Stocking ideas for 50 to 65 gallons Fishtank

mluppert Stocking ideas for your fishtank No Comments

Aquarium stocking ideas: the 50 to 65 gallons fishtank

You have decided on a aquarium and already set up your fishtank? If you have chosen a tank that can hold between 48 and 60 gallons, you have chosen a good starting size. Not only is the selection of the fish with a tank-length of 38-48 inches as limited as an aquarium that only holds 20 gallons (24 inches long), it is also substantially easier to maintain such a fishtank and one has a larger area for decoration and plants. Larger fishtanks  forgive various beginners mistakes much better than their smaller counterparts, which, for example, are quickly caused by too much fertilizer or pollutants in the water. And even if the weekly partial water change should fail once, such a fishtank does not threaten to "tip over".

For all those who have decided for tanks between 50 and 65 gallons, we have provided beautiful and harmonious stocking ideas in the following article, which should not only support you in the selection of the fish, but also avoid the typical beginners mistakes in the selection of the setting.

Table of Contents

TIP: Buy 50-65 gallons fishtank online!

You still need your 50-65 gallons aquarium? If you like my work, you can support me in buying your fishtank at no extra cost to you! Just use the following link to buy your aquarium at Amazon - thank you!

My Recommendation: quality SeaClear Acrylic 50 gallons Aquarium Combo Set

My Recommendation: best-seller Tetra 55 Gallon Aquarium Kit

Which fish fit into a 50, 55, 65 gallons fishtank?

Aquariums between 50 and 65 gallons can already be equipped with many different fish. In general, the following popular aquarium inhabitants will feel very comfortable in a tank with edge lengths between 38-48 inches:

  • Cardinal Tetra and other small tetra species
  • Dwarf Cichlids, such as Angel Ram cichlids (Microgeophagus ramirezi) or Apistogramma Borelli opal (Umbrella cichlids)
  • Rasbora such as Harlequin Rasboras
  • Dwarf Gourami species, like blue gourami or mosaic gourami
  • Guppies, Platies and Mollies
  • Neon rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox)
  • Catfish species
  • and many more fish that we show you in the following article

South American Fishtank stocking ideas: 50-65 gallons

South America: Dwarf cichlids

The Eyecatcher: 1-2 pair m/f (depending on hiding places and structure of the tank) of

  • Dwarf flag cichlid (Laetacara curviceps) or
  • Bolivian ram (microgeophagus altispinosus) or
  • Goldeneye cichlid (Nannacara anomala)

The swarm: 25-30 animals of one tetra species. The following species fit particularly well in a 50-65 gallons fishtank, because they are peaceful and rather small:

  • Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) or
  • Ember Tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae) or
  • Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Flame Tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus) or
  • Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) or
  • Serpae tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques)or
  • Rosy tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Emperor tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri) or
  • Silvertip tetra (Hasemania nana)

On the ground: The popular Bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus spec.) should be avoided with an edge length of only 38-48 inches. Instead, 8-12 corydoras catfish are appropriate. These are available in many different variations and are therefore suitable for almost all aquarium equipment. Below is a small selection of the varieties:

  • Panda Corydoras Catfish
  • Albino Corydoras Catfish
  • Skunk Corydoras Catfish
  • and many more.

South America: Apistogramma tank

The Eyecatcher: 1 m - 2-3w (depending on hiding places and structure of the tank) of

  • Cockatoo dwarf cichlid (Apistogramma cacatuoides) or
  • Agassiz's dwarf cichlid (Apistogramma agassizii) or
  • Panda darf cichlid (Apistogramma nijsseni) or
  • Agassizii  Tefe (Apistogramma agassizii 'Tefe')

The swarm: 25-30 animals of one tetra species. The following species fit particularly well in a 50-65 gallons fishtank, because they are peaceful and rather small:

  • Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) or
  • Ember Tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae) or
  • Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Flame Tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus) or
  • Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) or
  • Serpae tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques)or
  • Rosy tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Emperor tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri) or
  • Silvertip tetra (Hasemania nana)

On the ground: The popular Bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus spec.) should be avoided with an edge length of only 38-48 inches. Instead, 8-12 corydoras catfish are appropriate. These are available in many different variations and are therefore suitable for almost all aquarium equipment. Below is a small selection of the varieties:

  • Panda Corydoras Catfish
  • Albino Corydoras Catfish
  • Skunk Corydoras Catfish
  • and many more.

