Stocking ideas for hard water tank

[Weatherman478]

Hi,
My first post here. Please go gently. I have a Juwel Lido 200 tank. My PH is about 7.9-8.1.My KH and GH are off the scale. I know that the water is ideal for African cichlids but the width of the tank (71cm) will be a major problem. I have looked at Shell Dwellers and to be honest they just left me cold. Are there any other options like Gourami or other cichlids I have not thought of? I really do not want to go down the RO water route

[Gingerlove05]

Hello and welcome
What is off the scale for hardness? Do you have a reading for the hardness?

[Weatherman478]

I cannot remember the exact figures at the moment but my water hardness is is in excess of 34dh. I live in rural Suffolk which has some of the hardest water in the country.

[plankton]

Welcome to the forum.
What would you like out of the tank? Colour, movement, breeding, interesting activity, etc.....???

[fr499y]

There is still loads of choice. Post what you require and what you don't want to stock and we can think of something

[Weatherman478]

Hi, I would like a colourful tank with fish which have character. I would ideally like to breed some. I am trying to avoid the normal run of the mill Guppies ect. I prefer a planted tank but I am happy to go down the rocky landscape as long as the fish make up for it.

[Weatherman478]

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[plankton]

Rift Lake cichlids are full of colour, that would be the rocky tank. Be careful not to mix veggies with carnivores as meat will give veggies bloat.
You could probably squeeze 15 in a 200l, although 71cm isn't very long for a 200l. How tall is it?
If you're looking for a tankful of smaller fish, you could start with a trio of scarlet baddis (one male, two females), with celestial pearl danios (sometimes still sold as galaxy rasboras ), green rasbora and dwarf anchor catfish, maybe with some x-ray (pristella) tetras for a bigger size.

[Weatherman478]

Hi,
The tank is 65cm high and 51cm deep. You have given me some good options to think about.
If it was your tank what would you do? I am open to all suggestions.

[plankton]

Personally, I prefer lots of smaller fish, I don't have "centrepiece" fish.......