new setup...how many ?

[loynzey]

Hi,
old tank leaking due to housemove.
bit bullet and bought new tank..300 litre.

i love a cichlid tank but im thinking another community tank, maybe a load of neons with some discus, clown loaches and maybe some gouramis.

i have external filter (EX1200)

how many discus and clown loaches you think would be a good number?

thanks

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

The Discus and neons should be fine. You could do 5-7 Discus and 6-10+ neons.

I don't think the loaches are a good idea. While they are beautiful and quirky fish, they will eventually outgrow that tank, especially since they need to be kept in decent-sized schools. I know they grow slowly, but eventually, you'll either have to upgrade or get rid of them.

I would recommend corys instead; they get along with everything. I've kept Emerald and Schwartz cories with Angelfish and am keeping Brochis corys with Acaras, tetras, and a few other fish. It's a very fun fish that will be perfect long term. They can also handle the warm temperatures that Discus prefer.

While most gouramis are suitable for your tank long term, personally, I would not choose them because your tank would not be pure American anymore. But that is just my opinion. If you really like the gouramis and loaches, you could set up a larger tank and put some gouramis in with clown loaches. Then you could aquascape the tank with dragon stone and/or a bonsai driftwood tree.

 

[loynzey]

nice1 yeah maybe leave the clowns then...i might even do african cichlids yet not 100% sure yet...but always wanted discus and cichlids but just cant have em in same tank ....if it was up to me id have a house full of tanks

 

[tlindsey]

how many discus and clown loaches?

Welcome aboard
3-4 Discus and agree with S SilverArowanaBoi about not adding the Clown loaches. If you haven't already please do thorough research on the Discus and African Cichlid prior to purchasing.

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

nice1 yeah maybe leave the clowns then...i might even do African cichlids yet not 100% sure yet... I always wanted discus and cichlids but just can't have them in same tank ....if it was up to me I'd have a house full of tanks

I want to clarify: Discus are cichlids, just like Angelfish. So you would be getting your cichlids. Also you can have ram cichlids with Discus, they don't tend to cause problems.

I want to give you this advice that some have taught me on here; choose fish that can live happily in your water parameters without you having to change them. For example, if you have extremely hard water (7.9 and above), then go for African cichlids, which thrive in high pH, but if you have low pH (below 7), then Discus and other soft water fish would be better. If you put fish in the wrong parameters, whether you think they will have problems or not, they will have problems.

Side note: Welcome to the fun group.

 

[loynzey]

I want to clarify: Discus are cichlids, just like Angelfish. So you would be getting your cichlids. Also you can have ram cichlids with Discus, they don't tend to cause problems.

I want to give you this advice that some have taught me on here; choose fish that can live happily in your water parameters without you having to change them. For example, if you have extremely hard water (7.9 and above), then go for African cichlids, which thrive in high pH, but if you have low pH (below 7), then Discus and other soft water fish would be better. If you put fish in the wrong parameters, whether you think they will have problems or not, they will have problems.

Side note: Welcome to the fun group.

good shout yeah ill check hardness, PH around the 7 mark

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

good shout yeah I'll check hardness, PH around the 7 mark

7 pH means neutral water, so you have an appropriate hardness for many different fish. Discus may work, but I'm not 100% certain about that. Like tlindsey said, do a TON of research.