New tank, 50 gallon- How many?

[rwfishguy]

Well, I get to set up a new tank.

A 50 gallon sea-clear rectangle tank.
Eheim canister
Fluval heater
Tetra air pump

I am thrilled that I get to go big.
Going with rocks from the garden and malaysian driftwood.

March is going to be busy with cycling and setting up.

I'm avoiding cichlids, too much work for me right now.

So here is a premature question, how many fish can I put into this thing?
I have not grasped the rule yet. Most will be small fish of 1 inch or less to start. I want some lovely schooling fish and some odd balls.

Rob

[Freshwater Tropic]

Unfortunately, There really isn't a clear answer to that question. It all really comes down to the mature(Adult) size of the fish you intend on doing, eating habits & temperament. Example, You could do a TON(30-40) of Neon Tetra's, but if you wanted goldfish you could only do a few. These are just examples of 2 completely different fish that have different eating habits. Goldfish produce so much more waste than your common Neon Tetras. Aggression plays a huge roll as well. There are some fish that don't do well with more than 1 of each species(Ex: Red Tail Sharks). Than there are some that prefer to be kept in larger school of 6 or more(Ex: Harlequin Rasboras)

***The above were just examples***

What I am going to recommend is tell us a few of the fish that interest you. We will recommend if/How many you can do in that setup. That may help us a little better.

Hopefully, This helps you some.

[rwfishguy]

I'm still figuring that out. I will update once the tank arrives and cycling is in process.

I will have a gourami of some kind. I like their look. So many of these I like, chocolate, pearline, etc.

I will go with some tetra's for schooling. I like some like blood fin or buenes aries.

Pencil fish I like.

I love Killifish, have two golden wonders now.

Not looked much into angel fish yet.

[lou zello]

as i'm sure CRAZYGAR will suggest make a list of MUST have and wants then after reserch you can figure out how many of each will fit.first you MUST know what kind of water you have;soft,hard,acidic,basic etc.,that will help with your fish list and everyone on here will be GLAD to help from there.

[meh]

This is the first time crazygar hasnt said anything wow

[Freshwater Tropic]

This is the first time crazygar hasnt said anything wow

as i'm sure CRAZYGAR will suggest make a list of MUST have and wants then after reserch you can figure out how many of each will fit.

I'm sure CrazyGar will chime in before the end of the night.

Just off the Bat, One of the fish of your interests flags me. The Golden Wonder Killifish(& Most Killifish). They are sometimes known for snacking on a Neon Tetra or two or at least whatever might fit in their mouth. As one of our other members has come to realize.

Check out the thread:
Should I give him up?

Other than that, I don't see too much problems with the other fish on the list.

I am sure others will chime in and give some good advice as well. Happy Fish Keeping!

[Hurriken]

Not much for the 1 inch rule. It depends how much your willing work to keep the tank clean. I know starting out the LFS is like a candy store and everyone (including myself) wants to stuff it with 50 varieties of fish. I say learn to be patient. IMO the patient fish keepers have the most success. Also, introducing too many fish at once may cause the cycle to spike. I had a 55g with two Gold severums and a BN pleco. It was a very fun tank because the Sev's have great personalities. They ate from my hands. Rainbowfish are very popular and there are many different types and colors. You can also add tetras and such to the mix. My advice Plan, plan, and go slow.

[rwfishguy]

I'm going to keep the water pH and everything else as simple as possible. That is why I will not go the route of Cichlids. From my understanding their territorial nature and water condition requirements may be a bit over my head right now.

And no, I will not be putting in Neon Tetras.
For the two killifish, they are most likely staying in my 10 gallon tank.

[Jessery]

I would leave the chocolate gourami to more experienced fishkeepers. From what I've read, they appear to be quite particular about their water chemistry.

[Crazygar]

The Man in red speakth...

Ok, the 1" rule is an old rule. Forget it exists, as it really doesn't apply anymore. For example, in my 70GAL, I had 34 Ember Tetras, 9 Neon Tetras, 7 Otocinclus. The tank was no where near it's limits, but I am a disciple of the understocking world.

