Suggestions for freshwater tropicals?

Hi everyone
It has been a long time since I had a tank around the house. I have a
pond in the back yard with messy old goldfish and mosquito eating
guppies, however, that is not the point.
I have acquired a 50 gallon tank, set it up with plants and rocks, and
now I am ready to start thinking about what kinds of fish to put in
this beautiful tank that resides in my living room. The goal is to
have an environment indoors that can help lower my blood pressure and
continue to be a positive experience for the whole family, including
our 5 year old son.
I would like a nice variety of fish that do not grow to over 4-5
inches, some with color is eye catching and aesthetically pleasing,
but not a requirement. I would like to have good community fish that
don't try to eat each other's fins off and ones that will not destroy
the live plants I have in the tank.
I am asking for some advice on which fish would be good together in
our tank as well as wondering if my expectations of a community of
fish are unreasonable.
Thank you!
~Star