Beginner Here: My 50 Gallon Tank Idea

[CuriouslyFishy]

Hello guys, I signed up here quite a while ago, and I've still never owned a fish, but I've always been interested in owning some!

Anyways, here's my idea for a 50 gallon aquarium. Let me know if there's anything wrong with the fish compatibility!

6x Otocinclus
3x Angelicus Botia
1x Red Tailed Shark

 

[Soupy97]

Im not a fish expert, but there are a couple things im noticing:
 
First off, im not sure what you are going for, but i believe you can put quite a bit more fish in the tank if you wanted. It's only about half stocked. (If this is what you want then less work for you haha)
 
Second, the tank is a good size so you might not have any issues, but the shark may be aggressive towards the otocinclus.
 
Thats the only problem I could think of. Your probably fine, and you could always just test it out and then change things if you notice any aggression.

 

[CuriouslyFishy]

Im not a fish expert, but there are a couple things im noticing:
 
First off, im not sure what you are going for, but i believe you can put quite a bit more fish in the tank if you wanted. It's only about half stocked. (If this is what you want then less work for you haha)
 
Second, the tank is a good size so you might not have any issues, but the shark may be aggressive towards the otocinclus.
 
Thats the only problem I could think of. Your probably fine, and you could always just test it out and then change things if you notice any aggression.

Yeah, I don't want too many fish in the tank. Since I'm a beginner I don't want to have a ton of work to do, lol. What kinds of fish go well with red tailed sharks? I'm open to any ideas really. Are the angelicus botia good though?

 

[Soupy97]

The angelicus boticus are in a similar boat as the otocinclus in regards to the red tailed shark. The sharks are tough to find tank mates for. If you stick to few fish like you have, you probably wont have any problems with the fish you have chosen, but you never know. The general reccomendation would be to either get rid of the shark or get rid of the other species.
 
Fish that I think would work with the shark:

• Tiger Barbs: about 6-8 would be good.
• Gouramis (dwarfs are a bit more aggressive so they would probably be better).
• Angel fish are really cool and might get along ok with the shark. They have long fins though so you might want to make sure the shark does not nip at them. Should be ok with a 50 gallon though.
• I wouldn't recommend it, but you could try to combine the shark with cichlids. This could create some problems however.

 
Its hard to recommend replacements for the shark, they are unique fish.

 

[frapadoodle]

Yeah, the problems with red tail sharks are. Aggresion, territorial fish. Size, big fish. Feeding, will eat any fish that fits in it's mouth.

 

[CuriouslyFishy]

Okay, new idea! lol, how about this ------

5x Boesemans Rainbowfish
1x Angelfish
1x Opaline Gourami
5x Dalmation Molly

According to Aqadvsior, it's 86% full, but I'm fine with that. Thoughts?

 

[frapadoodle]

Not sure, but I think rainbows need a lot of tank.
Try dwarf rainbows.
Careful mixing gouramis and angels, both are semi-agressive. You could try a pair of angels, or three gourami, so long as theh are all female, or two female and a male. You will also want lots of plants and other hiding places.
Mollies, not to my taste, but hey it's not my tank either.

Also everything listed is mid to upper level. Why not some cory, loaches, or a bristlenose plec down low?
Cories are easy to care for and loads o fun.
Sorry, just love the cory.

 

[CuriouslyFishy]

Not sure, but I think rainbows need a lot of tank.
Try dwarf rainbows.
Careful mixing gouramis and angels, both are semi-agressive. You could try a pair of angels, or three gourami, so long as theh are all female, or two female and a male. You will also want lots of plants and other hiding places.
Mollies, not to my taste, but hey it's not my tank either.
Also everything listed is mid to upper level. Why not some cory, loaches, or a bristlenose plec down low?
Cories are easy to care for and loads o fun.
Sorry, just love the cory.

Basically I want a "centerpiece" fish. One that's a little bit bigger than the other fish and stands put more in terms of colours and stuff. I would like a couple bottom feeders and then a bunch of smaller fish that swim everywhere.

 

[Aviici]

Cories for the bottom dwellers, or even kuhli loaches!! those guys are fun to watch and can be kept in a group of 4 or 5.
For a bunch of fish that swim everywhere, nothing's more ideal than cherry barbs, they're peaceful and school well, they spend time in and around plants, feed from the surface and pick up food from the bottom

 

[CuriouslyFishy]

Cories for the bottom dwellers, or even kuhli loaches!! those guys are fun to watch and can be kept in a group of 4 or 5.
For a bunch of fish that swim everywhere, nothing's more ideal than cherry barbs, they're peaceful and school well, they spend time in and around plants, feed from the surface and pick up food from the bottom

Could I have a rainbowfish as my centerpiece??

 

[frapadoodle]

From what I understand rainbows should be in groups.

 

[Soupy97]

You could try a discus as a centerpiece fish, but you would have to get rid of any aggressive fish that would attack it

 

[frapadoodle]

I wouldn't go with discus. They are pricey, and a bit sensative for a first tank.