Stocking - Please Help, I Feel Lost!

[Seeker]

Hi all,
 
The OH and I are 99% decided on a Juwel Trigon 190 for our living room, but that's about the only thing we've agreed on! 

 
We've been talking about stocking options as we want to decide on this before we buy the aquarium.  Unfortunately we both want different things from the tank, so I'm hoping some of you lovely people can suggest stocking options that will keep the pair of us happy...
 
I'm a fan of individual character fish - I had an Oscar as a teen (although in my ignorance I kept him in less than ideal conditions 

) and enjoy fish that I can interact with, or that are a little bit different.  OH, on the other hand, wants a fairly traditional community - a range of species, plenty of colour and movement, activity across all levels of the tank and a "showpiece" fish.
 
***ETA - For clarity, I'm not considering an Oscar for this set up!  I'm aware it's not a big enough tank and it wouldn't be fair.***
 
My initial thought was to go for some sort of dwarf cichlid (I really like laetacara dorsigera) and stock around that, but that's as far as I've got - I've never done a community tank and there are so many options that I'm feeling a bit lost.  I'm also unsure on stocking levels; I know the inch per gallon rule isn't really a rule once you're talking about any fish over a couple of inches, but I don't know what else to go by.
 
I'd also really love to put a small fancy pleco in there - maybe hypancistrus inspector?  I've always wanted a pleco... 

 
If you guys wouldn't mind throwing out some ideas for stocking lists, just to give me a starting point, I'd be really grateful!

 

[monahan95]

Unfortunately your tank would be too small to house an oscar due to the sheer size they can reach, you would require at least a 250l aquarium
 
If I were you i would go for a community aquarium, there are lots of weird and wonderful fish to choose from

Get a couple of nice species of shoaling fish, a couple of centrepiece fish and a shoal of bottom feeders (probably a species of corydoras) and you tank will look great

. May I suggest using sand or a fine gravel as your substrate as this would be ideal for corydoras.  Also go for live plants in you aquarium, the benefits to them over fake plastic plants are just incredible 

 
 
Here is a website I always use when i'm doing my research on fish, its really helpful

http/www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=830
 
Oh and there are loads of nice plecos on there to, just make sure you don't choose one that will outgrow your tank

 

[Seeker]

Unfortunately your tank would be too small to house an oscar due to the sheer size they can reach, you would require at least a 250l aquarium
 
If I were you i would go for a community aquarium, there are lots of weird and wonderful fish to choose from

Get a couple of nice species of shoaling fish, a couple of centrepiece fish and a shoal of bottom feeders (probably a species of corydoras) and you tank will look great

. May I suggest using sand or a fine gravel as your substrate as this would be ideal for corydoras.  Also go for live plants in you aquarium, the benefits to them over fake plastic plants are just incredible 

 
 
Here is a website I always use when i'm doing my research on fish, its really helpful

http/www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=830

 
Thank you for the reply, and the link!

Sorry, I probably wasn't clear, I wasn't intending on putting an Oscar in this tank, I know it's too small - I had one years ago, but wasn't considering one for this setup.  Thank you anyway though I was considering stocking around a dwarf cichlid to get my cichlid fix, but not 100% decided!

 

[monahan95]

Lol, deciding what to stock your tank with is always the fun bit, personally I like the weird and wonderful 

 

[Raticataticus]

If you google image 'Juwel Trigon 190' you can see what other people have done with this tank and maybe get some ideas.
Though I do like the look of this tank, I would strongly discourage you from getting it as for the amount space it would take up you could have a rectangular tank which would give you a lot more water to work with and therefore more options. Though the smaller capacity may not bother you now, it might get annoying once you start researching fish and finding one you like but then realising your tank isn't big enough. I have made this mistake before. Always try to get this biggest tank you can afford/have room for.
 
Anywho, my stocking suggestion is Gouramis. They would satisfy your need for a big pretty fish with personality and your OH's "centrepiece" fish and they can be in a community. You will have to do some research as I don't know which ones are the more community-friendly ones. My personal favourite are the blue dwarf ones but i am not sure if they are community-compatible. 
 

 
My other big suggestion is try to do a sand substrate as most of the cool bottom feeders such as Corydoras and Loaches require sand. I wish someone had told me this before I set my tank up. I love Kuhli Loaches and Corys.
 

 
 

 
 
You could also get a Bristlenose Catfish 
 

 
Hope this helps!

 

[Seeker]

 
Hi Raticaticus - thank you for the suggestions!
 
The reason we're thinking of a Trigon is because we don't have a stretch of wall big enough for a rectangular tank of equivalent volume; it has to either be a corner unit or a cubic style tank like a Lido.  Unfortunately our living room is quite an awkward shape!
 
The kuhli loaches are really sweet, I hadn't thought of those but I do like them.  I also really like the picture of the cory you posted - what type is it, please?  
 
Would we be able to do loaches, cories and a pleco on the bottom of this tank, or would we have to choose just one or two of these?

 

[Raticataticus]

 
The kuhli loaches are really sweet, I hadn't thought of those but I do like them.  I also really like the picture of the cory you posted - what type is it, please?  
 
Would we be able to do loaches, cories and a pleco on the bottom of this tank, or would we have to choose just one or two of these?

 
I'm not sure what type he is as I just pulled that pic off google, I'm sure someone will probably be able to chime in and tell you. I think with that tank size it would be okay to have all 3 (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). One Bristlenose and at least 6 each of Cories and Kuhlis.

 

[Seeker]

Thanks for the advice and suggestions, guys; we think we're going for a New World community tank with some dwarf cichlids as the centrepiece

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Mixing loaches, Corydoras and a plec (of which there are many types) in this tank would not be a wise choice. Many loach species will outcompete Corydoras for food and plecs can be both "messy" high bioload fish and territorially aggressive on the tank floor.
 
Laetacara dorsigera are lovely dwarf cichlids, you could build a nice little biotope in your Trigon 190, using a group of 12-20 pencilfish as upper water dithers and a group of ~10 Corydoras that come from the same area.