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In my 55 gal right now I have:

1 pleco
1 whiptail catfish
1 zebra loach
2 nickle size angel fish
1 rainbow shark
1 fancy goldfish

I was thinkin about getting some more zebra loachs because I think they are schooling fish arent they? I need more top/middle tank swimmers and Im not sure what to get!! Any ideas would be good, thank you so much!

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

You have tons of options. Gourami, Rainbows, Danios, and Hatchets will be a good place to start looking for surface feeders. Tetras, Rasboras, and Barbs provide a multitude of options for middle-swimmers. For something more unusual for the middle you could do glass cats, debauwi cats, or pygmy or dwarf corys.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Yeah I just didn't know how some of them would do with the angelS? I will just have to look around and see what I like!

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

The only ones I'd be worried about would be nippy barbs and tetras small enough to eat. Angels aren't particularly hard to stock around to make a nice community.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

(A) As I'm sure some one else will tell you, any gold fish (even the small cute orandas) get FAR too large for most aquariums, that includes anything under a 75 gallon.

(B) I'm not sure if you know this but Rainbow sharks have a tendency to get aggressive with the bottom territory. I suggest you have some rocks and for lots of caves and crevices to make sure every bottom feeder has plenty of space.

(C)I would say get a schooling fish to fill out the tank. Although these make be nippy and pick on the angels, the angels tend to be able to fend for themselves. If you are worried about them nipping at the angels, give the angels a few months on a good diet (with plenty of live, frozen, and prepared foods) and they'll have the spirits to keep themselves as the head honchos of the tank!

Good Luck!
-Brandon

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I have had my rainbow shark for over a year now and he pretty much leaves everyone alone in this tank, since there is so much room.

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

Just wait, especially in such a small tank once once he starts to get territorial it will be a mess.

Dude like I said before I have had him almost going on 2 years and he was a little agressive in my smaller tank but he leaves everyone alone now, thank you. Not every fish lives up to the standards, but thanks.

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

It was about 2-3 years when my nice, calm, friendly, non aggressive black shark decided to kill three 9 inch severums and $150 polypterus leaving nothing but a couple bristlenoses, a goldspot and a redspot pleco. If he starts harassing the plecs he'll be getting an appointment with a bucket of clove oil.

Black sharks are not the same as rainbow sharks, so I'm not sure that their behavior necessarily applies. I haven't kept either, but from what I can tell the black shark has more reputation to be aggressive. On the other hand, it is possible for a non-aggressive territorial fish to not like new additions to his territory, so that is also something to be careful of.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Rainbow Sharks, Epalzeorhynchus frenatus, are moderately territorial, but usually considered less so than the Red Tailed Black Shark, Epalzeorhynchus bicolor, which as it grows older can be a serious headache in anything less than a 75 gallon. A Rainbow Shark is a potential problem territory wise, but this can be overcome by making sure that there exists a surfeit of caves in the aquarium.

The Black Shark, Labeo chrysophekadion, is a different beast altogether. First of all, this fish grows to be big enough to demand a 250 gallon tank for long term maintenance, and as a consequence of this, is likely to be demanding territorially simply because it grows to be large, before one factors in any tendency to exhibit aggressive behaviour. If a Black Shark is bad tempered, it's going to be a serious handful even as a juvenile, and as an adult, a bad tempered specimen will be a hardcore aquarium terrorist in anything under a 250 gallon tank.

Put a Rainbow Shark in a 250 gallon, on the other hand, and it'll have so much space to call its own that it'll be possible to house it compatibly with a range of other bottom feeders, because if the Rainbow Shark does decide to become possessive over a particular landscape feature, there's enough space in a 250 for the others to keep out of the way.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002