What is the more important fish? What is the one you want the most? This will determine the rest of the tankmates and how you Aquascape the tank. Dwarf Cichids, prefer broken lines of sight, while Pencilfish (N.beckfordi), prefer to be in large groups and with loads of plant cover to mimic their natural surroundings.

As Lou has mentioned, make a list

This is a sure fire method of helping you out. On that list of all the fish you want to put in there start the process of elimination;

Golden Wonder Killifish have a habit of eating smalller tankmates, Chocolate Gourami are for advanced fishkeepers and should be kept in smaller warmer tanks, Angelfish are Cichlids, therefore have a reputation of being aggressive and eating smaller tankmates as well.

You stated Bloodfins, they prefer water temperatures a bit cooler than most tropicals and it's a must to keep these in a large shoal. Buenos Aires Tetras can grow to 7cm or 3" a piece and prefer to be in a large group as well.

The key is this: Hone down the MAIN FISH, your "Must Have". From there build around that. Always try and mimic their natural surroundings so you'll see their true behaviours and personality. This is key, it makes the tank that much more enjoyable.

Design your tank around your fish never the other way around. Buenos Aires Tetras are hardy, can adapt to a good range of pH and water temperature. For a starter Tetra they are nice. But they do have a penchant to be a bit nippy, get a good sized group, which will keep "behavior" limited to the group.

Also, as a rule, never put in Asian Fish with South America or other. While many do it, sometimes the results are not all that good. I try to keep to one part of the world and work from that. With Buenos Aires Tetras you can have Corydoras as a bottom fish, Otocinclus and have many options open.

Gary

[rwfishguy]

I was looking through a book last night.

I'd love to have something unique and colorful as the primary fish.

That being said, I looked a lot at two fish, but the availability is hard to find:

Ram (butterfly cichlid)
Cockatoo Cichlid (forget what I said about not wanting them.)

How dificult are either of these fish?

The rest of the fish as you said will come with the primary. And since I've got no plants ordered, it will help me plan for the future to make a decision on the primary fish.
You get the idea though, something unique and mouth popping for a primary fish. Not too difficult to care for with a beginner/novice.

r
Rob

[ScottFish]

Cockatoos are not usually beginner fish. Especially if they are wild caught, can become finicky eaters. If you want to feature Rams, good choice, but remember they will dwell towards the bottom of the tank. You'll want to have another fish (schooling/dither fish) up top that can appreciate the softer waters. Speaking of which, what's the water like in your tank?

[Hurriken]

There are Cichlids that make good beginner fish. However it is nature so yes some fish can be aggressive and some can eat each other.

IMO, if you have a good handle on husbandry, keeping the tank clean, temperature appropriate, feeding proper then that is half the battle. In that case you can keep Angels. Rams and Apisto's are cichlids that tend to be a bit sensitive so I'd hold off. Severum's are easy. Green Terrors are easy to raise but very aggressive as are Oscars. Firemouths are a great starter Cichlid and have bright red bellies. They are also easy to breed.

Take a look at Rainbowfish. Not cichlids, not aggressive and you'll be able to add other fish. For example I'm pretty sure you could do one or two angels with three to five Rainbowfish in a 50G.

What are the dimensions of the tank?

Examples of Rainbowfish

[rwfishguy]

I've considered Rainbows as well.

Dimensions are, 36 L x 15 W X 20 H

As for water, I do not know. The tank is still in shipment.
I guess I need to test my 10 gallon tank to get an idea of what I am facing.

[Crazygar]

Dwarf Neons (M. praecox)
MacCulloch's Rainbowfish (M. maccullochi)

Are two of the most common Dwarf Rainbowfish. I am partial to the MacCulloch's, they are pretty and have all the behaviour of a larger Rainbow in a smaller fish! Get a group of these and you'll won't be disappointed.

Gary