# 500 Gallon - Fish Choice?



## BrentD (Dec 11, 2008)

Finally have the 500 Gallon office SW tank drained and am starting the conversion to freshwater. Looking forward to the stocking, I had originally wanted to go with African Cichlids, but from all the reading I've been doing I have pretty much decided to go with Apistogrammas instead.

That being said I have some questions regarding them... Which species are the most colorful? Can I safely mix species? Could I add some other types of fish to the tank as well, maybe some more common fish that are also colorful? What type of hardscape do apistos prefer?

I'm planning on trying to get a colony of RCS established in the tank as well.


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

Discus or Angels would be a great choice in a tank that sized. Lots of plants and luscious growth. I was going to recommend Chicla but I see you want to keep shrimp...


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## BrentD (Dec 11, 2008)

EntoCraig said:


> Discus or Angels would be a great choice in a tank that sized. Lots of plants and luscious growth. I was going to recommend Chicla but I see you want to keep shrimp...


The boss used to keep fish when he was in college and he's pretty much dead set against Discus because of the work involved and angels, because "they're dull" (his words, not mine.)


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

well larger fish that have good character are few unless you go the cichlid route. you could just do a few large groups of schooling fish. That is always fun to watch.


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## bklyndrvr (May 24, 2008)

How about some arrowanas?


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## Harlequin Ram (Jun 3, 2010)

only if you do not want any smaller fish. There are a few bright apistos but none very big. A big school of cardinals would be awesome. Personally, that big a tank with no option for discus or angels, I would go African cichlids. You have a crapton of bright, mid sized, and highly active options.


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

Harlequin Ram said:


> only if you do not want any smaller fish. There are a few bright apistos but none very big. A big school of cardinals would be awesome. Personally, that big a tank with no option for discus or angels, I would go African cichlids. You have a crapton of bright, mid sized, and highly active options.


While 90% of African Tanks bore me, HR is right. The only African Fish I can stand come from Lake Tanganyika.

Lots of cool shell dwellers and other cool cichlids.

Here is a link to a friends Tang tank: TONS OF PICTURES throughout the whole thread

http://www.utahaquatics.com/viewtopic.php?t=9561


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## javatank (Jun 13, 2010)

rams horn chiclids are beautiful and they are peaceful i kept them with my rainbow tetras before idk just a thought.


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

javatank said:


> rams horn chiclids are beautiful and they are peaceful i kept them with my rainbow tetras before idk just a thought.


Did you mean a Blue Ram cichlid or a Flower Horn cichlid? Blue rams are realy small for a 500G. The Flower Horn would be nice though...


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## javatank (Jun 13, 2010)

im sorry i should have said german blue rams .they are interresting fish , but 500 gal is big. it would prob look awesome with a whole school of them though hahahaha.with the right hardscape and some other bigger peaceful fish. hmm hard to say 500 gal is a big space


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## javatank (Jun 13, 2010)

and is that a peacock bass in the one pic??


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

javatank said:


> and is that a peacock bass in the one pic??


Yep.


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## javatank (Jun 13, 2010)

wow that would be so cool to watch that guy eat


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

javatank said:


> wow that would be so cool to watch that guy eat


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxkOpX-Jvxw&feature=player_embedded#!


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

what about a school (50+) of Red-Lined Torpedo Barbs (a.k.a. Denison Barbs)


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

Those are a great choice! I love Roseline Sharks (Torpedo Barbs,Denison Barbs)

But you're looking at $15 per fish or more...


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## javatank (Jun 13, 2010)

EntoCraig said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxkOpX-Jvxw&feature=playerholy crap!!!


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## javatank (Jun 13, 2010)

http://www.tropicalfishandaquariums.com/DwarfCichlids/RamBlue1.jpg


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

These fish are great. I have had several. But the are not large group fish. The you better in small breeding groups. Though if you do plan on keeping smaller fish in this tank a small group of these would be great. 

Wht water paramaters do you plan on using on this 500G tank? Tap water or RO?


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## Larry Grenier (Apr 19, 2005)

This all depends on whether or not you want a planted tank. If not, then African's are a good choice. If you do want a planted tank then I'd personally recommend large numbers of only a few different fish. Two large groups of two different rainbows + one or two groups of gouramis + two large groups of different tetras + several loached + a few plecos + several ottos + a small group of rams.


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## BrentD (Dec 11, 2008)

This tank is going to be fully automated, including weekly water changes. The water will be tap water, which is river water with minimal filtration. Our town water plant pumps water from the river into large settling tanks where all the muck is allowed to settle out of it, then it is chlorinated and pumped into the towers. No filtering to speak of. I have attached a PDF of the water parameters as they are in the river near the pumping station.

As far as fish goes, the boss wants brightly colored fish that are on par with the typical saltwater/reef fish. I love the German Rams, but I'm afraid our water quality might not be right for them. (Although the hardness of the river water is averages around 62ppm which is about 5dH so that's not too bad.)

After doing a google image search for Apistogramma I was amazed at the number of colors available. I was thinking maybe a large number of smaller brightly colored fish might be better than a few large brightly colored fish.


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

> After doing a google image search for Apistogramma I was amazed at the number of colors available. I was thinking maybe a large number of smaller brightly colored fish might be better than a few large brightly colored fish.


I breeds apistos. The coloring is good, but they are a bit shy and the REALLY good ones are rare.

I sell my really nice looking pairs for $40 a piece...

I'm starting to think you are better off doing cichlids as they come in all colors, or lots of schooling fish.

Maybe you should tell your boss he cant be as picky with the type of water you have


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

IME Apistos LOVE cherry shrimp! Expensive little snacks... Amano shrimp would be better since they're bigger, though I know they aren't as colorful.

You could mix and match some dwarf cichlids, as long as there's plenty of hardscape to block sightlines and mark territories. Lots of floorspace with a 500gal tank. For stocking purposes I'd probably estimate about 2 sqft of floorspace for each pair, though, that tends to be about average.

And then lots of schooling fish for the midwater levels. IMO it's hard to top big schools of 50+ Cardinal and Rummynosed tetras. And/or some Pencilfish- lots of nice ones to choose from there. Along with some Cories. If the tank is covered then Hatchetfish at the surface would round out the classic combo...

Or you could go with an Asian theme; Gourami, Loaches, Tiger barbs, Rasporas...

Or Austrailian; Assorted Rainbows, Gudgeons...

Or African; Congo tetras, Synodontis catfish...

OMG I wish I had some more tanks!


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

how about a school of limnotilapia dardeneii (spelling may be off) with a large group of cyprichromis leptosoma (jumbo black fin), add a few frontosa moba and some anubias and crinum plants and you got a hott tank


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

BrentD said:


> Finally have the 500 Gallon office SW tank drained and am starting the conversion to freshwater. Looking forward to the stocking, I had originally wanted to go with African Cichlids, but from all the reading I've been doing I have pretty much decided to go with Apistogrammas instead.
> 
> That being said I have some questions regarding them... Which species are the most colorful? Can I safely mix species? Could I add some other types of fish to the tank as well, maybe some more common fish that are also colorful? What type of hardscape do apistos prefer?
> 
> I'm planning on trying to get a colony of RCS established in the tank as well.


They might eat the RCS, Cardinal tetras would look nice against a dark background a thick plants.

Apistos are nice and can be added along with them, my checkerboard Cichlids leave the RCS alone, but they have certainly could stand a few picked off even so due to the rates of RCS breeding.

Lots of neat plecos to chose from, a bit more cryptic.

I think a massive school or cardinals, say 500-1000 would look dramatic and very colorful, right along the lines of what the boss wants and the plant goal.

And you can still work some dwarf cichlids in there.

The smaller fish will make the aquarium looking much larger also.










I have Rummy nose and Card's in here(350 gal).










Packed the rear with driftwood, then added ferns and Crypts, easy to care for.

Similar thing but with discus and a larger tank:











Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## soccerpunkid (Dec 21, 2008)

My vote is for austrailian rainbows!!!!!
Melanotaenia Boesemani 
Melanotaenia Lacustris
Irian Jaya Rainbows
even "Millenium" Rainbow

A large school of these species would be stunning...and in my experience they proved to be very hardy fish, than can be "aggressive" but in numbers its no concern.(No more then a school of tiger barbs....another good choice for this tank) I kept a small school in a 55 with loaches for years, with minimal maintenance, just water changes with conditioned tap water.(my water is hard)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Zs...61048045&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=85
(minus the GIANT lungfish!!lol)


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## soccerpunkid (Dec 21, 2008)

P.S. Tom Barr is the man!!


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## blackandyellow (Jul 1, 2009)

lauraleellbp said:


> IME Apistos LOVE cherry shrimp! Expensive little snacks... Amano shrimp would be better since they're bigger, though I know they aren't as colorful.
> 
> You could mix and match some dwarf cichlids, as long as there's plenty of hardscape to block sightlines and mark territories. Lots of floorspace with a 500gal tank. For stocking purposes I'd probably estimate about 2 sqft of floorspace for each pair, though, that tends to be about average.
> 
> ...


I think Lauralee´s second option would be very nice. You can have groups of gourami (pearl is my personal favorite, but also love paradise) which grow medium to large, and a large school of tiger barbs would definitely look terrific in such a large tank


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

soccerpunkid said:


> My vote is for austrailian rainbows!!!!!
> Melanotaenia Boesemani
> Melanotaenia Lacustris
> Irian Jaya Rainbows
> ...


