stocking list for new 55 gallon tank

Falina

I've no experience with red tail sharks with cories but my guess is that the shark would bully and probably kill the cories. The more hiding places the better but I still think your cories would have a very hard time. Is anyone able to confirm/rubbish this?

Lupin

I agree with you. Sharks are actually territorial. The cories just do not how to defend themselves very well and may just succumb from severe stress.

tophat665

Jule & Lupin probably have the right of it. A shoal of loaches - Yoyos or Sand Loaches would be better than the others for this purpose - wouldn't have such a problem. They can defend themselves at need, but mostly keep rambunctiation to themselves.

GregV

I tend to think of myself as a freshwater shark expert (im really just more of an enthusiest lol)

Redtailed sharks, can be agressive for territory on the bottom, but it really tends to very from fish to fish. redtails are best kept in semi agressive tanks, due to the fact that in those tanks they can never really establish a territory and wont get to settled/agressive over it.

personally i think its really more a one or the other type deal partaining to the cories, unless you buy the redtail very small. if you buy them young they are less likely to be agressive and in a community tank (personal experince) exhibt less agressive tendancies later on. (i bought 3 small redtails from a shop, just barely out of there fry stage, they seemed to be the best tempored redtails i have ever kept and did not seem to even be agressive of each other!)

freddy827

ok loaches sound cool and yah a whole entire community of semi-aggresive sounds like the right idea. so now that i looked at the loaches i think i have it narrowed down to these two

Lohachata Botia Loach
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_...fm?pCatId=1109

Striata Botia Loach
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_...fm?pCatId=1588

im going to get 4-6 of these so you fish experts which loach would go with my other fish of 8 tiger barbs and 1 rtbs and also which looks better in real life if youve seen them both? THanks alot you guys have been great help up to this point.

oh and i know your all probably going to say no to 3 clown loaches because they grow up to 1' but any way this is another option at all?

Lupin

The striatas are prettier. Both are okay with the RTBS though yoyos can handle the aggression better than the more peaceful striatas. Clowns are not one of the good options.

tophat665

Go with the Lochatas (Properly known as Botia almorhae, commonly known as Yoyo Loaches) These will get about 5" long and can surely hold their own against an RTBS and Tiger Barbs. And they're a total trip to watch. They grow fast too. Mine are 4" at a year old.

Striatas are much lower key, will stay smaller (4" max, 2.5 after a year), and while they can probably get out of the way of an RTBS, they aren't feisty by any stretch of the imagination. If you go there anyway, get about 7 and make sure there are a ton of hiding places on the bottom of the tank.

homegirl2180

I have one redtailed shark and one albino corydora together. I have never seen my shark go after my corydora. My shark has a barrel he likes to slink through, so I think he has marked that out as his territory. My corydora never goes in there, just sucks on the outside.

Maybe I am just fortunate. My shark was like 3 inches or more when I bought him and he is very calm.

Best of luck.