Rainbow shark with bristlenose pleco and a school of cories?

[Luananeko]

I'm upgrading and overhauling my tank and am planning out the new stocking plan for the larger space. New tank will either be a 65g with a 29g sump or an all-in-one tank/sump combo like a Waterbox 100.3 or similar. I've sanity checked my stocking plan in AqAdvisor, but wanted to run it by people here who have real life experience with Rainbow Sharks since that would be the only spot I think I could see some territorial issues with.

1 Rainbow Shark
1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco
6 Albino Cories (Corydoras aeneus)
12 Zebra Danios
12 White Skirt Tetras
10 Tiger Barbs

I've kept a Red Tailed Black Shark before but not a Rainbow Shark. Are they just as territorial with other bottom dwellers, or are they a little more chill? The cories are the primary ones I'm concerned about, as I'm pretty sure the pleco can handle a shark without issues, especially if the shark is added last after everyone else is established. I plan on having LOTS of underground tunnels & caves lining the tank (going with a volcano themed aquascape, so really leaning into the lava tubes against the glass style decor), so there will be no shortage of hiding places and broken lines of sight.

Does this look doable?

 

[Andy Sager]

I'm upgrading and overhauling my tank and am planning out the new stocking plan for the larger space. New tank will either be a 65g with a 29g sump or an all-in-one tank/sump combo like a Waterbox 100.3 or similar. I've sanity checked my stocking plan in AqAdvisor, but wanted to run it by people here who have real life experience with Rainbow Sharks since that would be the only spot I think I could see some territorial issues with.

1 Rainbow Shark
1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco
6 Albino Cories (Corydoras aeneus)
12 Zebra Danios
12 White Skirt Tetras
10 Tiger Barbs

I've kept a Red Tailed Black Shark before but not a Rainbow Shark. Are they just as territorial with other bottom dwellers, or are they a little more chill? The cories are the primary ones I'm concerned about, as I'm pretty sure the pleco can handle a shark without issues, especially if the shark is added last after everyone else is established. I plan on having LOTS of underground tunnels & caves lining the tank (going with a volcano themed aquascape, so really leaning into the lava tubes against the glass style decor), so there will be no shortage of hiding places and broken lines of sight.

Does this look doable?

Rainbow sharks actually get larger than the redtails but other than their size, they are basically the same fish personality wise. The rest looks doable.

 

[Luananeko]

Rainbow sharks actually get larger than the redtails but other than their size, they are basically the same fish personality wise. The rest looks doable.

So would the cories be a no-go then, or do you think it would work with all the hiding areas? AqAdvisor didn't flag the cories and shark as being an issue together, but I remember my RTBS being a bit of a stinker.

 

[Andy Sager]

So would the cories be a no-go then, or do you think it would work with all the hiding areas? AqAdvisor didn't flag the cories and shark as being an issue together, but I remember my RTBS being a bit of a stinker.

Since you are putting the shark in last and will have lots of places for it to call home, I would say to try it but be prepared for it not to work as much as it will work. If you want to be definitely sure, I would forget about the shark. ( The Cories will do more for the tank than the shark will. )

 

[Luananeko]

Since you are putting the shark in last and will have lots of places for it to call home, I would say to try it but be prepared for it not to work as much as it will work. If you want to be definitely sure, I would forget about the shark. ( The Cories will do more for the tank than the shark will. )

Despite the jerk tendencies, I absolutely love the personality and swimming style of the sharks so I'd probably move the cories to another tank if it came down to choosing between them. Fingers crossed delaying the shark's introduction and the extensive cave/tunnel systems I have planned will give everyone enough time/space to get along