Throw me some ideas for fish for a 100 gallon tank :)

[Deathbybread21]

Got my tank all set up and cycled. It’s 100 gallons and I’m unsure what to put in it. I like discus but they’re quite expensive and am afraid of their care level. Can anyone recommend some colorful fish to get that are relatively big? I don’t like small schooling fish like tetras or anything else less than 3”-4”. Thanks!!

 

[CassCats]

Got my tank all set up and cycled. It’s 100 gallons and I’m unsure what to put in it. I like discus but they’re quite expensive and am afraid of their care level. Can anyone recommend some colorful fish to get that are relatively big? I don’t like small schooling fish like tetras or anything else less than 3”-4”. Thanks!!

What are your water parameters?

Need to know GH and pH especially before we can recommend much.

Also, is this a tall or long 100 gallon?

 

[MaloK]

Do you like em big ? or small ?

 

[fishorama]

Is this your first tank? Discus are not a starter fish, but is that your goal for this tank in the future? Yes, they need a lot of maintenance. You need to get some basics down first.

I like, but haven't kept, some of laetacara cichlids, dorsigera or curviceps are both pretty & fairly mellow. Angelfish might work, but not with discus. Angels are too aggressive for the kind of wimpy discus.

By not wanting any smaller fish, like tetras or corydoras, you'll have many less options. What fish other than discus do you like? What catches your eye in shops or online? Give us an idea so we can offer more suggestions.

 

[GaryE]

The water question is important, because it determines what Cichlids will thrive in your tanks. If you don't have tests, check with your city. Here, regular drinking water reports are published online 4 times a year, with details for each sector of the city. You need to get an idea of the hardness.

You're in an arid region, so chances are you have harder water. But you need the info before you can proceed, since fish lifespan and health can be radically affected by water composition. It's a myth aquarium fish adapt to everything. If you put east African or Central American Cichlids in my tanks (I have very soft water), they would die very young.

 

[Wills]

Depending on the water hardness as mentioned above (though plenty of products to make it harder if you need too) I'd recommend going for Malawi Cichlids.

An all male Peacock and Hap tank would be good but you'd need a lot of research, or a Mbuna tank. Peacocks and Haps live in open water vs Mbuna which live in rocks, stick to species that stay under 6 inches and be prepared to slightly overstock to help with aggression. Mbuna you're best keeping in mixed groups - 1 male to 4-7 (or more) females, things like Socolofi, Acei, Rusties, Yellow or White Labs, Saulosi are all nice peaceful species that get great colours on both genders. A simple rule with Mbuna is not to keep more than one species that looks the same - eg one yellow group, one blue group, one striped group, one white group etc. There are some more aggressive species that could work too like Metriaclima and Labeotropheus but avoid some of the really aggressive species like Auratus and Kennyi. Again research is a bit key with Mbuna but I think a bit easier than Peacocks, you'll get the colour you were looking for from your discuss too .

Wills

 

[Deathbybread21]

What are your water parameters?

Need to know GH and pH especially before we can recommend much.

Also, is this a tall or long 100 gallon?

pH I’ve been testing is anywhere from 7-8 and not sure of GH. It’s a long 100 gallon!

 

[Deathbybread21]

Do you like em big ? or small ?

Like em big but I wouldn’t want just one or two fish in there. A group of 8-10 bigger fish with some smaller tank mates would be awesome.

 

[Deathbybread21]

Depending on the water hardness as mentioned above (though plenty of products to make it harder if you need too) I'd recommend going for Malawi Cichlids.

An all male Peacock and Hap tank would be good but you'd need a lot of research, or a Mbuna tank. Peacocks and Haps live in open water vs Mbuna which live in rocks, stick to species that stay under 6 inches and be prepared to slightly overstock to help with aggression. Mbuna you're best keeping in mixed groups - 1 male to 4-7 (or more) females, things like Socolofi, Acei, Rusties, Yellow or White Labs, Saulosi are all nice peaceful species that get great colours on both genders. A simple rule with Mbuna is not to keep more than one species that looks the same - eg one yellow group, one blue group, one striped group, one white group etc. There are some more aggressive species that could work too like Metriaclima and Labeotropheus but avoid some of the really aggressive species like Auratus and Kennyi. Again research is a bit key with Mbuna but I think a bit easier than Peacocks, you'll get the colour you were looking for from your discuss too .

Wills

Thanks so much

 

[Deathbybread21]

The water question is important, because it determines what Cichlids will thrive in your tanks. If you don't have tests, check with your city. Here, regular drinking water reports are published online 4 times a year, with details for each sector of the city. You need to get an idea of the hardness.

You're in an arid region, so chances are you have harder water. But you need the info before you can proceed, since fish lifespan and health can be radically affected by water composition. It's a myth aquarium fish adapt to everything. If you put east African or Central American Cichlids in my tanks (I have very soft water), they would die very young.

Thank you!! Yeah, our water is very hard here in Arizona. But all the fish stores I’ve been to locally said all the water is hard in AZ so their fish are used to it. I also can soften the water if needed.

 

[CassCats]

Unfortunately the store is a little misinformed.

To explain, fish have evolved to the environments they originated from. Fish who need hard water evolved to require the minerals found in harder water and when kept too soft can become deficient over time and lead to skeletal problems and early death.

Most people are more aware of hard water fish having issues in soft water.

But, there are also problems with keeping soft water fish in hard water, because their bodies evolved in waters deficient with most of the minerals. Many times, the excess minerals build up and cause organ failure, such as mineral deposits in the kidneys and leads to an early death.

There are also studies showing that softwater fish kept in hard water are more susceptible to columnaris infections of the fatal strain versus hard water fish.

The inappropriate water parameters put unnecessary stress on the fish's body and this stress can suppress the immune system, which in turn leads them to being more likely to fall ill. You can get lucky and not have these issues, but it's playing roulette with something's wellbeing. It'd be wiser to choose fish suitable for your parameters to give them and you the best chance of success and longevity.

You can check your city's water provider report in most places for your general GH to get an idea of what your looking at.

There's plenty of options for both hard and soft water that you may like suitable for your tank, but it also depends what your GH ends up being. GH refers to General Hardness, just in case you don't know. Now, the only way to lower GH is to use reverse osmosis water, either you can buy it if your lfs carries it or you can buy your own system and do it yourself. It's less expensive longterm to get fish that match your tap water in the end, because if you need to raise your GH, those products are expensive and if you need to lower it, buying RO enough for every water change adds up, or the initial higher price and time consumption of an RO unit.