ChrisRamo

Im a real beginner on this sort of thing and im buying my first tank for the first time and ive picked out the fish, would you be kind enough to give me a little info and opinon of if these fish would get along and maybe what kind of enviorment would be best for them all :


1 Rainbow Shark
1 Symese Fighter Fish
1 CrayFish
1 Male Guppy
1 Female Guppy
4 Clown Loach
1 male swordtail
2 Female SwordTails
1 Male African Butterfly Fish
2 Female African Butterfly Fish


A reply would be great

Joe G

I received your mesage, and sent you a responce let me now if you received it.

Isabella

Welcome to Fish lore Chris It's good that you've decided to inquire about fish compatibility first, before setting up a tank. Please take your time to also learn about the nitrogen cycle, if you haven't done so already. Here is an article about it: http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm . You should read these articles as well: http://www.fishlore.com/Beginners.htm .

Now, how large a tank are you planning to have?

I do not know much about many of the fish you've listed, but I do know that for a rainbow shark you'll need a larger tank. I also don't think the shark will be peaceful toward other fish. Not sure about betta (Siamese fighting fish) mixed with all these fish as well. I'm sure Butterfly, Gunnie, or Chickadee all will be able to help you with this fish list. So be patient And while you're planning the fish list, make sure you understand what the nitrogen cycle is all about and what you'll need to do in order to safely cycle your tank.

Once you've learned about the cycle, you'll know why you'll need a test kit (tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate being the most important ones). pH test is important as well.

chickadee

Siamese Fighting Fish or Bettas are best left to themselves. Either the other fish brutalize them or they brutalize the other fish. They do well in a tank of at least 5 gallon with a few Otos or a Snail or if you want to go to 10 gallons they can have a small school of Cories in with them. Otherwise, I do not suggest that they be put with other fish. They just are not community fish. They do however need a filtered and heated tank that has been thoroughly cycled before the fish is added.

Welcome to Fishlore. I do hope you have as pleasant a time here as I have. It is a fine group of people who all love their fish and do the best they can to help others be able to care for their own.

Rose

lokky.funky

Hi Chris,

It would be better if you could let us know the size of your tank. There are a lot of people who can help you selecting fishes. So don't worry. I think a few of the senior members are yet to reply. So, you would probably end up with some useful information required to start up with your aquarium.

But be informed about the Nitrogen cycle. It is a thing most of the beginners would dislike. But it is important for you to successfully maintain a tank.

Cheers,
Lokky

Gwenz

Hi chris, I answered your PM. Hope it helps.

Gwenz

Richard

From my experience with Rainbow Sharks and Siamese Fighters in community-tanks,I can tell you it could work if (A) They're both young when they are placed in the tank...and (B) The Siamese Fighter is female..there is a much bigger chance of a male Fighter becoming aggressive in a community-tank as it gets older than a female. Ultimately,it's a roll of the dice on both Rainbow Sharks and Fighters in a community tank not becoming aggressive with age..I once had a community-tank with two Red Tail Sharks, two Rainbow Sharks, two Clown Loaches, four Female Fighters, and several Swortails, and they all co-existed happily until I goofed up big time doing a water-change and lost the entire lot..every effort I made since then to repeat that combination of fish in a community-tank failed, but that first time it worked tells me it's doable..good luck, and hopefully the dice will roll in your favor.

chickadee

Yes Female Bettas will do a better job in a community tank, but you mentioned the magic formula. They have to be kept in groups of three or more. They have to establish a group with a pecking order to maintain a decent non-aggressive state. If they can establish a "dominant" female, she keeps the order in the group and usually they will ignore the others. They are also less temptation to the others without the long flowing fins of the males, but a word to the wise. It can depend, as Richard says on the individual fish and the females do have the ability to be aggressive and the ability to gang up on weaker fish if they feel crowded. They do not do well at all in crowded tanks. The less room they have the more aggressive they become. You want to be sure and give them plenty of room if you want peaceful Bettas whether male or female.

Rose

poefox

Actually I'd like to add an amendment to an earlier opinion. Keeping bettas with corydoras catfish CAN work but in my present case only sort of works...in the sense that two of the corys were hounded to death by my betta. Otos tend to only come out at night and are probably better tankmates. Most of the gentler schooling fish just don't seem to have the common sense to stay out of a betta's way. The more aggressive schooling fish will not be able to resist those long flowing fins, which smack of dominance games to them.