firetyger

I have not yet purchased a tank or anything else yet but I am planning to buy a 90 gallon tank with lots of live plants. However, I was wondering what kind of fish I could put together in it. Is there any compatibility between:

Red Tailed Shark
Tetras
Dwarf Gouramis
Swordtails
Dwarf Rainbowfish
Platies

I also like bala sharks but they get so big... And angelfish, which are rather nippy. Would the others above get along alright so long as I provided the RTS with plenty of plants and perhaps a log to hide in?

If I'm way off base with the fish I was thinking of, any suggestions for what to stock a 90 gallon tank with?

Jaysee

Not sure about the shark - never kept them - but the rest is certainly doable. I would get corys for the bottom.

aquarist48

Hello Fire. I don't see a problem with your stocking list. I would like to point out that you should not keep more than 1 red tail shark or 1 Gourami per tank. They are both very territorial species and they do not enjoy the company of their own kind very often.
Best of luck.
Ken

Jaysee

In a 90 gallon tank, I'm sure you can squeeze 2 DGs.

aquarist48

Hello Jaysee. That is a possibility. Just be prepared to rehouse 1 should aggression become an issue.
Ken

Gouramiguy17

I would go with a pair DG but don't mistake a sick constipated male for female dg, it will not end pretty

Amanda

I had 2 DG's in a 55, and one killed the other. Just something to keep in mind.

firetyger

Thank you for the advice everyone! I knew that the RTS are pretty territorial and I could only have one in the tank...I'm just glad that I'll be able to have one My husband really likes the "sharks" and I think they're beautiful as well...though I'm partial to some of the smaller, more brightly colored fish.

I had no idea about the Dwarf Gouramis fighting each other. The woman at the pet store I'd talked to told me I needed to own two-three of them to keep them happy and she said they were friendly fish. Had no idea they might kill each other. If I got two for a 90 gal, I should get a male and female then?

Jaysee

You're likely not to find a female dwarf. Once in a blue moon (second full moon of a month) you might find one that has slipped through, but as a rule they are unavailable.

90 gallons is a lot of water - a lot more than 55. If the tank is planted (live or fake) well enough I think 2 DG will work fine, but as others have said, it might not be enough.

firetyger

Are you talking about the dwarf blue or red gouramis? I found a decent fish store (finally!) today and I was just browsing but I saw a whole tank full of red dwarf gourami females... There was also a tank of dwarf males.

90 gallons might not be enough? Would 120 gallons be better? I was thinking about maybe getting a 120 instead because the only difference is it is wider, not longer.

Jaysee

Keeping multiple dwarf gouramis really depends on the fish. Some are mean, some aren't. In a 90 I think there's plenty of rom for two normal fish. But, if you get one that's a psycho, 90 may not be enough, and if 90 isn't enough, 120 won't be either.

I have successfully kept multiple honey gouramis in a 29 - they even spent time in a 10 without issues. Now, honey gouramis are a different species than the traditional DG, and IME they are very peaceful and can live in small groups.

There are a few different dwarf gourami species. The red with blue, blue with red, powder blue and flame red are the traditional DGs, colisa lalia, and are the most aggressive.

Sunsets are another, colisa something, and are less aggressive.

Honey gouramis, colisa chuna, are the way to go if you want to get a few that will not fight. However, like I opened with, each fish is unique. While there are normal base temperments you can expect from a fish, there are some bad ones out there that don't want to go with the flow.

Oh yeah, female DGs are a very drab silver in color.

firetyger

Thanks for the info I'll keep that in mind when I finally do go get fish. I really liked the flame reds and the powder blues. My husband wanted us to get one of each but we'll see... I wouldn't want them to tear each other to bits.

Shawnie

im going to respectfully disagree...there are a ton of fems in fish stores and most of the time they are just not sexed properly..fems do have color..just not as bright as the males....allot think fems are totally grey/brown or drabby colors etc and thats untrue...sexing by the pointed dorsal fin for a male, and rounded dorsal fin for female, is best...when you compare two of the same fish species, you will see the difference in color with the male being much more vibrant but the females still having color
IMO in a 90 gal, you can have a sunset and a powder blue...as others have recommended, having lots of silk/platic/real plants and lots of hiding spots, will be a bonus...good luck with the tank!!

firetyger

The female flames I saw were much duller than the males but they still had enough of a tinge of red to them that I liked how they looked. Haven't seen a sunset dwarf in any fish store yet. I'll have to ask the next time I go.

I am planning on doing a planted tank so hopefully that will help them behave with one another And I'm leaning towards getting the 120 gallon so that should help too.

Jaysee

I considder a fish hard to get when they aren't in LFSs (at least in my neck of the woods), aren't available on aquabid or other online sites (I know of 1 that CLAIMS to have them), and there aren't pictures readily available online (google it).

Everywhere I've read, including THIS site (http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-DwarfGourami.htm), says dwarf females are grey. The few pictures I've found also show a grey fish, and the two people I know that have them report them as being grey as well. This is for colisa lalia. IME the pointy dorsal fin is only a sex indicator in full size gouramis, not dwarves.

Picture is of a female.

Attached Images

female dwarf.jpg (12.3 KB, 17 views)

firetyger

The LFS I went to was called World of Fish, it's in the Twin Cities area here in Minnesota. I plan to go back and ask them about it...see if the fish were mislabeled or if they really are females. Wish I could describe them better. They weren't completely grey...but almost. Only a slight tinge of red on the lower part of their body. Wish I had taken a picture! They were bigger than the one in the picture you posted...not quite the adult size of two inches.