Red Tail Shark and current stock ?

[Autumnsky]

Question about the Red tail shark... I am buying a tank full of plants from a guy who is breaking down his large tank and he has a few fish to rehome.

The Chinese or Siamese Algae Eater (only want SAE not CAE), Blue Gourami (give to a friend) and Red Tail Shark which are beautiful and I was thinking about maybe keeping. I have heard they are territorial though mainly when there is more than 1. I have no personal experience with this fish.

My Aunt used to have RTS with her Angel fish. So I automatically think maybe aggressive and get nervous.

For 72G
Pearl Gourami,
14 Cardinals+2Neons,
3 Otos,
8 Harlequin Rasbora,
pair of Black Skirts,
5 Glow light Tetra,
Community Male Betta
Bamboo Shrimp and two Amano Shrimp
2 Emerald Brochis and 2 Bronze Cories
and 1 Spotted Raphael cat.

Heavily planted tank.

Most of these are coming from the 37G so I know I need to increase some of the groups but that isn't the topic at hand. I will fine tune that after the tank is doing well in the transition period.

What I am wanting to know is how any of you think the RTS will get on with the current fish, ideally with previous experiences.

Thank you!

 

[Wyomingite]

I've kept two of these guys over the years. The first was in a community tank with tetras (IIRC there were neons in it), cories, platies and angels, maybe some danios, can't remember exactly. Basic community tank, anyways. He staked out a hidey hole under some driftwood and patrolled the area immediately around the driftwood, but didn't bug anyone unless they swam right into his nook in the wood. Even then, as soon as the other fish was no longer in the nook, he'd go back to patrollin'. The second was mean as all get out. He staked himself a cave out in the middle of the tank and anything that came within 6" was chased clear across the tank. When he'd start patrollin', he'd take off clear across the tank if any other fish even started to move toward his cave. This was with gouramis, danios and tiger barbs. Ended up with so much conflict between the RTS and a big male three spot gourami that I moved the RTS to a tank of his own. 55 gallon tanks in both cases.

So I guess I'm sayin' it would be hit and miss, dependin' on the fish, based on my experience with 'em. The bigger the tank the better, and if ya broke up his line of sight around his chosen "home" ya might be able to limit his aggression to a smaller area. This latter has worked with a 6" rainbow shark I have now, which hounded the roseline barbs and giant danios in the tank pretty regularly until I limited the open space around his cave. The funny thing 'bout that is that there are three zebra loaches in the tank as well, and they can be in the cave with the shark and he completely ignores them.

WYite

 

[Autumnsky]

Thanks WY! Keeping Bettas I am aware how personality can be the #1 factor, lol.

I have tons of rocks, dw, and will now have the quantity of plants to make it a jungle, so I think I might give it a try after talking to the owner in person to see if he has personal observations of community behavior or aggression. Given that it is a 110G space with few fish he has the run of the kingdom so to speak.