Fish combinations for newish tanks

[Tryscia]

Hi

Our tank is about 3.5 weeks old (30 gallon) and currently we have the following:
2 Pangasius, 4 albino tiger barbs, 5 leopard danios, 1 elephant nosefish.

I want to exchange the Pangasius, because of the size it will reach and the limitations of placing other fish with it (only found about this afterwards). Instead we want to get bala sharks. Is it better to have one or two of them at a time?

Other fish I would like to add are 4 loaches/corys, a rope fish, dwarf gouramis and a tyre track eel.
Would any of these be a problem? I read dwarf gouramis are peaceful with other fish and you can keep more than one male together.

I am concerned about the eel as I heard they can be agressive towards other fish. Is that true?

Any other suggestions of what to place with our current fish are welcome - any help is appreciated.

Thanx

 

[TigerBarb313]

Bala sharks get way too big for a 30 gallon. Some recommend 180 gallon minimum for their adult size. So I wouldn't think that would work.

 

[Jaysee]

Welcome to the forum

In addition to the balas being too big, so is the eel and rope fish (which is a social fish so it's best to keep more than one).

Not sure where you got your dwarf gourami info, but they can be peaceful with other fish, or they can be a bully - depends on the specimen you get. As for multiple males - they are highly territorial and the tank is not large enough for more than 1.

Cory's are a good choice for bottom dwellers. There are some loaches that will stay small enough, but many will get to big.

 

[Tryscia]

So also not two different types of gouramis, like dwarf and pearl?

Thanx for all the advice, I will keep it in mind.

 

[oysterstu]

I've seen a group of bala's in much larger tanks 80-120 gallon and they still make it seem like its not big enough for them. The main concern being room to swim. They are still very cool.

Most of those fish could be considered Semi-Aggressive if combined and that's when you want to consider if you will be able to keep everyone "happy". Proper room to swim, hiding spots, feeding practices, water parameters and compatibility will all play into the health of that tank.