Need some help

[fishkid12]

I was wondering what type of fish can live in a 50 gl tank that will not kill each other.

[fishbguy]

Alot...Way to many to name

What are you interested in?

[Betta1]

Your not necesarrily looking for fish that won't kill eachother though that is always a benefit, more of what your looking for is fish that will get along well with one another; ie no harassment. There can always be rogue fish but theres no way to plan for those. You need to get a very good feel for the hobby before jumping into a 50g (55g is much more common being a couple inches taller). And assuming that your a very new fish enthusiast by asking such a vague question I might suggest that you do a ton of looking around and researching before you begin to purchase. The best thing to know is the nitrogen cycle and fishless cycling, without knowing this you will kill many fish either through initial cycle or through weak fish carying disease through the cycle onto other new inhabitants. Another thing to understand what is involved in keeping fish, through maintenance and financialy.

Regular maintenance involves primarily feeding and doing weekly or every other week (depends on the tank and inhabitants) water changes, daily feeding, and occasional testing of water parameters. Throw into the need to deal with problems as they occure and you've got a decent amount of time devoted. Financially you will need Tank, Stand, Filter, Heater, Hood, Light, air stone (I prefer bubble curtains), gravel/sand, decorations/rocks, livestock. There are kits which you can buy that give you alot of this though it isn't the best quality, still it's what I got for my 55g and it works well.

Theres alot more to it but the first thing to do other then researching is to find some fish that you enjoy then get some knowledgable people to tell you the pros/cons and what may or may not go with them. Just stay away from saltwater as Every aspect of saltwater takes more; money time knowledge

[hacket]

Yea you should narrow it down quite a bit there, and tell us what you are interested in and we'll help with compatibility.

[Obsidian]

One place to start might be to think about if you want a lot of smaller fish or if you want a few medium sized fish or even fewer somewhat larger fish. If you want larger fish it would be hard to keep smaller fish with them due to mouth size. If it can fit in a fishes mouth, it can be dinner.

So sizing might be a good place to start.

[fishkid12]

My dad usesd to have loads of fish and i was thinking about neon tetras and black tetras or bala sharks which are compaatable with those.

[hacket]

The tetras would be a good choice as long as you have at least 6. They are a schooling fish and so would fair better in a group, with much less bickering.

[JustOneMore20]

Any tetras and rasboras will pretty much work....just make sure they don't get over 2.5" or so full grown. Also, make sure you have atleast 6 of any one kind.

If you like schooling fish, then I'd suggest choosing 2 schools and have 8-10 of each, then choosing some bottom fish (cories, loaches....), and a centerpiece fish (smallish gourami, pair of dwarf cichlids.....). Then if there is anything you really like, let us know and we'll try to fit it into your stocking plan, if it will work in the tank.

Bala sharks get way too large for a 50g tank. They can get over a foot long and are very very active fish, making a 50g entirely too small.

[fishkid12]

What about some african cichlids is there diffrent specis of african

[emc7]

Originally Posted by fishkid12

What about some african cichlids is there diffrent specis of african

Hundreds, maybe thousands. Kribs, jewels cichlids, lelupi, and zebras are all from Africa. Fishkid: Suggestion pick a lake. Search on Lake Tanginka cichlids, Lake Malawi cichlids, Lake Victoria cichlids, West African cichlids. Check out the american cichlid association.

[Dr_House]

fishkid, this is my opinion and please take it as such. You said you didn't want fish that would kill one another, and while African Cichlids will certainly not kill one another if given the proper setup, fighting is VERY commonplace. With this being your first tank, I think you were on the right track with the tetras. They are peaceful, easy to keep, and you will always see them swimming about, unlike Africans, which will spend most of the day with their heads poking out of a hole in a rock.

In my opinion, not much looks better in a 50 gallon than a pair of angels and a couple schools of tetras. You'd probably want to stay away from the neons, but the black tetras should be fine and a school of harlequin rasboras would like nice in there as well.

Of course anything you decide on will need to be added after choosing filtration, heat and light sources, and cycling the tank.