What to stock?

[hoppershaun]

Hi guys!
I've just bought a 40 gallon tank and was wanting some ideas or what fish to put in. I'm cycling the tank at the mo so won't be putting any in till it's done. The fish that I know I want already are an angelfish, a red-tailed shark, some sort of gourami and I was thinking maybe 5 or 7 Harlequin Rasporas. What else do you think I should get that would be compatible with these fish? Also do you think that the angelfish and the red-tailed shark would be fine together? I've researched on the internet but opinions vary.
Thanks in advance.

 

[WaterPond]

cories!!! you could put 6 smaller cories in there. Or even some type of smaller loach like yoyo loaches. But i would definately go for the cories, Panda cories are my favorite, i also like peppered cories. I found that te peppered cories are more readily available than the pandas, and they are also cheaper too.

 

[JustOneMore20]

Red-tailed sharks are territorial, so I don't think cories can hold up to them. If you want some other bottom feeders, I'd go with loaches. They are a little more aggressive than cories and would be a better match for the shark. Anything but clown loaches will be fine in that tank.

If all you want is the one school, bump the harlequins up to 10. They look great in larger schools.
If you want another school to go along with them, go with some tetras. I love lemon tetras. They would make a nice contrast to the red rasboras.

 

[hoppershaun]

Not sure if I want that many harlequins. Think I want a variance of fish. Thanks for info on the corries. What about a betta? Would it try to fight a gourami?

 

[triazole]

i have angels with a rainbow shark. they get along fine together, unless the angels try to go near the rainbow's log. that's when it gets a little cranky.
mixing bettas and gouramis produce varied results. might or might not work out depending on the temperament of the fish. but that'll become clear once you put the betta in. if it doesn't work out, make sure you have an escape route.

 

[lyquidphyre]

I think if you put the cories in the tank before the RTB shark, you might not have many problems. Also, if you have enough hiding places for the both of them.. they should be fine as well (possibly a different hiding place at each end of the tank).

Ive had coried with my RTB shark before.. and at first they got a little nipped at, but soon after they were left alone.

My concern would be with the angel and the gourami. I know they can go together, but as my angel got bigger, he really tormented the gouramis in the tank. It just depends on the temperment of the fish.

If it were me Id go with-
2 angels
1 RTB shark
5 cories
7 Harlequin rasboras (since you don't want more than that but 10 would work just as well)
and maybe 2 gouramis

 

[ksfishguy]

Rainbow sharks seem less aggressive and look very cool, instead of a red tail.

I have six rasboras, they are awesome together and very hardy.

I have three dwarf gouramis, they are incredibly active.

Have you seen any gold gouramis, they are beautiful!!!

 

[hoppershaun]

I've never seen any gold gouramis in any of my LFS, but have seen pictures of them on the internet, they are very beautiful. A rainbow shark is another option but a red-tail is easier to get a hold of where I live. Not sure what to do concerning the angel and gourami together, have read that sometimes an angel will try to eat the gouramis barbels because they look like worms. I think I'll either just get one or the other, don't know which yet tho.

 

[hc8719]

If it were me Id go with-
2 angels
1 RTB shark
5 cories
7 Harlequin rasboras (since you don't want more than that but 10 would work just as well)
and maybe 2 gouramis

umm you really should keep angels in shoals of 3-4 at least, otherwise one establishes dominance and bullies the other, ghost shrimp are another possibility if you dont want to dish out so much cash on bottom feeders.

3 moonlight gouramis really brighten up my 55, as well as 4 pink kissing, which people love to see "kiss"

 

[hoppershaun]

If I decide on an angel I'll just keep one, I've read that you should either keep one or like you said at least 4.

 

[ksfishguy]

I will be curious to see how your angel does, I think I'm starting to want one...

 

[hoppershaun]

Angels are pretty cool! My friend has one which is the biggest one I've ever seen, it's like the pavarotti of the fish world!! I've still got 3-4 weeks till I decide what fish to get, so I might change my mind altogether and not get an angel. I tend to change my mind every 5 mins!

 

[lyquidphyre]

Ive always been able to keep two angels together with out problems...

 

[Tostada]

Not sure if I want that many harlequins. Think I want a variance of fish. Thanks for info on the corries. What about a betta? Would it try to fight a gourami?

I have a big blue betta and a big gold gourami who get along just fine. The betta is just about the only thing the gourami doesn't pick on from time to time. Bettas and gouramis both have a lot of variation in personality, though, so like triazole was saying, you never know. I would actually be more concerned with the betta and angels not getting along.

With the harlequins, as with most schooling fish, the number of them you can have is more of a general balance issue with what plants you have and what levels all the fish occupy. I mean, if you have 7 rasboras, you might end up thinking it looks overcrowded (or at least a little sloppy) if you don't have a lot of somewhat tall plants ... but if you have a lot of plants, you might find that 10 works just as well and looks better. With that many semi-aggressive fish, rasboras will stay together pretty well.

 

[JustOneMore20]

If you get 3-4 angels and then let 2 pair off...you can keep the 2 of them. Or just get one like you said. I had 3 together and they got along pretty well. My biggest one did go after the 2 smaller ones for awhile, but never hurt them. My biggest one recently died and now i just have 2 which get along great. They were added at the same time and about the same size, so I think that made a difference.

Good luck!

 

[hoppershaun]

I've decided that I'm definately just gonna go with one angel, i think that if I went for any more then I would have to cut back on other fish so that the tank would not be too overpopulated. Decided against getting a betta also. Gonna see how an angel and dwarf gourami get on, if they fight then I have a 10 gallon to put the dwarf gourami in.