harder water then rams, they have some of that electric look of the rams. Meaner though