A bunch of little fish, or a few big ones?

[eco23]

Hi guys! Almost done with my cycle and thinking about what fish to get. I want a friendly community tank where I don't have to worry about fights and nipping.

I've got a 48 gallon freshwater and am leaning towards a few schools of different tetras and barbs. According to AqAdvisor, I can fit 28 of these small fish into my tank and only be at 85% capacity.

Do you prefer to have a tank full of little fish, or is it more fun to have a few larger ones?

Also, if I cut back on the tetras and barbs, are there any peaceful larger size fish you like that wouldn't pick on the small ones? I'd love to have a rainbow shark but I know they'll cause havoc with all the little fish.

 

[tyspot1000]

I do like a tank with a lot of small fish, but I think it would look better with a medium to big centre fish piece (Not big enough to eat the smaller fish though).

You could try some tetra (No nipping ones), some Barbs (No nipping ones. ie Tiger barbs), and a single pearl gourami (Gets around 4-6 inches).

I would just go ahead and skip the rainbow. They need at least a 55 gallon. Some do great with smaller fish, some dont (Just depends on the personality of the shark).