75g stocking

[rudywieck52]

There is a 75g tank for sale on Craigslist. It has an ac70, heater, lights, and stand included for $180. I already have an additional ac70 that I would put on as well. The largest tank I have ever owned is a 29g. My question is about stocking it. Before I buy it, I want to make sure I am comfortable with the kind of stuff I could put in it.

I would want one fish larger than the rest. Maybe a JD? Then I would hope to fit some smaller cichlids with it like some combination of con, acara, rainbow, etc.

Would this work? Would there be room left over for any kind of schooling fish?

 

[GentleGiantsCichlidKeeper]

There is a 75g tank for sale on Craigslist. It has an ac70, heater, lights, and stand included for $180. I already have an additional ac70 that I would put on as well. The largest tank I have ever owned is a 29g. My question is about stocking it. Before I buy it, I want to make sure I am comfortable with the kind of stuff I could put in it.

I would want one fish larger than the rest. Maybe a JD? Then I would hope to fit some smaller cichlids with it like some combination of con, acara, rainbow, etc.

Would this work? Would there be room left over for any kind of schooling fish?

There's many options to put into a tank of that size. If you were theoretically to get a Jack Dempsey I personally think you would be able to fit some smaller cichlids into the mix in a tank that size. But because of the Jack Dempsey's aggressiveness I suggest you up the tank size so you could get some fish that could handle it for sure. I'm sure the JD would work in the 75 Gallon Tank by there self. If you really wanted to give it a try, try a female to see. Also, with this being your first time having a bigger tank than 29 gallons prepare for the big water changes, and JD in my opinion produce a lot of waste so have good filtration as well. I wish you all the best in your new endeavors!

 

[Deadeye]

Maybe a jd and a female con (maybe a pair of cons, but they may harass the Dempsey) with dithers like giant danios, rainbow fish, or large tetras. You can also add a Raphael cat or a pleco for scavenging.

 

[Deadeye]

If you do an electric jack it may open up the options more as they are much less aggressive. Good cichlid tankmates for regular ones are cons, firemouths, or blood parrots. Rainbows and acaras are probably too nice better with the electric jack.

 

[Rocksor]

Skip the JD if you want other cichlids. They are territorial by nature. A 4 foot tank will decrease chances of it coexisting with other cichlids.

EBJD are hard to raise past 4” since they are generally weak.

if you really want the JD, get a smaller sized one and raise it with swordtails or mollies as dither fish

 

[rudywieck52]

Skip the JD if you want other cichlids. They are territorial by nature. A 4 foot tank will decrease chances of it coexisting with other cichlids.

EBJD are hard to raise past 4” since they are generally weak.

if you really want the JD, get a smaller sized one and raise it with swordtails or mollies as dither fish

If I didn't go with a JD as the centerpiece, what would a better option be? Are there less aggressive large cichlids that would do better with acaras and rainbows?

 

[rudywieck52]

There's many options to put into a tank of that size. If you were theoretically to get a Jack Dempsey I personally think you would be able to fit some smaller cichlids into the mix in a tank that size. But because of the Jack Dempsey's aggressiveness I suggest you up the tank size so you could get some fish that could handle it for sure. I'm sure the JD would work in the 75 Gallon Tank by there self. If you really wanted to give it a try, try a female to see. Also, with this being your first time having a bigger tank than 29 gallons prepare for the big water changes, and JD in my opinion produce a lot of waste so have good filtration as well. I wish you all the best in your new endeavors!

I'm not worried about the water changes. Looking forward to them, actually.

 

[Deadeye]

A blood parrot or severum is probably going to get along better with the more peaceful cichlids. Severums are generally mild mannered, plus a lot of colors to choose from, get 10-12 inches.
Parrots (despite being half red devil) have deformities that keep them from being too dangerous (some still find a way), get 8-10 inches.
I keep my turquoise sev with a rainbow with no problems.

A firemouth is also is a good option, but isn’t much of a centerpiece among other cichlids, as it isn’t much larger and not as colorful imo.

 

[GentleGiantsCichlidKeeper]

Yes, I have all of the fish listed by Deadeye and they are on the more peaceful side.I personally recommend getting the Golden Severum or Red-Spotted as they seems to be the most peaceful for a community tank or another option cichlid is you weren't going to get the Jack Dempsey after all. Blood Parrot is a great option as well! Firemouth Cichlid aren't very colorful but they make up for it in personality. Do watch the Blood Parrots as they will chase a fish to death if they don't like them, lol.

 

[rudywieck52]

I love the look of the red-spotted severum, so that is an easy choice for me for the larger fish. How many of the medium sized peaceful cichlids could I get to house with it? I like firemouth, but they definitely don't have the colors that some others do. I'm kind of looking at acaras, rainbows, and firemouths in the same light in terms of size and temperament. Is that accurate to do, or am I misinformed? How many could I look to house with the severum in a 75g? Could anything else be added as well, or would they max it out?