Rainbow Shark Compatible with Gouramis?. 3/15/09
Hello,
WWM is my trusted source for aquarium advice.
<Thank you.>
I need advice regarding two tanks.
<Fire away.>
Tank 1: An established 37 gallon -tank with 1 large female Blue Gourami - 4 inches, 1 male Swordtail, 3 Otos, and 1 small ghost shrimp that must have stowed away on a plant since I have never bought one. The tank is heavily planted with a large piece of driftwood. Eheim Ecco 2234 canister and 150W Stealth heater.
I used to have 14 Cardinal Tetras in there also, but lost them all recently to a horrible bout of Ich brought in with a few new Cardinals. The other fish all survived - Gourami, Sword, and Otos. Since the Cardinals were lost, the Gourami hardly ever comes out anymore except to eat and the Swordtail hangs very close to her - they're an odd couple. I figure they need some dither fish.
<Possibly, but neither are "dither fish" species. Certainly not Swordtails, which live at the surface, so would *actually be* dither fish, rather than needing them. Likewise Gouramis live in thickly vegetated environments
close to the surface, and wouldn't really be nearby any schooling fish most of the time. So I'd be considering other factors first.>
Our local water is pretty hard with high pH - constantly around 8.
<Should be fine for a wide range of fish. Perhaps not Cardinals though, which do seem to prefer water at least only moderately hard, and ideally soft.>
I don't want to mess with Cardinals again so I will gradually add in about 10-15 Harlequin Rasboras, which will be hardier.
<Can't say I've ever found Harlequins to be hardier than Cardinals. Both are pretty much soft water fish. When it comes to hard water tetras, I'd be looking at the "old reliables" like Pristella (X-ray) tetras or Lemon tetras. Even better, look at the Celebes Rainbowfish, Marosatherina ladigesi. This fish thrives in hard water, and has the neon blue you want, though in combination with yellow rather than red. It's a cracking little fish, and like most rainbowfish, if you buy good specimens, they're really very reliable and long-lived.>
I currently have 6 Harlequins cycling a new 10 gallon tank, which will move into this bigger tank in a few weeks. I would also like to add 2 or 3 Pearl Gouramis (1 Male, 2 Females) to the 37 gallon tank.
<OK. A male Blue Gourami would probably have a fit, but a female should be fine.>
Anyway, I just got a very small Rainbow Shark a few days ago - I caved in to my 13 yr old son who has bugged me for months about getting a shark.
This was our compromise, since he wanted Balas and that was out of the question.
<Quite.>
The Rainbow is a little smaller than 2 inches. I purposely got a small one, so the other fish would be dominant - at least until he is full grown.
<Wise.>
I still have time to get the Pearls before the Rainbow becomes more mature and established in the tank. Right now, he kind of hides in the plants by himself, but is coming out more and eating well. The Gourami has not shown any interest in him at all, which is good, I guess.
<Rainbow Sharks do tend to be amongst the mildest of all the Sharks. In general, they're only aggressive towards other shark-like fish, including things like loaches.>
My question for tank 1 is this - Do you think the Rainbow will be compatible with the Rasboras and the Pearl Gouramis - that I plan to get in the next 2 weeks?
<Always a gamble with Sharks, but in this case, I'd certainly risk it.>
Any suggestions you can offer will be welcome. And no, we can't get rid of the Blue Gourami - she's my daughter's that we raised from an egg....parents were relocated.
<Cool.>
Tank 2: In this tank which is currently being cycled with 6 Harlequin Rasboras (1 week now - fish are doing well and Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates are all 0 daily. Filtration: AquaClear 20 and a 50W Stealth
heater. I was considering a pair of Blue Rams. However, after research, I am coming to the conclusion that these will not be the right fish for this tank.
<Would agree. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi is one of the more demanding fish species, and many aquarists completely fail to keep them alive for any substantial length of time. A much, much better choice is its close
relative the Bolivian Ram Mikrogeophagus altispinosus, a species that thrives across a wide range of water chemistry conditions and, most critically, at regular temperatures (Blue Rams need much hotter water than
most tropical fish like). There are few fish I recommend without reservations, but Mikrogeophagus altispinosus is one of them. It's slightly bigger and perhaps a little less gaudily coloured, but mature fish are
still very beautiful and the fact they're hardy (by dwarf cichlid standards, at least) is a major plus.>
Most of what I have read says they need more territory and softer water with higher pH - like my Cardinals, which were fine to a point, but as soon as something upset their balance, they couldn't bounce back like the other fish did.
<Precisely.>
My other thought was to put in a pair of Labidochromis (Electric Yellow Cichlids). Our water conditions would be more suitable, but this tank size is also too small.
<Agreed; these are superb fish for a Mbuna community tank, or possibly mixed in a community with robust rainbows and barbs, but like all Mbuna they need space.>
Question - What other fish or fish combinations could you suggest for a 10 gallon tank that is more suited to higher pH and hard water such as we have in our local area? I'd like to give them the optimum living environment considering it will be such a small environment.