South America: Mollies

The Eycatcher: 3m - 5f. The variations can also be mixed with each other.

  • Black Molly (Poecilia sphenops var. Black) or
  • Dalmatiner-Molly (Poecilia sphenops var. Dalmatiner) or
  • Silver-Molly (Poecilia sphenops var. Silber)

The swarm: 10-15 animals of one tetra species. The following species fit particularly well in a 50-65 gallons aquarium, because they are peaceful and rather small:

  • Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Flame Tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus) or
  • Black phantom tetra (Hyphessobrycon megalopterus) or
  • Red phantom tetra (Hyphessobrycon sweglesi) or
  • Ornate tetra (Hyphessobrycon bentosi)

On the ground: The popular Bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus spec.) should be avoided with an edge length of only 38-48 inches. Instead, 8-12 corydoras catfish are appropriate. These are available in many different variations and are therefore suitable for almost all aquarium equipment. Below is a small selection of the varieties:

  • Panda Corydoras Catfish
  • Albino Corydoras Catfish
  • Skunk Corydoras Catfish
  • and many more.

South America: Guppies

The Eyecatcher: 5m+10f

  • Endler Guppies (Poecilia wingei) or
  • Flamingo Guppy (Poecilia reticulata var. Flamingo) or
  • Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

Additional Stocking: 10-15 tetras of one of the following species

  • Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) or
  • Ember Tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae) or
  • Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Flame Tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus) or
  • Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus)

On the ground: The popular Bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus spec.) should be avoided with an edge length of only 38-48 inches. Instead, 8-12 corydoras catfish are appropriate. These are available in many different variations and are therefore suitable for almost all aquarium equipment. Below is a small selection of the varieties:

  • Panda Corydoras Catfish
  • Albino Corydoras Catfish
  • Skunk Corydoras Catfish
  • and many more.

Asian fishtank Stocking ideas 50 to 65 gallons:

Southeast Asia: Rainbow Fish

The Eyecatcher: 2-3m - 4-7w Neon Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox).

The swarm: 12-15 animals of one of the following species of Rasboras

  • Lambchop rasbora (Trigonostigma espei) or
  • Glowlight rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli) or
  • Harlequin rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) or
  • Least rasbora (Boraras urophthalmoides) or
  • Dwarf rasbora (Boraras maculatus)
  • Boraras brigittae (Boraras brigittae) or
  • Boraras merah (Boraras merah) or
  • Red Dwarf rasbora (Microrasbora rubescens)

On the ground: 15-20 invertebrates such as

  • Red Fire shrimp (Neocaridina davidi var. Red) or
  • Tiger shrimp (Caridina sp.'Tiger') or
  • Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) or
  • the classic Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata)

Southeast Asia: dwarf Gourami

The Eyecatcher: 1-2 pairs (depending on hiding places and structure of the tank) of gourami, e.g.:

  • Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius) or
  • Red Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius var. red) or
  • Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) or
  • Sparkling gourami (Trichopsis pumila)

The swarm: 25-30 animals of one of the following species of Rasboras

  • Lambchop rasbora (Trigonostigma espei) or
  • Glowlight rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli) or
  • Harlequin rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) or
  • Least rasbora (Boraras urophthalmoides) or
  • max. 15x Pearl Danio (Danio albolineatus) or
  • max. 15x Eyespot rasbora (Rasbora dorsiocellata) or

On the ground: 15-20 invertebrates such as

  • Red Fire shrimp (Neocaridina davidi var. Red) or
  • Tiger shrimp (Caridina sp.'Tiger') or
  • Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) or
  • the classic Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata)

Southeast Asia: Scarlet badis (Dario Dario)

The Eyecatcher: 6-8x Scarlet badis Dario (Dario Dario)

Additional Stocking: suitable for socialization are 1-2 pair of peaceful Gouramis, such as

  • Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius) or
  • Red Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius var. red) or
  • Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) or
  • Sparkling gourami (Trichopsis pumila)

Southeast Asia: barbs

The Eyecatcher: 8-12 barbs, such as:

  • Fiveband barb (Desmopuntius pentazona) or
  • Tiger barb (Puntius cf. tetrazona) or
  • Green Tiger barb(Puntius cf. tetrazona var. green) or
  • Odessa barb (Pethia padamya)

Additional Stocking: 5-10 loaches, e.g.

