Rainbowfish or ?

[fishyspots]

I'm planning a 75g tank for my BFs man cave and trying to decide what to put in it. Already have an African tank and two community tanks so want something with somewhat bigger fish that are a little more "manly" than what we already have but know I'm still limited with that size of a tank. Thinking of some rainbowfish or roseline sharks? Other suggestions? Keep in mind I am going to have high pH issues so anything needing very soft/acidic water isn't going to be feasible.

[rolltide#1]

Im a guy and keep rainbowfish. Let me tell you that rainbowfish lend no manlyness. The name alone will leave him open to questions from the guys. I love to brag about my fish but have learned to keep the rainbowfish to myself among nonfish people. I would try some south or central american cichlids. They get big and mean. Good luck and good job with the man cave.

[RichardB]

IMO, Roseline are way better than rainbows :P

[WRabbit]

Rainbows will do better than Roselines in high PH water.

Jim

[Typical Tony]

bichirs will eat rainbows and roselines :D

[poel_19]

bichirs all the way, with a few red hooks, or striped silver dollars(trust me these are rad)

[xrickyhoangx]

i say just get a few oscar, thats manly haha.

[poel_19]

ohh and make it a bare bottom with a painted black background and bottom

[xrickyhoangx]

actually skip the oscar, get a pair of dovii. im sure they will show you how manly they are, mostly during mating time. xD

[Sigmar]

I'm man enough to have rainbows:exactly:

[denierlexiese]

South American Cichlids. Jake Dempseys, Lepos, pacu, blood parrot, clown loaches. Many fish

[xrickyhoangx]

i wouldnt say rainbow fish arent a mans fish, i actually like them, due to there outstanding color, i would just say south american cichlids would be more manly imo, haha its really what you like, if its for looks a school of rainbows would totally look better imo.

[spxsk]

Please look at the adult size when considering how big these suggestions of Cichlids get, and realize that a 75 gallon, while sizable is probably good for a pair of fish (though not all the fish suggested should be kept in a 75 even alone!).

That said, I think a really nice pair of Severum would be awesome. They are pretty big when adults, can get nice and thick, and if you get a pair that will spawn for you, that adds interest watching them raise their kids. You can also keep some smaller dither fish with them no issues. I have some that will look awesome in that tank if interested, see my recent posts.

[denierlexiese]

Ah. Yes some of the fish I recommended get pretty big, and could get cramped in a 75. However I would still recommend this setup because once they get too big for the tank you'll love them so much you'll get a bigger tank, or you can give them away to happy forum folks who have bigger tanks and replace them with smaller versions again.

[fishyspots]

I love Pacus but know they get WAY too big for a tank that size-and do it very quickly! Would love an Apisto tank but again, the high pH is not going to work with them.
Thanks to all for suggestions! Still undecided but have some new ones to investigate.....

[FlamandalayBay]

I say, since you are talking about a fair to high ph, that you go more brackish. It'll be very interesting and "manly" as well lol. You could do a small group of Green Puffers(tetradon fluviatilis- max sz 8 inches) and perhaps some monos and or scats. Definately do a lil research before you dive into this gig as it may prove to eat up your pocket book if you aren't careful...

[fishyspots]

That's why I'm asking all you pros on here! ;) Don't want to get into a real expensive type of fish when I've already had issues keeping some simple ones alive...

[FlamandalayBay]

Well, the reason i say that about the expense is you could spend some money replacing the fish if you aren't careful. i.e. the puffers need the shells of snails n such to keep their beaks trimmed unless ya wanna do it yourself so I am just saying learn about the types of fish specifically so you know what to expect, no suprises, and then you are prepared. It would make a smashing set up in a 75 too!:hehe:

[RichardB]

I was just wondering...why are you going to have high ph and how much are you talking about?

[fishyspots]

Our tap water is about 8.2 pH. Even with driftwood or almond leaves in the tanks, it seldom gets below 8.0 and I live a long way from any of the stores that sell RO water and not really wanting to buy my own unit and try to figure out how to titer water for so many tanks every day. I've pretty much just decided to deal with it and get fish that can happily adapt (so much for my discus dreams.....). I am religious about doing water changes and typically use 20-40 gal a day which is impractical to try and haul in from an outside source, especially since that is going to go way up once I add the two bigger tanks.

[RichardB]

Our tap water is about 8.2 pH. Even with driftwood or almond leaves in the tanks, it seldom gets below 8.0 and I live a long way from any of the stores that sell RO water and not really wanting to buy my own unit and try to figure out how to titer water for so many tanks every day. I've pretty much just decided to deal with it and get fish that can happily adapt (so much for my discus dreams.....). I am religious about doing water changes and typically use 20-40 gal a day which is impractical to try and haul in from an outside source, especially since that is going to go way up once I add the two bigger tanks.
IMO, most fish can adapt to a wide range of ph. Something I've experienced in the few years of fish keeping is that frequent water changes often cause problems. Fish would rather have a stable system than new water every week. A clean environment can be provided with proper filtration.
Most of my tanks get a 30~40% WC every 2~3 months. Never had a fish die(other than my oscar/salvini hunting :P) and i've have various fish breed in my tanks.
All i'm saying is, Just get some fish that would fit in the 75 and something that your husband will like and dont really worry about them adapting.

[FlamandalayBay]

For the most part i agree with Richard, however i would do water changes a bit more regular(like 30% 1x a month) unless it is planted. I also WOULD in fact worry about PH etc as we try to have our fish thrive and not just survive. Some fish can very well survive and even thrive in a higher ph than what is recommended but then another species may not tolerate it at all. Also you never wanna "shock" your fish with the ph factor. it must be very gradual.

[fishyspots]

I'm currently doing 30-50% per week, depending on the tank. I have a bad tendency to overstock because I really like fish ;) and only have smaller tanks to work with. My cichlids need 2x weekly changes or my nitrates get high but the others would probably be fine with longer durations than I give them. Was just trying to be proactive and keep everything fresh but may need to revisit that....

[RichardB]

For the most part i agree with Richard, however i would do water changes a bit more regular(like 30% 1x a month) unless it is planted. I also WOULD in fact worry about PH etc as we try to have our fish thrive and not just survive. Some fish can very well survive and even thrive in a higher ph than what is recommended but then another species may not tolerate it at all. Also you never wanna "shock" your fish with the ph factor. it must be very gradual.
:rolleyes: Its not like the fish is actually gonna speak to you and say they're thriving rather than just surviving. You find that out by how healthy the fish is.
When I think about it, if you have fish raising fry in your tank and they all are growing well, that means you are doing stuff right.
On the other hand, I could just be an ignorant fool who does most things wrong. So dont listen to me :p: