Ideas to round out my tank?

[Kelsi]

I have a 75g tank with a large Senegal bichir, about 6-8inches, with 2 juveniles that are about 3-4in each. They get along swimmingly, and share their space with a feather fin catfish, about 7inches long, and a 7in standard pleco (was sold to me as a female bristlenose when it was tiny ). We have a 6-7in gold severum floating around the rest of the space, along with a large gold guarami and our silver dollars have dwindled down to two. It's unfortunate, but after a long drive to our new home, the 6in rainbow shark (named Darwin for his survivability), the third silver dollar, and the 7-8in blood parrot have passed to the fish tank in the sky.
Now my dilemma, is what do I get to fill the void? I don't want blood parrots again, and I'm planning on rehoming the pleco. The silver dollars will probably go to a friend, unless I can find some more school buddies for them. I'm ready for something different that will add a lot of color to the tank, and ideally stay away from my bottom dwellers .

Our filter is a huge canister for a 300gal tank, and everyone had lived peaceably for at least a year before we had to move 3 hours away. I was eyeballing the eartheaters and rams, because i want to keep the adult size under 8".

 

[Polyaddict86]

Have you look at a severum, its a peacefull cichlids but grows about 12"

 

[clm08k]

Typically rams get to around 2", which isn't much to a fully grown bichir. I personally wouldn't do it in the same tank. they could become a $10+ snack if they swim too close to the senegals.

Earthearthers/Geophagus might be a better option.... but some grow past 8inches. Not sure about their temperament though. We'll have to see what the experts say.

 

[DMD123]

As much as you want to add something, your severum may have its thought on that, cichlids can be real jerks to new fish. So it may be a challenge to add another type of cichlid. An electric blue acara might be a nice choice in terms of size and temperment.

I do like the idea to rehome the common pleco and silver dollars. Both can be too much in a 75g. Happiest day of my life was when I sold my silver dollars, lol. I do like the look of a school of fish but not as big or skittish as silver dollars. Maybe a group of Congo tetra , Australian rainbows or roseline sharks. Always a chance to lose one or two to a bichir but thats a risk with any smaller sized fish.

 

[Kelsi]

Thank you all for your quick input! I'll look up the suggested fishies now

 

[Vancouver_98683]

There's a lot of pretty choices really. If it was me, I'd rehome the common pleco due to being poop machines. Suggestions could be to add a few more silver dollars, or another severum specie, rainbow cihlids (Herotilapia multispinosa). You got the 3 senegals and featherfin to cover the bottom. Good luck!

 

[MarcN.]

Have you look at a severum, its a peacefull cichlids but grows about 12"

Sevs FTW...but my male red spot sev is a 5" a-hole, totally bullying to death all female sevs I put in his tank. The only thing he can't bully is my ST that turns out to bully him often.

 

[Kelsi]

Sevs FTW...but my male red spot sev is a 5" a-hole, totally bullying to death all female sevs I put in his tank. The only thing he can't bully is my ST that turns out to bully him often.

My Severum is the gentle giant of the tank, and would get bullied by my Blood Parrot, he doesn't bother with the guarami or the SDs

 

[Kelsi]

There's a lot of pretty choices really. If it was me, I'd rehome the common pleco due to being poop machines. Suggestions could be to add a few more silver dollars, or another severum specie, rainbow cihlids (Herotilapia multispinosa). You got the 3 senegals and featherfin to cover the bottom. Good luck!

Yeah, I was super disappointed when he kept growing, and wasn't the type he was sold to be. It was a smaller local pet shop that sold him, and they wrote the species manually in marker on the tanks as they got them, and were not so quick to update the labels I was just thinking it was a female bristlenose :/

 

[Kelsi]

Have you look at a severum, its a peacefull cichlids but grows about 12"

I do have a gold severum now, and I love him, he's my gentle giant :3 at this point, since my large BP died I want to keep him my showcase and go with cichlids that stay smaller