  • Dwarf loach (Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki) or
  • Black-lined Loach (Yasuhikotakia nigrolineata) 

Southeast asia: Gourami

The Eyecatcher: 1-2 pairs (depending on hiding places and structure of the tank) of gourami, e.g.:

  • Three spot gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus) or
  • Thick-lipped gourami (Trichogaster labiosa) or
  • Vaillant's Chocolate Gourami (Sphaerichthys vaillanti) or
  • Pearl gourami (Trichopodus leerii) or
  • Paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis)

The swarm: 25-30 animals of one of the following species of Rasboras

  • Lambchop rasbora (Trigonostigma espei) or
  • Glowlight rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli) or
  • Harlequin rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) or
  • Least rasbora (Boraras urophthalmoides) or
  • max. 15x Pearl Danio (Danio albolineatus) or
  • max. 15x Eyespot rasbora (Rasbora dorsiocellata) or

On the ground: 15-20 invertebrates such as

  • Red Fire shrimp (Neocaridina davidi var. Red) or
  • Tiger shrimp (Caridina sp.'Tiger') or
  • Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) or
  • the classic Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata)

Community fishtank stocking ideas: 50-65 gallons aquarium

Community fishtank: the Molly aquarium

The Eycatcher: 3m - 5f. The variations can also be mixed with each other.

  • Black Molly (Poecilia sphenops var. Black) or
  • Dalmatiner-Molly (Poecilia sphenops var. Dalmatiner) or
  • Silver-Molly (Poecilia sphenops var. Silber)

The swarm: 10-15 tetras

  • Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Flame Tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus) or
  • Black phantom tetra (Hyphessobrycon megalopterus) or
  • Red phantom tetra (Hyphessobrycon sweglesi) or
  • Ornate tetra (Hyphessobrycon bentosi)

or 10-15 Rasboras

  • Lambchop rasbora (Trigonostigma espei) or
  • Glowlight rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli) or
  • Harlequin rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) or
  • Pearl Danio (Danio albolineatus) or
  • Eyespot rasbora (Rasbora dorsiocellata) or

On the ground: The popular Bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus spec.) should be avoided with an edge length of only 38-48 inches. Instead, 8-12 corydoras catfish are appropriate. These are available in many different variations and are therefore suitable for almost all aquarium equipment. Below is a small selection of the varieties:

  • Panda Corydoras Catfish
  • Albino Corydoras Catfish
  • Skunk Corydoras Catfish
  • and many more.

Community fishtank: The Apistogramma aquarium

The Eyecatcher:  1m 2-3w of one of the following Apistogramma species

  • Cockatoo dwarf cichlid (Apistogramma cacatuoides) or
  • Agassiz's dwarf cichlid (Apistogramma agassizii) or
  • Panda darf cichlid (Apistogramma nijsseni) or

or 1-2 pair of one of the following cichlids

  • Dwarf flag cichlid (Laetacara curviceps) or
  • Bolivian ram (microgeophagus altispinosus) or
  • Goldeneye cichlid (Nannacara anomala)

The swarm: 25-30 tetras

  • Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) or
  • Ember Tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae) or
  • Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Flame Tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus) or
  • Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) or
  • Serpae tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques)or

or 25-30 Rasboras

  • Lambchop rasbora (Trigonostigma espei) or
  • Glowlight rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli) or
  • Harlequin rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) or
  • Least rasbora (Boraras urophthalmoides) or
  • max. 15x Pearl Danio (Danio albolineatus) or
  • max. 15x Eyespot rasbora (Rasbora dorsiocellata) or

On the ground: The popular Bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus spec.) should be avoided with an edge length of only 38-48 inches. Instead, 8-12 corydoras catfish are appropriate. These are available in many different variations and are therefore suitable for almost all aquarium equipment. Below is a small selection of the varieties:

  • Panda Corydoras Catfish
  • Albino Corydoras Catfish
  • Skunk Corydoras Catfish
  • and many more.

