new 45-50 gallon stocking ideas?

[dimdim]

hey there guys, i rencently inhereted a 50 gallon tank, and want to run a showpiece tank, i currently have it empty, but is cycled, i will be putting a 6 inch female Jack dempsey in, along with a 4 inch red tailed shark, i was thinking something a little bit more agressive by maybe introducing two 2/12 inch, or 3 inch red bellied pirhanas. as well as a black ghost knife fish, this diversity in the tank is what i want, but i really want to run sand as a substrate, i also have a group of cons, one male 6 inches to 3 females about 4 inches, would a pair of these work as well?

as for stocking properly, i realize these fish arent idealy kept with the ones ive mentioned, but if it would work that would be aweosme
i also wouldnt mind a German blue ram

any input would be great!

[skullduggery1]

Hello DIM,ahh. well ,dempsey and convicts would work together with alot of bogwood and rockwork.Or convicts and a redtailed shark.Or maybe with hiding places galore,the ghost and redtailed shark.Rams would not work with any of these fish.The ghost will also need a bigger tank,as I have had one grow to 14 inches.

[dimdim]

if i put the dempsey in, along with the cons, and red tailed, could 2 red belly pirhanas work with these, along with a group of dither fish?

[skullduggery1]

No,too many fish in that sized tank.Two pirahna by themselves, yes.Two cons and red tailed shark with a few large buenos aires tetras,maybe.(OR sized equivelant schooling fish)

[dimdim]

thanks for the help! ill keep the tank updated in this post with pics soon

[MCHRKiller]

Piranha especially Pygros are shoaling fish, they must be kept in a group of 6+. Considering they grow to 10" that is a difficult matter in tanks less than 125gallons. I would opt for a single convict instead of a pair...they are very aggressive with fry. Otherwise a female dempsey, and a convict should work out nicely...the RTBS may also work if you provided ample hiding space.

[dimdim]

thanks! i think i will go with my JD, and try a pair of cons to see how it turns out, i also have a very young male JD that is about half the females size, but this tank may be too small for them, i was wondering about black pirahna, i wouldnt mind keeping just one alone in my tank for now, but where to find them:S, im very interested in this fish

[MCHRKiller]

Rhoms grow extremely slow buying a small one would mean this tank would do it for quite some time. With that said even small ones are very aggressive, it is unlikely any fish should be kept with one.

[CassieLEO]

A pair of cons with a Jack Dempsey will be a nightmare if they are a pair of cons. I had a 2 inch female convict who layed eggs and was crazy territorial. My poor Jack was in the corner and if he moved from she went bananas!! I ended up getting rid of all three of them because I felt so bad and ended up hating the female. Its fun to think of a agressive tank, but you have to think of the animals quality of life too. You need to research this a little more my friend.

[Cascade]

Hey she was just providing advice from her experience, which you requested when you started the thread. We all learn from each others experiences here... at the end of the day you are free to do whatever you'd like with your own tank, but there is something to be learned from what others have tried. Advice is just that, you can take it or leave it...

I for one really appreciate the shared experiences in here, it has saved me from many costly mistakes!