<For a 10-gallon tank, if you're up for a challenge, and want something quirky, consider Tanganyikan Shell Dwellers. These are small (typically an inch or so) cichlids that live in empty snail shells, sometimes in pairs,
but usually as harems. Lamprologus ocellatus and Neolamprologus multifasciatus are probably the two most widely traded species. Besides looking good, these fish have the usual fabulous spawning behaviours we
expect from cichlids, but scaled down to the point where males barely show any interest in things more than a couple of inches above their shells. As such, you can add some genuine dither fish to the mix in the form of
suitable hardwater species; Endler guppies for example are popular choices.>
We also have a Betta in a 1.5 gallon tank - quite old (almost 3 years old) and may soon be on his way to a happier hunting ground.
<A heck of an age.>
Your help is greatly appreciated.
With kind regards,
Sandy
<Cheers, Neale.>

What's Up w/Gourami Swordtail couple? Re: Rainbow Shark Compatible with Gouramis? (also, stocking a 10-gallon) 3/15/09
Dear Neale,
<Sandy,>
Thank you very much for the speedy reply. Much appreciated.
<Most welcome.>
Have taken in all you wrote and will seriously consider the Celebes Rainbowfish although I have never seen them in my area. I was very excited to learn about these fish that I have not read or about before. What I have just read about them on the web suggests they may be a bit finicky and I found more than a few articles that suggest adding aquarium salt. Is this your opinion as well and would that be alright for my other fish - the Gouramis, Sword and Otos?
<They don't need salt. This is 'old school' from when they were considered brackish water fish. What they appreciate is a steady pH, an at-least moderate amount of carbonate hardness, and lots of oxygen. Excessively high temperatures should be avoided; 25 C (77 F) is ample. Most problems with this species come down to keeping it in stagnant, overheated tanks.>
Also as you said - I need to consider what else is going on with my Gourami and Sword...
<Quite.>
History - They were previously in a healthy, well-planted 20High tank and I moved them into the 37 gallon tank last Xmas. She has become more skittish and typically hangs at the bottom of the tank - but she did in the 20 gallon as well. The Swordtail comes out more and hangs at the top more than the Gourami, but they both hang more at the bottom of the tank than at the top. The bottom of the tank is more densely planted and there are more places for her to hide, but I suspect also that the Eheim makes more surface movement than the Aqua Clear in the 20 gallon that she was accustomed to before. They were definitely more active in the tank when the Cardinals were around though. This tank is much deeper, so there is more open space in the top levels of this tank than there was in the previous tank. Pennywort, Rotala and hairgrass are growing in nicely, so that may help to bring her to the top more as they fill out the top levels more.
<Sounds promising.>
I also have two young (4 and 3 yrs old and very active) children and the tank is located in a fairly high traffic location. She sometimes darts when the kids run by, but not always and this is the same location as the previous tank. The only other change is the substrate. I had pea gravel before and now have eco-complete. Oh - I also add Flourish Excel Liquid Carbon every other day, which I didn't in the previous tank. Would that make a difference to her behavior/behaviour? It seems to make a big difference to the plants.
<Substrate shouldn't be a factor for the Swordtails. Banging about outside the tank could be an issue though. Adding a couple of female Swordtails may help; females are gregarious and, unlike the males, don't fight for territory.>
Regarding adding the Pearl Gouramis. Alas - even though the males are showier, I may just get 2 females to keep things sane - since I don't really want to mess with spawning in this show tank.
<OK. But I've rarely heard of the males of this species causing problems.
Pearl and Moonlight Gouramis are both towards the peaceful end of the Gourami spectrum.>
I have always like the look of Diamond Tetras - What do you think about a few - 4 to 7 Diamond Tetras - Moenkhausia pittieri - if I can't find Celebes here? They would be in place of both the Pearl Gouramis and the Celebes.
<Diamonds Tetras are lovely fish. When happy and fully grown, they're exceptionally attractive and live for several years. Sometimes they don't adapt to hard water though. Supposedly, farmed specimens tolerate hard water acceptably well, but wild-caught fish don't.>
Tank 2: I will look for Bolivian Rams - Great thinking! I suspect they may be available here and sold instead as Blue Rams (for more money) by less reputable shops....But I have not seen "Bolivian Rams" in local shops here.
<They are in the trade, but admittedly the common Rams are more widely sold, though I'd argue because of high turnover: few aquarists keep common Rams alive for more than a few months! Bolivian Rams should live 5+ years without problems.>
Looking forward to your reply.
Gratefully,
Sandy
Whose husband wishes he were a fish.......
<How odd. Cheers, Neale.>

Thanks so much Re: What's Up w/Gourami Swordtail couple? Re: Rainbow Shark Compatible with Gouramis? (also, stocking a 10-gallon) 3/15/09
Neale,
Thanks again - so happy I have not more serious issues with my fish today.
<Great!>
Your advice and suggestions are thoughtful and most appreciated. All will be considered as checkbook and availability allow.
<Very good.>
Will probably not go with female swords....until we're ready to deal with all that spawning - I have a 4 yr old budding naturalist who would really enjoy it though - she knows all the Latin names of our fish and plants!
<Outstanding!>
The hubby thing - every single time I am at the fish tanks, he sings wistfully, "Oh - I wish, I wish...I wish I were a fish!
<Hmm... not quite Henry Rollins, but okay.>
He complains that he dropped down one more rung on the ladder behind the children - Wah Wah Wah....
Wishing you a lovely day!
<I hope so too; my sister is in the middle of giving birth to her (first) baby, so with luck, I'll be an uncle for the first time at "close of business".>
Sandy
<Cheers, Neale.>