Help me stock my 50g fish tank

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Boq

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Apr 9, 2013
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I got 15g with 5 FANCY GOLDFISH and 5 otto fish. I do realized that it is way to Overstock so I moved MY GOLDFISH into my fiber tank which is way more larger. So , my friend sold his 50g fish tank to me. I'm cycling my 50g fish tank while my otto fish still inside the 15g fish tank. So the plan is , I will move the otto fish inside my 50g fish tank after the cycling done and I would like some schooling fish inside my 50g fish tank :rolleyes: and my budget was low :shakehead:. So , I'm not planing to make planted aquarium. My aquarium would look like , gravels, fake vase, 2 fake plant and an overhead filter. Any suggestion for 50g fish tank and schooling fish ? Which is can live with my otto fish and not fighting ?
 

tanker

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Sep 1, 2003
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Tetras and Rasboras. Generally cheap, and are schoolers by nature. May not school in tank, unless you only get maybe one species.
 

Boq

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Thanks for the ideas. I'm planning for these fish
- 10 Neon tetra
- 2 Dwarf gourami
- 10 Rasboras harlequin
- 4 Otto fish
- 6 Platty ( 4 female and 2 male , and I'm ready for their breeding like there's no tomorrow because i got 3 , 20 gal fish tank )

Is it overstocked ?
 

spencerguy1

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Jul 19, 2010
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Thanks for the ideas. I'm planning for these fish
- 10 Neon tetra
- 2 Dwarf gourami
- 10 Rasboras harlequin
- 4 Otto fish
- 6 Platty ( 4 female and 2 male , and I'm ready for their breeding like there's no tomorrow because i got 3 , 20 gal fish tank )

Is it overstocked ?
Looks good to me. I would only put one male platy in. It won't slow their breeding, but it will stop fighting. They are generally peaceful except when it comes to breeding time.
 

tanker

Josh Holloway--Be mine!!!
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1) No, you are not over-stocked. IMO--only about 70% of capacity.
2) I agree with Spencer. Male and female Platys look alike, so 1 male and 3 females is better. Or just get all of one sex.
3) I would worry about 2 Gouramis. Gouramis do not like other Gouramis, so only one is better.
4) I would wait till the tank is "well seasoned" before getting ottos. Maybe as long as 6 months after.
 

Byron Amazonas

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I would suggest you leave out platy. They need moderately hard water, whereas all the others are soft water, and in Malaysia I would assume your water is soft (correct me if this is a mistaken assumption). The other thing is that with male and female you will soon have hundreds, and what are you going to do with them? This can quickly get out of control. All males would avoid this obviously, though the soft/hard water is still a question.

I agree with Jessica to be careful with gourami. Three rather than two, with one male and two female, would be better if you really want the dwarf. But be careful, as this fish is notorious for carrying the iridovirus, in the area you live especially.

Byron.
 

Boq

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I almost forget about the iridovirus , Thanks for remembering me. I changed my mind,

10 - Cardinal tetra
10 - Neon Tetra
10 - Rummynose tetras
7 - Corydoras

I'll put lot of living plants inside the fish tank (java fern) and natural looking for the tetras. Any suggestion ?
 

spencerguy1

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Jul 19, 2010
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You could certainly fit more in the tank then that. I would go with a larger 'centerpiece fish' otherwise your tank might get boring, since the fish you chose are all rather small. Do you know which cory's you are considering? There are alot of different species and sizes.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, which I might be since I haven't kept fish in a while, but aren't cardinals and neons basically the same thing except that neons are smaller? Again, I might be wrong, but I would swap one of the two out for another schooler. It seems like you are looking for that small, streamlined type of tetra, but if not, then I would look at serpae tetras. They look amazing, but might look a bit out of place with the other forms of tetra you are considering, and are supceptable to fin rot. Good Luck with whatever setup you decide to go with.
 

Byron Amazonas

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I would probably suggest either neons or cardinals too, though not for any problem reason; I just think they look best separately. A group of 12-15 cardinals or neons would be nice.

Serpae Tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques) is something I would not suggest. A group of no less than 12 would fit your space, but this limits other options because Serpae are notorious for fin nipping slower fish. [BTW, the fin degeneration you see with this fish is not fin rot, but fin nipping; within the group they almost always do this.] A better choice which would still give you the nice reddish/mauve colour would be Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or Roberti Tetra (H. bentosi).

If you still want a "larger" fish, there are some options that fit here. In the gourami, consider the beautiful Pearl; a trio of one male and two females, or five with two males and three females. This is a larger gourami but one of the most peaceful. Males are territorial, so one or two in your planted 50g would be it, plus the females, and 3-4 females is better to ensure they are not pestered continually by the males. Another larger fish is the Bolivian Ram, which does well either singly (one fish) or in a bonded pair. This fish keeps more to the bottom though, so it would not be so obvious, unlike the pearls that are upper fish. If you get the pearls, the nipping issue becomes more crucial, but with enough in the groups the tetra so far named (other than the Serpae obviously) are OK.

Byron.
 

tanker

Josh Holloway--Be mine!!!
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Ditto to Byron. Also, what you want for the tank. Do you want all small tetras?? A mix of large and small fish?? A mix of large and small tetras??
 
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