Community fishtank: The Guppy aquarium

The Eyecatcher: 4m+8f

  • Endler Guppies (Poecilia wingei) or
  • Flamingo Guppy (Poecilia reticulata var. Flamingo) or
  • Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

The swarm: 10-15 tetras

  • Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Flame Tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus) or
  • Black phantom tetra (Hyphessobrycon megalopterus) or
  • Red phantom tetra (Hyphessobrycon sweglesi) or
  • Ornate tetra (Hyphessobrycon bentosi)

or 10-15 Rasboras

  • Lambchop rasbora (Trigonostigma espei) or
  • Glowlight rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli) or
  • Harlequin rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) or
  • Pearl Danio (Danio albolineatus) or
  • Eyespot rasbora (Rasbora dorsiocellata) or

On the ground: The popular Bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus spec.) should be avoided with an edge length of only 38-48 inches. Instead, 8-12 corydoras catfish are appropriate. These are available in many different variations and are therefore suitable for almost all aquarium equipment. Below is a small selection of the varieties:

  • Panda Corydoras Catfish
  • Albino Corydoras Catfish
  • Skunk Corydoras Catfish
  • and many more.

Community fishtank: The (dwarf) Gourami aquarium

Der Eyecatcher: 1-2 pairs (depending on hiding places and structure of the tank) of gourami, e.g.:

  • Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius) or
  • Red Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius var. red) or
  • Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) or
  • Three spot gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus) or
  • Thick-lipped gourami (Trichogaster labiosa) or
  • Vaillant's Chocolate Gourami (Sphaerichthys vaillanti) or

The swarm: 25-30 tetras

  • Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) or
  • Ember Tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae) or
  • Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Flame Tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus) or
  • Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) or
  • Serpae tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques)or

or 25-30 Rasboras

  • Lambchop rasbora (Trigonostigma espei) or
  • Glowlight rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli) or
  • Harlequin rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) or
  • Least rasbora (Boraras urophthalmoides) or
  • max. 15x Pearl Danio (Danio albolineatus) or
  • max. 15x Eyespot rasbora (Rasbora dorsiocellata) or

On the ground: The popular Bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus spec.) should be avoided with an edge length of only 38-48 inches. Instead, 8-12 corydoras catfish are appropriate. These are available in many different variations and are therefore suitable for almost all aquarium equipment. Below is a small selection of the varieties:

  • Panda Corydoras Catfish
  • Albino Corydoras Catfish
  • Skunk Corydoras Catfish
  • and many more.

Community fishtank: barbs

The Eyecatcher: 8-12 barbs, such as:

  • Fiveband barb (Desmopuntius pentazona) or
  • Tiger barb (Puntius cf. tetrazona) or
  • Green Tiger barb(Puntius cf. tetrazona var. green) or
  • Odessa barb (Pethia padamya)

Additional Stocking: 5-10 loaches, e.g.

  • Dwarf loach (Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki) or
  • Black-lined Loach (Yasuhikotakia nigrolineata) 

Or  10-15 tetras or rasboras, such as

  • Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) or
  • Flame Tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus) or
  • Black phantom tetra (Hyphessobrycon megalopterus) or
  • Red phantom tetra (Hyphessobrycon sweglesi) or
  • Lambchop rasbora (Trigonostigma espei) or
  • Glowlight rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli) or
  • Harlequin rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) or
  • Eyespot rasbora (Rasbora dorsiocellata)
Stocking ideas for 50 to 65 gallons Fishtank

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

en_USEN
fr_FRFR es_ESES tr_TRTR elEL it_ITIT pl_PLPL pt_PTPT en_USEN