Creating a freshwater community tank is a great idea, and for sure, your 50-gallon community tank will look fantastic and very attractive when added the right fish.
A community tank is a tank with varieties of fish species, and when we keep different fish species together, we have to consider many things. Fishes we are adding should share similar water requirements and should be of the same temperaments. We have to make sure that the fish we are adding to our tank should live peacefully with each other. So, what fish can we add to a 50-gallon community tank? Let us find out.
When creating a community tank, it is necessary to ensure that all the fish have a similar temperament and water parameters requirement. Also, we have to ensure that they are compatible with each other. These are the best community fish for your 100-gallon community tank:
- Molly
- Platy
- Neon tetras
- Cardinal tetras
- Dwarf Gouramis
- Swordtails
- Guppies
- Zebra danios
- Cory catfish
- Bristlenose plecos
This article will also discuss how to set up a 50-gallon community tank. So, let us get into it.
Contents
- 1 How to decide what fish can go together in a 50-gallon community tank?
- 2 How many fish can I keep in a 50-gallon community tank?
- 3 How to decide what fish to keep in a community tank?
- 4 Here are the 10 best fish for a 50-gallon community tank.
- 5 Ideas of stocking community fish in a 50-gallon tank.
- 6 How to set up a 50-gallon community tank?
- 7 Conclusion:
How to decide what fish can go together in a 50-gallon community tank?
Planning to make a 50-gallon community tank is excellent, as your tank will look very attractive.
Adding varieties of fish will also make your tank very colorful, which will attract many eyes.
However, there are multiple things you have to consider when adding different types of fish to the same tank.
Whenever we plan to set up a community tank, we have to ensure that all the fishes we add are peaceful in nature and not territorial.
Adding non-aggressive fish to your community tank will eliminate aggression and territorial behavior in the tank, providing all your fish with comfortable living.
We have hundreds of options available when it comes to adding peaceful fish to a community tank.
Now, we have to consider all these things to decide what fish to keep together in a community tank:
- Size of the fish
- Water parameters requirement of the fish
- Space requirement of the fish
- The hardness of the fish
- Dietary requirements of the fish
Size of the fish
The size of the fish matters a lot when adding different types of fish to a community tank.
It is a natural behavior in fish that big fish chase and try to eat the smaller fish.
We must consider adding different types of peaceful fish of similar sizes to prevent chasing and hunting.
Water parameters requirement of the fish
Any fish that is living in inadequate water parameters will become stressed and prone to various diseases and parasites.
When setting up a community tank by adding different species of fish, we can easily end up keeping fishes with inadequate water parameters as it is not necessary that all the fishes we are adding share similar water parameters.
So, it is wise to check for the water parameters requirement of all the fish before adding them to the tank and add only fish with similar requirements.
Space requirement of the fish
Providing your fish with ample space will ensure their comfortable living.
When we keep fish in captivity, we are responsible for providing them with ideal living conditions and ample space to live and swim comfortably.
If you keep them in a small-size tank, they will become stressed and prone to various issues.
When we talk about space requirements, we should follow the one-inch one-gallon rule, which means one inch of fish per gallon of water.
Following the one-inch one-gallon rule will help you provide your fish with enough space to live happily.
Also read: 100-Gallon Community Tank Stocking Ideas
The hardness of the fish
Fishes that can live between a wide range of water parameters and conditions are known to be hardy fish.
When we set up a community tank, we add different species of fish, which becomes challenging to provide all the fish with their ideal parameters.
Adding a hardy fish will help you by extending the range of water parameters, making it easy for you to house them in the same tank.
Also, a hardy fish will easily adapt to the water conditions and live comfortably.
Dietary requirements of the fish
Food is necessary for your fish’s good health and longer lifespan.
It becomes challenging for us to feed all the fish when setting up a community tank by adding many different fish types.
When fish don’t regularly get food, they become weak and prone to various diseases and parasites.
