75 gallons (48x18x21) doubles your stocking options vs 55. Real territory for medium-large fish, paired cichlids, or full reef builds. Here's what fits.
Discus tank. 6-8 adult discus + 12 cardinal tetras + 6 corydoras sterbai. Soft acidic water, 84F.
Pleco show tank. 1 L046 + 1 L134 + 1 L260 + community of small mid-water fish (8 ember tetras + 6 corydoras pygmy). Driftwood + pleco caves required.
South American biotope. 4 angelfish + 12 cardinal tetras + 6 corydoras + 1 plecostomus + 1 pair Apistogramma. Heavily planted with driftwood.
Mixed reef. 1 yellow tang + 1 kole tang + 1 ocellaris pair + 1 royal gramma + 2 firefish + 1 six-line wrasse + 1 mandarin (after copepod population established) + cleanup crew. Mixed coral selection.
SPS-dominant. Same fish stocking + heavy SPS coral selection (Acropora, Montipora, Stylophora). 250-400 PAR.
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Browse mid-tank-size species →Yes. Yellow tang and kole tang work in 75g long-term. Avoid tangs that grow over 8" adult (Naso, Sailfin, Powder Brown) - they need 125+ gallons.
8-12 small reef fish is the comfortable limit. Bioload from coral + invert load is on top of fish bioload. A loaded SPS reef may need a much larger sump and skimmer than the same tank with FOWLR stocking.
1 oscar + community is too aggressive. Better: 4-6 medium South American cichlids (Severum, Salvini, Acara, Festivum) with sand substrate and heavy filtration.
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