Rainbows would fit the bill, the smaller dwarfs would make a nice flashy pack

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## adamprice271 (Jun 10, 2006)

African tank with Altolamprologus Calvis, some neolamprologus brichardi, neolamprologus Lelupi, some synodontis cats, and a few Frontosa. That would be awwwwwssssssooooommmmmeee.


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## nikonD70s (Apr 6, 2008)

my choice would be 50-100 congo tetra's.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

plantbrain said:


> Rainbows would fit the bill, the smaller dwarfs would make a nice flashy pack
> 
> Regards,
> Tom Barr


I would LOVE!!! to see a large tank with a HUGE group of Dwarf Neon's, I am always awe struck with the 6 I have in my tank when the lights hit them right.


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## Quesenek (Sep 26, 2008)

nikonD70s said:


> my choice would be 50-100 congo tetra's.


Yes, they are awesome looking in a big school.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Wow, Tom your tanks are awesome! That discus tank is so sweet, the way the colors of them standout against all the plants and forage!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I'd go with well over 100 Cardinals for a 500gal tank. This is 60x Cardinals in my 90gal, and you can see it's far from packed:


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

^+1, you can get away with about 400 or so in that tank once it is all cycled... and the bioload is minimal even for that many fish.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

I keep about 300 Cards in my 180.

Congos are a good option too. More aggressive, you can add some Double trunk elephant noses, Synodontis cats, etc.

These will all eat shrimps.

I have theses fish also.










Congos will hang out and be pretty active, cards will school fair well time to time. The dwarf Rainbows will also school and be very active.

I have a 5 tank limit so the rainbows are not in my tank are the moment. 

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Lemon Tetras would be nice


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

A 500g with no Discus or Angels......that's sad  .


However, if those two are out, I'd definitely go with a HUGE school of something, like 300 Cardinals. When buying that many, you should easily be able to find them for $1/each or less. Probably more like .75 each. 

You could do several pairs of Apistos, depending on the dimensions of the tank. I personally like to give Apisto pairs 1.5-2' of space. So if the tank is say 8 feet long by 1.5-2' deep, I would do 4-5 pairs. You can do more than that, but I prefer to give them plenty of space in a community tank. That's just an example, I know the tank is longer and/or deeper than that. What I'm getting at is a 1.5'-2' cube for each pair. 

20 Corys (of the same species) swimming around the bottom would be cool as well.



On a side note: Depending on how much your boss wants to invest in the tank, you could put in an Auto WC system. It's really not that expensive, mostly just elbow grease. A little more work up front, but it would make maintenance a lot easier. On a 500g tank, depending on the number of Discus, you wouldn't have to do WC nearly as often as people traditionally do WC for discus. If you had, say 14-16 Discus in there, you could probably do 10% daily and be fine, and an Auto WC system would make that incredibly easy.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

I say have some fun with it! 

Put one dwarf puffer fish in there and offer prizes for people if they can find the the fish.


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

Gatekeeper said:


> I say have some fun with it!
> 
> Put one dwarf puffer fish in there and offer prizes for people if they can find the the fish.


Awesome


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## BrentD (Dec 11, 2008)

jmhart said:


> A 500g with no Discus or Angels......that's sad  .
> 
> 
> However, if those two are out, I'd definitely go with a HUGE school of something, like 300 Cardinals. When buying that many, you should easily be able to find them for $1/each or less. Probably more like .75 each.
> ...



Tank dimensions are 10' long x 28 inches tall x 28 inches front to back.


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

A tank that big, I might consider some native species. Sunfish can be quite colorful.


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

BrentD said:


> Tank dimensions are 10' long x 28 inches tall x 28 inches front to back.


Well, personally, I wouldn't put more than about 6 pairs of Apistos in that. That would leave PLENTY of room for each pair and, as they start to spawn, you'd see some really cool herding behavior from the parents.


Edit:
I don't mean 6 pairs of Apistos and that's it. I mean 6 pairs of Apistos PLUS cardinals and cories.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

There's a video on YouTube somewhere (I just looked but can't find it :icon_frow) with a huge tank full of Rummies and Cardinals, and the entire school of Rummies keeps swimming back and forth across the entire length of the tank- looks fantastic!


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

> A 500g with no Discus or Angels......that's sad.



Agreed.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

yeah, discus would be awesome in there..


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## blackandyellow (Jul 1, 2009)

I know they are not very popular in the forum, but I have a school of over 20 red eye tetras in my 140 gal with my silver dollars and they school amazingly and are actually striking fish.

They are always schooling in either a large group or split into two groups. The light makes them shine very nice


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

here is a radical idea...
exodon paradoxus (buck tooth tetra) 
awesome schooler, but super nasty


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