Too many fish?

[Drayven]

So when my sand finally arrives in the mail next week it's time to finally starting putting together my first tank. It's a 50g breeder and I just wanted to see what you all think of the collection of fish I'll most likely be putting in there. And no I'm not going to put them all in at once I'll put the plants in for a bit, do all the cycling and start with just a couple danios. That said what I'm thinking of is...

5x Zebra Danio
3x Kuhli Loach
3x Red Velvet Swordtail
1 Red Tail Shark
1 Small Pleco, looking for something that'll stay under 5" or so.

And I'm hoping for maybe 2-3 ghost or cherry shrimp but I'm afraid I might be pushing the limits with the fish already. I'm familiar with the 1inch per gallon rule and I'm pretty close to that, just wondering what you all think.

It will also have a half dozen or so live plants, probably amazon swords or something broad leaf like that. And I'm goign to make sure to have plenty of caves and hiding spots. I already have a couple 6" deep caves built into my rock walls using PVC and I have a big chunk of slate I'm gonna bust up to build little caves all over the floor.

[happygirl65]

I don't think that is too many fish for a 50 gal. Look for a bristlenose pleco, they stay small and are plant friendly for the most part. What kind of filtration and lighting are you looking at having?
I would caution you about the shrimp since they will most likely become lunch for your fish. Most fish will eat the shrimp I am sorry to say. You can always try with some ghost shrimp if you have a lot of hiding places that the shrimp could get into but the fish couldn't.
Good luck I think it sounds like a fun and active tank.

[joy13]

A clown pleco stays smaller than a bristlenose mine is very shy and I seldom see him. My bristlenose should be called piggy pleco he eats everything including sinking wafers I feed my catfish. A rubberlip is another option I just got a free one lastweek so I don't know much about him right now he is about 4 inches long and seems to leave my plants alone.

[Drayven]

Thanks for the replies. After a visit to the LFS yesterday and a long talk with the owner there I've decided to make a few changes. I'm going to replace the Kuhli Loaches with Gold Dojos just because I hear they're far more active and you'll actually be able to see them. And I realized that the black tail shark I was referring to is actually a rainbow shark :P

As far as filtration and lighting. I have an aquaclear 70 filter and I ordered one of these

[meegosh]

I have three Kuhlis and they are all fairly active around feeding time. Other than that they usually burrow in the sand and hide under decor/rocks. I'd say you can see them for an hour after feeding and then go back into hiding.

I have never really been up late to see if they are out at night as my lights go off around midnight. Just my $0.02!

[mom2reds]

I think If I was you i would skip the shark they get really to big for a 50 gall. tank, And I think they would be to aggressive for the rest of the fish in you tank. This is JMO but thought I would share it.

[hacket]

Albino plecos tend to be smaller on average, from what I know. So that could be an option for a 50g.