300 Litre Stock .

[b3cca]

I recently got a new (for me) 300 litre Juwel tank it's 121 cm long and 66 cms high and 51 cms deep.
My water is soft and acidic -- around 6 PH usually
 
I am definitely going to get one single Red tail black shark and a pair (m&f) of paradise fish and just need something else to put in there that would get along ok with the others.
 
Thinking of some bottom type fish but have read that the RTS may bully corys and I definitely don't want a Pleco as I don't like any of them at all.
 
Obviously clown loaches get too large and I'm not sure if zebra loaches would be tough enough to handle the RTS -- anybody ever kept a RTS with Zebra loaches ? 
 
Any other sugestions on a bottom of the tank type fish that doesn't grow too big and will be tough enough to live with a RTS 

 

[Byron]

If a Red Tail Shark is acquired, I would forget any other similar bottom fish. This fish is not a general community fish; it is very aggressive with its own species (it probably lived in solitude except when breeding) and as it matures it often turns aggressive with other fish especially those resembling it (the loaches) and those with vertical stripes (Zebra loach loses on both counts). Best kept solitary (one fish per tank); remember that it attains five inches, which is not a problem in your 300 litre/121 cm long tank, but it will not always be that cute little fish that you buy.
 
The Paradise Fish, Macropodus opercularis, is an anabantid of course, but it too has a temper.  It also has vertical stripes... so be careful. Also not a particularly good community fish, as smaller fish will be eaten, fins will be nipped, and any similar-looking fish will be attacked. It is very aggressive with its own, and males in breeding form will often kill rivals; females are less aggressive. A pair as you mention is the best idea, and other fish could be a group of one or two (depending upon species and size) of the more active-swimming barbs and danios.
 
Byron.

 

[b3cca]

Aww thanx Byron.
Yeah seems everything I research is not good or ideal for a RTS , but it's ok I will be happy just having a single RTS and a pair of Paradise fish and  maybe get some bigger type snails that are big enough not to become lunch

 

[Byron]

Aww thanx Byron.
Yeah seems everything I research is not good or ideal for a RTS , but it's ok I will be happy just having a single RTS and a pair of Paradise fish and  maybe get some bigger type snails that are big enough not to become lunch

You could consider other upper fish, just not substrate loaches and such.  Look at the barbs and danios for a start.  Nothing small but the medium and larger species should provide some options.

 

[b3cca]

Well I have the RTS and the 2 Paradise fish in there but it obviously looks fairly bare.
 
Do you think maybe 10-12 Tiger Barbs would be good to add ?

 

[Alasse]

I have a 130 litre with 15 tiger barbs with a rtbs...they look great

 

[Byron]

Yes, that should be fine.  One cannot be certain in such cases, as individual fish can be more/less aggressive depending upon the environment.  I'm more concerned here with the Paradise fish and the barbs rather than the RTS and the barbs.

 

[b3cca]

Yeah maybe the paradise fish flowing fins would be nipped by tigers ,, maybe the paradise will chase the barbs lol I Should have stuck to a placid community.
 
I have 4 caves/hides and it's fairly heavily planted in there so hopefully they'll all have their own space and places to hide if needed and I do have 3 separate tanks running so can always shuffle things around if things get out of hand. 
 
thanx for your help