When setting up a community tank, you can consider adding the top, middle, and bottom swimmers.
Various foods are available in the market for surface and bottom swimmers.
Adding bottom and surface swimmer fish in the community tank will make it easy for you to feed your fish.
Also read: How Often Should I Feed My Fish?
How many fish can I keep in a 50-gallon community tank?
Always follow the one-inch one-gallon rule when deciding how many fish to stock in a tank.
The one-inch one-gallon rule means one inch of fish per gallon of water.
For example, cory catfish can be as long as 4 inches in size, so if we take an average of 2.5 inches, we can stock 15-16 cory catfish in a 50-gallon tank.
Make sure to deduct some gallons when following the one-inch one-gallon rule, as some of the space will be covered by plants, substrate, and other decors.
Also read: Best Fish For A 15-Gallon Column Tank?
How to decide what fish to keep in a community tank?
We should always consider adding fish species that are compatible with each other.
Now, when it comes to creating a community tank, you have two options, either you can go by stocking big fish in your community tank, or you can go stocking small fish.
Now, you cannot add different species of big fish in a 50-gallon tank as big fish will require more space than that.
There are multiple fish species available when adding small fishes to your community tank, like guppies, mollies, tetras, gouramis, and swordtails.
Keeping fish of similar size is a wise choice; as we discussed above, big fish will try to chase and hunt smaller fish.
Also, it is necessary to ensure that all the fish species we are going to add to our community tank share similar water parameters requirements.
Also read: How Many Fish In A 10-Gallon Tank?
Here are the 10 best fish for a 50-gallon community tank.
These are the 10 best fish for your 50-gallon community tank:
- Molly
- Platy
- Neon tetras
- Cardinal tetras
- Dwarf Gouramis
- Swordtails
- Guppies
- Zebra danios
- Cory catfish
- Bristlenose plecos
Molly
- Scientific Name: Poecilia sphenops
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Size: 4-5 inches
- Tank Size Requirement: 20 Gallons
- Diet: Omnivore
- Water Temperature: 75-80 °F
- Water pH level: 7.5-8.5
- Swimming level: Middle and top
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Planted Tank Suitability: Yes
Mollies do great in a community tank with other fishes because of their peaceful and calm nature.
Also, their bright color will make your tank look attractive.
Mollies come in different color patterns, and they all are peaceful, so you don’t have to worry about their temperament when adding them to your community tank.
Keep mollies in a group of 3-4, and they will thrive.
Platy
- Scientific Name: Xiphophorus spp.
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Size: 2.8 inches
- Tank Size Requirement: 20 gallons
- Diet: Omnivore
- Water Temperature: 70-82 °F
- Water pH level: 7-8
- Swimming level: Mid and top
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Planted Tank Suitability: Yes
Adding platies to your community tank will also make it look attractive.
Platies are livebearers fish and give birth to fry. They are also peaceful creatures, making them the perfect fit for a community tank.
Platy fish will help you eliminate algae from the tank.
These are schooling fish and prefer to live in a large group of at least 5-6.
Neon tetras
- Scientific Name: Parcheirodon innesi
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Size: 1.5 inches
- Tank Size Requirement: 10 gallons
- Diet: Omnivore
- Water Temperature: 68-82 °F
- Water pH level: 5-7.5
- Swimming level: Middle
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Planted Tank Suitability: Yes
These eye-catchers will make you look at your community tank again and again.
Seeing them moving back and forth in a group will be a joy to your eyes.
There can be nipping if they don’t get enough room to live comfortably, so take care of that.
Keep them in a large group of at least 6-8, and they will thrive.
Also read: Can Zebra Danios Live With Neon Tetras?
Cardinal tetras
- Scientific Name: Paracheirodon axelrodi
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Size: 1.25 inches
- Tank Size Requirement: 20 gallons
- Diet: Omnivore
- Water Temperature: 73-80 °F
- Water pH level: 5-6
- Swimming level: Middle
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Planted Tank Suitability: Yes