dwarf gourami question

masterfishes

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r these ok to be in the same tank as rainbow sharks and tiger barbs....i was also thinkin about the gold gouramis
 
What size tank?

Sharks - as in many? You should only keep one. If you keep several, they fight and tend to kill each other. They also become particularly irritable and can attack other fish as a result.

How many tiger barbs? Should be in a group of at least 7 to limmit aggression. More is better if the tank is large enough.

I'd personaly think going for a gold gourami is better than going for the dwarf as three-spots are much more aggressive and will be able to handle the other fish better. It's still not ideal, however, as both dwarf goruamies and golden three-spot gouramies (and indeed most other common gourami species), have a pair of elongated, thread-like ventral fins which are prone to getting nipped. They'll grow them back but the infection and stress that results from being nipped like this may be too much for some to handle. A three-spot is deffinately hardier than a dwarf though. I'd also reccomend going for a male because he'll spend more time at the top (and therefore out of the way) than a female because he'lls et up a permanent territory there. males are also more aggressive and, three-spots in particular, can be very territorial so would be better equipped to chase off the tiger barbs and ensure he doesn't get nipped.

Planting the tank heavily would also help - lots of broad-leaved plants for the shark, tall-growing plants for the barbs and floating plants for the gourami.
 
thanks....its a 10 gal....only 1 shark right now....im just trying to decide what i can and want to put in the tank with him/her
 
The shark will get to 6" and is very territorial. Anything you put in with it in this size tank will get killed. You need a 30 gallon minnimum.
 
Predatory means they'll eat other fish. It doesn't eman they are aggressive though. In fact, a predatory fish will often be quite peaceful towards fish that aren't small enough to eat.

Territorial means they are aggressive to any fish that gets in their territory. A fish placed in a 10 gallon with a shark is in its territory (10 gallons is not a lot of territory for a 6" fish!). They'll attack, and yes, kill, because the intruder won't have anywhere to retreat to.
 
well i have another question....at my lfs they keep the rainbow sharks(around 5 or so) with lots and i mean lots of small tiger barbs(about 1 1/2 - 2 inches) and the sharks dont even pay attention to them....the tank i believe is ten gal...and i know that they r only in there for a fiew day....but u would think by what u said that the tiger barbs would be constantly being chased around by the sharks
 
Ok firstly, the fact that they are in there for only a few days is realy important as it means that neither of the two species get a chance to settle down so they occupy themselves with that rather than chasing each other.

Next is the fact that I doubt the sharks in there are mature (because they'd be piled up on top of each other in a 10 gallon otherwise) seeing as they get to 6" and those usualy being sold are about 2-3". They get more aggressive as they mature, usualy at around 4-5", so at a younger age they wouldn't be much of a threat if kept temporarily with the tiger barbs.

Thirdly, tiger barbs are very quick and quite aggressive in their own right. Well maybe 'nippy' is a better way of describing it but, still, with young sharks, they can still hold their own for a while. In fact, tiger barbs kept with young sharks may cause mroe harm to the sharks than the sharks cause to them.

Lastly, with several sharks in the tank, they would be more concerned with each other than with their tankmates. Obviously, as they aren't yet mature fish, they won't be too aggressive (though they still will be to an extent) so all their attacks shouldn't cause too much damage. The fact that there are several also means any aggression is distributed quite evenly and no single shark is targeted (which would happen if there were only 2 for example and the dominant would bully the inferior to death).

Having said that, they probably still have some casualties. Though you won't necessarily have seen the bodies.

Anyway, neither the sharks nor the tiger barbs should be kept in a 10 gallon for any length of time. The shark gets too large and is too territorial, the barbs get to 2.5", should be in a school of at least 7, are nippy and are very active. Besides the disposition problems, you need to consider physical space and the fact that tiger barbs, especialy, don't appreciate fluctuations in water quality and can easily get stressed and die if exposed to this sort of situation - something which happens to be inevitable in an over-stocked tank like one with a rainbow shark and 7 tiger barbs would be. Keeping the barbs in a group less than 7 to fit them in also doesn't work because, besides that the shark will eventualy kill them, they can nip the shark and end up killing it indirectly as a result of secondary infection combined with extreme stress.

You can combine these two species in a 30 gallon or larger (which I have done but not with a rainbow shark - I had an RTBS) but in anything less you run a serious risk and in a 10 gallon it's impossible.
 

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