Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, all you experts! I have a question for you all!

I am getting a new 50 gal tank for Christmas, and I am planning out how to stock my first large aquarium! I have ideas in mind, but I need help about possible overstocking and compatability issues.

First, I would like to tell you about what I have now. I currently own a 5 gal tank with a Male Blue Veiltail Betta and two Black Mollies. It is filtered and planted with aquarium plants and Lucky Bamboo. The Mollies came in after the Betta, but rearranging the tank reduced his aggression instantly, and swims with the mollies peacefully after the first day. Plus, no fin nipping on part of the mollies! I added some salt in the water for their benefit as well: one tablespoon.

I told you about the situation with my betta and mollies because this proved to me that what I later discovered were unlikely tankmates are at times compatible with the right space and environment, and this is relevant to what I have in mind.

Now for my 50 gallon:

I was planning on this for sure:
2 Veiled Marble Angelfish (grows to 6"
2/3 Blue or Opaline Gourami (4" each)
King Betta (Also 4"
6 Harlequin Rasbora (2" each)

I understand that Bettas are aggressive, as well as Gourami, but with heavily planted space, and given places to hide, I think this could work... Or am I wrong?

Also, I have one more addition: The sole reason for such a large tank.
I want a Black Ghost Knife Fish.

Now, I KNOW they absolutely require at the very least a 100 gallon tank when full grown. Unfortunately, money is tight and so is space. I chose tankmates around the BGK because I knew how badly I wanted him. This is not a deal where I think I will get a tank and it creeps up on me. I AM getting a bigger tank. Just not where I am at the moment. I heard that five year olds grow pretty close to adult size, so I'm saving up before then in order to get thing prepared for the long term. I care for the well being of all my pets, and I took everything into deep consideration.

I suppose what I'm asking is that even with the addition of this gentle giant, even as a baby and taking these other fish into account, are they compatible? And will they be overstocked in the short term?

I accept all critique with an open mind, and I understand if this possible setup may be cause for you to disagree. I am all ears and open to any suggestions you may have for me.

LadyBetta13

I do not recommend keeping bettas with peaceful fish. There are some circumstances where it works (like in your case), but the more you add, the more you may run into compatibility issues.

I strongly advise to not get the knife fish with your current fish stock or adding another betta. Bettas are solitary fish.

Angelfish are usually picked on by faster swimming fish, and the gouramis are semi- or completely aggressive depending on the species.

I know it seems like I'm shutting your plan down, but I just can't advise to keep different temperaments of fish together. It may work for you, and it may be that the knife fish eats every last fish in your tank.

From what I read, knife fish should be solitary. I don't know from personal experience, however, researching is there to assist your decisions. I can tell you've researched.

Also, be careful adding too many fish at once because you can offset the balance of beneficial bacteria in the tank, which will lead to ammonia poisoning in your fish.

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for your advice. Well, the mollies got along well but not for long. They caught the Ich and died despite my attempts to cure it. I took your words to heart and decided against putting him with any more tankmates. I'm lucky my betta didn't catch anything... Though he seems to be biting his tail while I'm not looking because his tail is somewhat shredded. (I know this isn't fin rot because it doesn't really spread at a set pace. I wake up to find a chunk of his tail seemingly bitten off, though the damage seems to have stopped without any action done since I've watched him more closely and played with him more.)

Anyway, I've done yet even more research (albeit tirelessly) and have come up with a better mix of fish, though I wonder if my BGK might eventually eat some, or get bullied by another in particular)

Here is what I have:

BGK (still have my eyes set on him) ^_^
RTBS (potential bully... But I've heard success stories)
8-10 Tiger Barbs (Not too concerned. A school that big can get along well IMHO, and nearly uncatchable. Should be safe)
Spotted Pleco (Not common Pleco... Anyone know it's size?)
3 Dwarf Gourami (I'll be careful to get ONE male, tho size worries me)
Red Wag Swordtails (Again, their size is a HUGE concern. If it is okay, how many...?)

Would this overstock my tank? Also, as you can see, I scrapped the idea of Bettas and Angels. They seem to be a recipe for disaster! I must ask, though, does this setup seem to be okay? I've heard BGK can coexist with smaller fish when introduced young... And I plan on keeping him WELL fed just to be safe! ^^' I won't overfeed tho.

One last thing... Would introducing these fish in a certain order prove beneficial for their health and/or community behavior? Thanks again!

LadyBetta13

Edit: I meant to put the Striped Raphael Catfish in place of the Hifin Spotted Pleco... I kinda found out how large they get, which us a little big for me. ^_^'

Also, I may or may not get the Swordtails... Really leaning towards no the more I think about it. It just seems a bit much now that I'm looking it over, and they may just end up an expensive snack. O_O

I have seen many people use BGK in community tanks, so I do believe it is possible... But I shall use caution and the most well planned preparation possible!

I have no idea what a RTBS is. Tiger barbs are extremely aggressive. I had them and they even picked on the most aggressive fish I had before their addition. They would likely kill your betta and the gourami.

I cannot condone the mixing of fish temperaments. You can do what you feel is right, but I cannot say that it is ok. When adding fish you want to be careful not to add too many at once as it will offset your beneficial bacteria ratio.

I think you misunderstand... I currently have a five gallon for my betta... I'm getting a new 50 gal for Xmas. ^^' Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. I do not plan to put my betta in the 50 gal at all. Also, Hangetsu, my Berta, is currently the sole inhabitant of said tank.

That said, I think I agree with you on the gouramis. I think I won't bother with them at all then. Also, RTBS stands for Red Tail Black Shark, which grows to 6" length. He can handle the barbs fairly well, I would think.

Do you know of any other fish to inhabit the top portion of the tank with/instead of the barbs? Any Semi-aggressive tankmate that can coexist with the Black Ghost Knife would be great.