50 Gallon School Tank. Need Help Stocking!

[CoryWithAKatana]

I have an empty 50 gallon at my school that I have responsibility of. What would be the best fish to have as a flagfish, best schools, or best bottom-dwellers. Equipment can come after I get the fish but I do have a giant filter that operates on a sump pump. 

[mynameisnobody]

It already has a flag fish? I’d do a ton of guppies. Get a rainbow of colors and they are all over the water column. 

Edited Thursday at 04:17 PM by mynameisnobody

[CoryWithAKatana]

• No no, I was wondering what would be a good flag fish or main fish for the tank

[Mississippi fish guy]

On 10/3/2024 at 11:03 AM, CoryWithAKatana said:

of. What would be the best fish to have as a flagfish

Do you mean Florida flagfish or are you talking about a centerpiece fish?

angelfish make great centerpiece fish just keep in mind that they are cichlids.

On 10/3/2024 at 11:03 AM, CoryWithAKatana said:

best schools, or best bottom-dwellers

Most tetras are good schooling fish but I don’t have experience with many so I can’t give much info on how to care for them.

Native American fish are something you could also consider but some (like darters and pigmy sunfish) are picky eaters and some need temperatures below room temperature.

there are lots more options with a 50 gallon that I’m not aware of.

[mynameisnobody]

Centerpiece, got it. 

[Tony s]

All depends on what you think the kids would like and how much time you're willing to spend on it. Also depends on what happens over break with the classroom. Kids are almost always fascinated with babies in the tank. especially younger to mid-size kids. so lots of live bearers could work. But you could do some of the bigger ones, swordtails and mollies. My daughter wants a tank of platinum sailfin mollies. She's 9. Lots of plants to help keep the fry around. Should be a cool tank. For older ones, they might get bored with small fish. You may want 1 or 2 of something you can use for a class mascot, with a name or names. A pair of angels would be ok. Then a mid-sized schooler. something like a harlequin rasbora. Very hardy. and something on the bottom, doesn't have to be corys. How about a long finned bristlenose. 

It also depends on the school's water supply. If it's neutral to hard, both combos would work just fine. If it's soft, the livebearers would probably be out, unless you're willing to harden it up, continuously

Instead of the angels, you could run a pair or trio of electric blue acara also. And you may get some fry from them as well. These are my daughter's favorite right now. Lots of color, peaceful. but they have a "Prescence" in the tank.

[CoryWithAKatana]

On 10/3/2024 at 12:46 PM, Tony s said:

All depends on what you think the kids would like and how much time you're willing to spend on it. Also depends on what happens over break with the classroom. Kids are almost always fascinated with babies in the tank. especially younger to mid-size kids. so lots of live bearers could work. But you could do some of the bigger ones, swordtails and mollies. My daughter wants a tank of platinum sailfin mollies. She's 9. Lots of plants to help keep the fry around. Should be a cool tank. For older ones, they might get bored with small fish. You may want 1 or 2 of something you can use for a class mascot, with a name or names. A pair of angels would be ok. Then a mid-sized schooler. something like a harlequin rasbora. Very hardy. and something on the bottom, doesn't have to be corys. How about a long finned bristlenose. 

It also depends on the school's water supply. If it's neutral to hard, both combos would work just fine. If it's soft, the livebearers would probably be out, unless you're willing to harden it up, continuously

Instead of the angels, you could run a pair or trio of electric blue acara also. And you may get some fry from them as well. These are my daughter's favorite right now. Lots of color, peaceful. but they have a "Prescence" in the tank.

On my campus we have 7-12th graders so some bigger fish could be better. I live in Florida so my water is really hard. I have always heard that Angels were aggressive so could I have community fish with angels? Also are the electric blue acara community fish or species-only Ive never heard of them but they look cool.

[Tony s]

On 10/3/2024 at 1:54 PM, CoryWithAKatana said:

I have always heard that Angels were aggressive so could I have community fish with angels

Angels are usually peaceful. Unless they are breeding. Then they can get nasty. With 1, it's no problem. With 2, it's 50-50 whether you will have an issue. Eletric blue acara are very peaceful, for a cichlid, remembering whatever fits in the mouth is food. so, nothing really small. They do fine in a community tank otherwise. Was thinking about the long fin pleco because it's mostly big and sort of creepy for a non-fish person. Kids should like that. 

If you do an acara species tank, you should be able to get some breeding going on and get some babies as well.

[johnnyxxl]

On 10/3/2024 at 12:03 PM, CoryWithAKatana said:

I have an empty 50 gallon at my school that I have responsibility of. What would be the best fish to have as a flagfish, best schools, or best bottom-dwellers. Equipment can come after I get the fish but I do have a giant filter that operates on a sump pump. 

Personally I love tiger barbs and black ruby barbs they are lively and you can get a big shoal of them.  They do great in planted tanks are easy to care for.  

Mine are trained for knowing when it's time for feeding.

[Tlindsey]

On 10/3/2024 at 1:54 PM, CoryWithAKatana said:

Also are the electric blue acara community fish or species-only Ive never heard of them but they look cool.

My experience with the Blue Acara are 

Mild aggressive until they spawn. I personally don't use the term peaceful when it comes to cichlids 😅 @CoryWithAKatana

[knee]

Tight schoolers that I've kept are rummynose tetras, bloodfin tetras and danio choprae. Other tetras would only school in the beginning when they're still not comfortable in the tank. The three schooling fish I mentioned was kept with Angelfish, rainbow cichlids and bolivian rams in a 6' tank, and they didn't have problems with each other. I'd also suggest hatchetfish for top dwellers but only if your tank is 95-100% covered. 

[Tony s]

On 10/3/2024 at 2:32 PM, Tlindsey said:

My experience with the Blue Acara are 

Regular blue acara or electric blue? My understanding is regular blue acara are more feisty. Electric blue are a hybrid fish i believe? Part regular blue acara and part electric blue ram? But for sure mine hasn't caused me an issue yet. But he's a single, in a community of angels and rasbora borapetensis, and corys

[Tlindsey]

On 10/3/2024 at 5:18 PM, Tony s said:

Regular blue acara or electric blue? My understanding is regular blue acara are more feisty. Electric blue are a hybrid fish i believe? Part regular blue acara and part electric blue ram? But for sure mine hasn't caused me an issue yet. But he's a single, in a community of angels and rasbora borapetensis, and corys

Had a pair a few years ago in a 40 breeder. They spawned twice and the female became very aggressive once the eggs were fertilized. The female nearly killed the male both times. Also had a female Pelvicachromis Pulcher female kill 2 males. Yes you are right the Electric Blue Acara are hybrid.  @Tony s

Edited Thursday at 09:34 PM by Tlindsey

[Tony s]

On 10/3/2024 at 5:32 PM, Tlindsey said:

They spawned twice and the female became very aggressive once the eggs were fertilized

yeah, I can see that. Seems to be standard behavior with cichlids. Perfectly calm when not breeding, and then....

[Retrophyllum_minus]

Just a note, I would recommend getting substrate like sand or gravel in that tank and water and getting it running with a filter. It will take some time for the tank to be ready to add fish. You want to do live plants, that will help get it ready more quickly. 
other decorations can be added later if you want, although it wouldn't hurt to get those in there as well before you add fish.