50 gallon aquarium stocking - jack, green terror, blue acara, etc.

neko1

Polypterus
MFK Member
May 25, 2016
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in like a year or soo i am planning to upgrade to a 75 gallon or soo. i only have a 50 gallon right now because we live in a small house and thats all i can fit. i knew that the knife fish will get that big but it will tank time and until then i will upgrade anyway?
the thing is 75 gallon is still way to small for a ghost knifefish. And a year is to long to house such a fish in a 50 gallon.
Please find a better home for the guy.

Either way with that fish in the tank you should not put anything else with it. Its not fun for the fish and for you to house it in a 50 gallon or 75 gallon. please rehome it. Sorry to say it but it is what it is. You did something on a wimp and it did not work out.Thats unlucky but sadly the truth
 

What is a fish??

Feeder Fish
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Dec 21, 2022
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the thing is 75 gallon is still way to small for a ghost knifefish. And a year is to long to house such a fish in a 50 gallon.
Please find a better home for the guy.

Either way with that fish in the tank you should not put anything else with it. Its not fun for the fish and for you to house it in a 50 gallon or 75 gallon. please rehome it. Sorry to say it but it is what it is. You did something on a wimp and it did not work out.Thats unlucky but sadly the truth
I am even more confused now of what i should put in there because all the option are running out. i will find a good home for the knife fish as you said but for now its better that little tank i guess.
 
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neko1

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I am even more confused now of what i should put in there because all the option are running out. i will find a good home for the knife fish as you said but for now its better that little tank i guess.
you did not read the message before correctly. it said:

option 1:
two pair, maybe something like HRPs and Rainbow cichlids or keyholes, but you have to scape it properly

option 2:
- a severum as the tank boss,
- with few smaller cichlids(like apistrogram or altealst dwarf species)
- catfish like a synodontis (only smaller species do, a lot get way to big for your tank)or a Bristle nose ancistrus.

instead of everything together.

I summarised the recommendations for you:

- lake tanganyika tank, ( Julie’s or Shelldwellers. )

-blue acaras with some groupfish

- 2 Angelfish with corys +group of tetra

-convict pair + dithers.

-dragon puffer

also some other fish that i personally like that are agressive :

-snakehead (channa bleheri or gaucha or andrao) i would recommend 1 only with nothing with it but they are so agressive and fun.
(maybe you could add a bristle nose with the snakehead) Not in all places these fish are legal though so im not sure where you are from.
 
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What is a fish??

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 21, 2022
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you did not read the message before correctly. it said:

option 1:
two pair, maybe something like HRPs and Rainbow cichlids or keyholes, but you have to scape it properly

option 2:
- a severum as the tank boss,
- with few smaller cichlids(like apistrogram or altealst dwarf species)
- catfish like a synodontis (only smaller species do, a lot get way to big for your tank)or a Bristle nose ancistrus.

instead of everything together.

I summarised the recommendations for you:

- lake tanganyika tank, ( Julie’s or Shelldwellers. )

-blue acaras with some groupfish

- 2 Angelfish with corys +group of tetra

-convict pair + dithers.

-dragon puffer
in option two can i add one blue acara just soo i can have the contrast of large, medium and small fish ??
 

What is a fish??

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 21, 2022
52
8
8
17
and also, can i also add some shell dwellers as smaller cichlids(African cichlids) in the tank. or that is a bad idea to mix the two type of cichlids.
 

neko1

Polypterus
MFK Member
May 25, 2016
653
396
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sorry i think option two is already quite from ideal in a 80cm tank.
I would not recommend putting anymore fish in it since it is already overstocked with so many fish.
If you really want multiple cichlids take a look at tanganyika cichlids since they live in a lake with a looot of cichlids together. that might be the only option for multiple cichlids in a 80cm tank.
 
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What is a fish??

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 21, 2022
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and also, can i also add some shell dwellers as smaller cichlids(African cichlids) in the tank. or that is a bad idea to mix the two type of cichlids.
you did not read the message before correctly. it said:

option 1:
two pair, maybe something like HRPs and Rainbow cichlids or keyholes, but you have to scape it properly

option 2:
- a severum as the tank boss,
- with few smaller cichlids(like apistrogram or altealst dwarf species)
- catfish like a synodontis (only smaller species do, a lot get way to big for your tank)or a Bristle nose ancistrus.

instead of everything together.

I summarised the recommendations for you:

- lake tanganyika tank, ( Julie’s or Shelldwellers. )

-blue acaras with some groupfish

- 2 Angelfish with corys +group of tetra

-convict pair + dithers.

-dragon puffer

also some other fish that i personally like that are agressive :

-snakehead (channa bleheri or gaucha or andrao) i would recommend 1 only with nothing with it but they are so agressive and fun.
(maybe you could add a bristle nose with the snakehead) Not in all places these fish are legal though so im not sure where you are from.
 

What is a fish??

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 21, 2022
52
8
8
17
sorry i think option two is already quite from ideal in a 80cm tank.
I would not recommend putting anymore fish in it since it is already overstocked with so many fish.
If you really want multiple cichlids take a look at tanganyika cichlids since they live in a lake with a looot of cichlids together. that might be the only option for multiple cichlids in a 80cm tank.
can i have that calvus in that fish tank like the boos of the tank >>>
 

Something Fishy Here

Piranha
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Aug 26, 2022
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You could still do what you were thinking earlier, a severum, acara, firemouth, apistos would be fine with most sevs, with any fish sometimes you get a moody one but most sevs are very chill. You could do some corys or maybe a couple dwarf loaches, and you could do dithers if you want, but they're not necessary, you're tank should be busy enough already. And these are all possibilities, doesn't mean you need all of them or start with all of them. Get a few you really want and enjoy them for a few months, then decide what to add next and enjoy that for a few months, until you decide your tank is full enough. And keep testing your water to know what maintenance schedule you need. And if you're going to upgrade to a 75 i'd suggest going to a 90, same footprint just taller and gives more water volume. Once grown the sev will be a bit cramped in the 50 though, he'd be much happier in a 75 or 90 within a year
 
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duanes

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One consideration that hasn't yet been brought up yet, is what kind of tap water do you have.
Is it soft with a low pH?
Is it hard with high pH?
Is it neutral, pH around 7?

If soft, with a low pH (below 7), then dwarf cichlids from S America, or west Africa (like kribensis) are generally a great idea.
If it's hard with pH 7.5 and above east Africans from Tanganyika or Malawi are great.
Hard with pH above 7.5, Mexican or Central Americans work well.

If its neutral, you are an almost open book, with typical aquarium strain fish, like common angels, or most bred species.

Testing it yourself would be good aquarium practice using strips or liquid tests such as the API,
or.....
if you look at your water bill, or go to your drinking water providers web site.
Water bills usually provide common parameters like pH, and hardness.
The web site gets more into detail.
 
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