# Fish for my new 180l Tropical - Soft Water



## MrHammonds (16 Feb 2018)

Hello!

So, I've got the new tank planted and set up, just in the process of waiting for it to cycle (with seeded media.)

I went for a tropica substrate capped with a 2-4mm rounded gravel on top, was going to go full biotope but did so much research that I eventually talked myself out of doing it because I found it too restrictive personally, I've ended up putting in a mix of tropical plants in for cheap from 'Plants Alive' and a few pieces of bogwood for scaping.

Anyway, to the fish! I would still like to stick to a specific region for fish but not mega strict. I'm thinking SE Asia or South America as it would suit my soft water and slightly acidic pH's (I've kept a log of my other tanks and the pH seems to stay around 6/6.5 with weekly 25% water changes.)

I'm wanting to build a community without any rare or difficult to care for species (chocolate gourami's etc.)

My fish knowledge is pretty poor and I just want to pick your brains on a good SE Asian or S American community tank setup which will suit my tank (i.e. small rounded gravel bottom, slightly acidic pH, moderate lighting, good surface agitation, external 800lph filter, well planted.)

I'd like to get a fish for every area of the tank (bottom dwellers, mid, top etc.) I'm open to any fish and I'd like a good centrepiece fish, not fussed if its a pair etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I said, my fish knowledge isn't the best so I'm researching but feel like I'm overlooking decent fish. I've got good places around me to source fish so hopefully I can get most of what anyone suggests.

Cheers


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## Conort2 (17 Feb 2018)

If you was to go South American you could have a shoal of tetras, kitty tetras or lemons are my favourites, a pair of dwarf cichlids, such as apistogramma cacutoides and maybe some catfish such as farlowella or sturisoma. Corydoras would have been perfect but not with the gravel, they really need sand. 

To be fair with the water you've got there are so many possibilities/combinations of South American and south East Asian community fish you could have.

Cheers Conor


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## MrHammonds (17 Feb 2018)

Conort2 said:


> If you was to go South American you could have a shoal of tetras, kitty tetras or lemons are my favourites, a pair of dwarf cichlids, such as apistogramma cacutoides and maybe some catfish such as farlowella or sturisoma. Corydoras would have been perfect but not with the gravel, they really need sand.
> 
> To be fair with the water you've got there are so many possibilities/combinations of South American and south East Asian community fish you could have.
> 
> Cheers Conor



Thanks for the reply!

Yeh so Cory cats out of the question then... Any shoaling species for bottom dwellers in a SA community??  

Really like the look of the lemon tetras.


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## sparkyweasel (17 Feb 2018)

Corydoras will be fine with proper, rounded aquarium gravel. It's rough gritty substrates that harm them.


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## Conort2 (17 Feb 2018)

MrHammonds said:


> Yeh so Cory cats out of the question then... Any shoaling species for bottom dwellers in a SA community??



For bottom dwellers that shoal I can only really think of corys. There are ottos but they don't really stick to the bottom. There are loads of different smaller pleco species but they're not shoalers and are best kept in smaller groups.

Or you could go Asian with a smaller loach species to shoal on the bottom and a shoal of danios and/or barbs for up top. Like I said with your water you have so many options for a small community. 

Cheers


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## tam (17 Feb 2018)

What fish do you like? There are so many to pick from it's really down to your personal preference. I can tell you what fish I like (I'd go for big shoals of nano sized fish), but you'll get a hundred different answers. If you pick one species to start it will be easier to help you match something to it.


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## MrHammonds (17 Feb 2018)

tam said:


> What fish do you like? There are so many to pick from it's really down to your personal preference. I can tell you what fish I like (I'd go for big shoals of nano sized fish), but you'll get a hundred different answers. If you pick one species to start it will be easier to help you match something to it.



Well I've got a total mix in my 125l community... So I definitely want to stick to a region life SA or SEA.

In the 180... I would like to have a really nice centerpiece fish (or pair) that don't become ridiculously aggressive and will tolerate others (so maybe 2 males or 2 females as I don't want then to spawn.) If SA then definitely a cichlid... A pair that wouldn't outgrow a 180l aquarium. Also like some of the tetras like lemons or something like that.

If I did go SEA then a gourami centerpiece and work around that??


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## Conort2 (17 Feb 2018)

If you went the South American route could do the lemon tetras you like with a pair of easier apistos.

If you went Asian could do pearl gourami, the males when fully mature are a perfect centre piece, with harlequins and a small loach species and plant it with a load of crypts.


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