fish suggestions for a 60 gal theme tank

[ranjana]

hello,
i recently got a 60 gal tank and I'm getting a bgk in a couple of weeks after its set up. (don't worry, this is a temporary setup until i get my 150 gal in about 4-5 months ) That being said, i wanted to keep some discus with him, maybe 4? But i read a lot that they aren't compatible because -
1. since bgks are nocturnal, they may disrupt discus at night and stress them out.
2. bgk need water with good flow but discus prefer almost still water?
can someone help me out with this? i got this tank for the bgk and giving him up is not an option. and there aren't a lot of other fish that i like :/

another thing is that I'm not really into a heavily planted tank and was wondering if this is an absolute necessity for a bgk? I do have a couple of hiding places for him and I'm planning to get some java moss and java fern but I don't really want to get plants that might need a substrate cause I've already spent too much.

now the other idea that i had for the tank is to sorta have a "BLACK AND WHITE" theme to it.
so basically need inputs on what fish i can keep with my bgk in a 60gal.
some options i have are -
senegal birchirs ( i have doubts about this as it is a bottom dweller and grows pretty big )
yo yo loaches
some angel fish - black white and those with turquoise dorsal fin? I couldn't find what they are called! sorry !
and some mollies xD ( I know they'll become food soon enough but people do have success with bgk so want to try )
I do not like catfish and plecos cause they can become humongous and i don't think i can afford to keep another huge fish with my bgk even in a 150 gal if i want any other fish.

any other fish suggestion within the black, white or maybe blue range is greatly appreciated !
also i hear there are some nice chichlids but i have no idea about them or their compatibility with bgk so any input on that would be helpful too !
and the recommended number of fish for this tank considering all the different species that i might keep would be nice cause i don't want to over stock it.

i currently have a sunsun HW-504A cannister. 1000l/h on the tank. and the tank size is 3*1 1/2* 2ft. (36*18*24 inches)
Thank you !

 

[Fishy-Botany]

Don't need to have a planted tank for a bgk, just make sure it has lots of caves to use.
Rapheal catfish stay under a foot long and are black and white. They also don't do much unless kept in a group.
the fish you listed so far would do fine with a bgk.
I wouldn't do more than 3 of each of the fish you want to do. Unless you are up to doing more than one water change a week. I'm not sure about mollies, I have no experience with them.

Also you can add more filtration if you'd like. I like aquaclear 110 or 70s with just the original sponge and seachem matrix in them.

 

[ranjana]

oh that is good information. thank you i would introduce the fish slowly 1-2 at a time so i will consider getting another filter once the tank doesn't look empty
also your thoughts on discus?

 

[Fishy-Botany]

Your welcome
I never kept discus, so I can't say with authority how they would do with a BGK.
I do know that my BGK doesn't spook my angelfish at night, or at least not enough to cause stress. So I would assume you'd be fine, but I have no experience to back up that statement, it's just a hypothesis.

 

[ranjana]

haha how big is your bgk? i cant wait till i get mine any tips on helping him settle into his new tank ? and how to get him to eat off of my hand ? i hear that they do that a lot
the wait is driving me crazy

 

[Fishy-Botany]

My bgk is around 9inches.
To help it settle in I provided mine whith three different caves to hide in. They don't like the cave being too much bigger than they are.
When I first got her she preferred a 1 inch wide tube I made from knitting plastic mesh.
Now she hides in a cave I made out of broken clay pot pieces. This cave has only 3inches tall on the inside of the cave with 2 inch wide openings, but is longer than she is by a couple inches.
Until you get your BGK to eat I would keep the tank lights off also. The ambient light from the room should be bright enough to give a day and night cycle without being to bright.
To get them to eat from your hands takes time and slow movements. I've seen it done with someone just holding a cube of frozen bloodworms under water and as it defrost in their hands the BGK eats it.
Hope you get your little guy soon.

 

[ranjana]

oh i didn't know about the size thing with hiding places. ill provide some small tubes for it. i have this glass tube with smooth edges, will that work? or does it have to be opaque? its a little big though so probably sometime later. what else do you feed them beside blood worms ? will fresh shrimp pieces do? or is suitable only after they grow a bit ? I'm sorry I'm bothering you with so many questions.

 

[Fishy-Botany]

That glass tube should do fine.
I feed diced krill, and chopped earthworms also.
I just cut things up smaller when she was smaller.

 

[Fishy-Botany]

* I use frozen krill or frozen plankton. Glad to be helpful

 

[ranjana]

thank you so much! All i have to do now is wait