Nicholas J.

Thank you to everyone who responded so fast with help I'll definitely watch that video linked above on keeping bigger fish. I read that I should be keeping a few of the bala sharks together would keep them happier and less aggressive with other fish. Overall beside the bala sharks, gourami and possibly a rainbow shark I guess my question would be how much room i would have left. In a six foot long 180 gallon wouldn't there be enough room for some tiger barbs and a school of some sort? I am worried about adding a school given all of the other fish so far are a little more aggressive in nature, but If i kept a large enough school would it no longer be a concern? -Nick

Hello everyone, I am having difficulty researching the details of how I want to set up my first aquarium. I know the fish I want so I chose a 180 gallon to house a total of 4-5 bala sharks, a rainbow shark, kissing gourami, pleco, some corydoras and then either a school or two of tiger barbs and either blue king or black skirt tetras. Given the load and the size of my tank, I guess my questions are if I am going to be overstocked once they are grown, compatibility with each other and hopefully similar requirements for all the fish as far as ph temperature etc. I am planning to run a HOB with some sponge filters whatever will be enough. Also planning to do live plants. Thanks for reading and please let me know any suggestions!! -Nick P.S. The centerpiece and my favorite part of this setup will be the Bala sharks. I havent been able to find much detailed research on them but I am especially trying to grow the bala sharks out to their full potential of 12-14 inches. I see a lot of people online who claim their sharks grow very slowly and do not get that big while other websites suggest they grow quite fast. just curious.