stocking and getting along??

Question
QUESTION: Hi Linda, I was wondering if you could tell me if these fish will get along well in a tank together. Ive been told that the paradise might pick on the gouramis, and keep getting contradicting info on whether the gouramis will be ok with each other. Also I don't have much to go on when it comes to the lobster but here is the main sight I draw my knowledge from...  http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=1075+1641&pcatid=1641 ... along with asking a lot of questions on different forums and googleing my own research.

I plan on putting..

1 neon blue dwarf gourami

1 dwarf gourami

1 blue paradise

5-6 boesemani rainbows

1 Hammers Cobalt Blue Lobster

and maybe a few shrimp like 3-4



I have a 55 gallon tank ( not sure if its regular or long) The tank will have a decent amount of plants ( all low light, no CO2), natural rocks and drift wood. I'm going to try to get all males because I cant afford the stuff needed to take care of fry at the moment, plus the males are usually the prettier ones. I'll be running a fluval 403 filter if that makes a difference. I'll ether have "pea pebbles" as the substrate or aquariumplants. com's black diamond substrate... don't know if anymore info is needed to give me a good answer, so ask me any question you need to know in order to answer my question properly. thank you.


ANSWER: Hi Danielle,
I would not consider putting a paradise fish in with the fish your mentioned.  The paradise is much like the betta, and should be kept alone.  The Lobster would need lots of hiding places, and no bottom fish if you choose to keep him.  He should be well fed.  He seldom bothers top or middle fish, but I would not guarantee this.  They are very pretty.  All in all, if you have no bottom fish, feed him well, and have hiding places for him, he should be okay.  (No shrimp should be added to the tank with a blue lobster)  With the dwarfs, you would need a floating live plant.  They are timid, and do not like light, so a floating live plant does wonders for them.
Filters are so important, and your 403 fluval will do just fine.  (They do make a difference, you cannot filter a tank too much!)
I hope this helps.
Lynda

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Do you think the 2 gouramis will get along tho? I keep getting contradicting info on them. some people and sites say they will unless there is a girl to fight over, others say they are fully peaceful, yet others say they are semi-aggressive, very territorial and will fight any other gourami males. I do plan on having some floating plants and plenty of hiding spots. I was thinking about replacing the paradise with maybe 2 Hi Fin Lyretail Swordtail and 1 betta. Do you think that would be viable?
All the fish I plan on getting are omnivorous so I would have plenty of flake food and frozen brine shrimp. once I get a little more money i was going to get a 1 gallon tank and breed brine shrimp. I was also planing on having frozen tubifex worms as a treat for the fish.. I believe they all will be sufficiently fed so not to pick on each other.

ANSWER: Hi Danielle,
The betta would be a NO NO, like I mentioned before, the paradise, and the betta do much better alone.  Not many fish  get along with the betta.  He is best kept with platys, cory fish, shrimps, and neons.  It is always a throw of the dice when keeping a betta.  His long fins attract many fish, so I wouldn't recommend him with the fish you want to keep.  Gouramis will fight if they are spawning to protect their fry.  They are aggressive little fish when they spawn.  All of them have different personalities, so it is better not to mix them if you have females in your tank.  If you keep females, they will spawn, and then trouble will start.  Most fish defend their spawn, and will fight over females.  Gouramis spawn the same way bettas do, therefore it is better to have only males.  Swordfish should get along, but make sure you have one male to 3 females.  They do not care about the fry, so no worries there.
I would not feed tubifex worms, bloodworms are a better choice.    
I would like to mention, that I would not keep a blue Lobster in a community tank.  This is a risk you are taking.  If they can reach the top or middle of a tank, the will try to crab a fish, and eat it.  They will also change your decor around as they love to dig, make tunnels, and will eat live plants.  They need 20 gallons of water all to themselves.  There is space in your tank, but I would worry about him climbing up the thermostat, or plants and grabbing a fish to eat.  We all have different views on fish, but to be truthful with you, I would not keep a blue lobster in a community tank, although many people do, and have had no problems.  Some people do have problems, so this too is a throw of the dice.  In the wild, they do eat fish they can grab, and are intelligent enough to climb if given a choice to middle, and even the top of waters to do so.  In my book, I would keep him alone in a 20 gallon tank, because he is really beautiful, and would not put him in a community tank.  Others would disagree with me, but then, this is the way I feel he should be kept.  He should have sandy gravel, and he is a pleasure to see as he redecorates your tank all the time.  I'm hoping you will have no problems, but there is no guarantee.  To wake up to a few fish missing is no fun, but this is their instinct, and nothing will change this.  They can climb, even out of your tank, which is not good, so you must think about this before buying one.  Fish will know that he is around, and will avoid him, but then it stresses them, and stressed fish get sick.  Then you have another problem as most medication will not work with the blue lobster, and he will have to be removed to a cycled tank while you are medicating your other fish,  These are things you must think about when adding a blue lobster to your tank.  I know how much you would love one, but then, problems may occur.  It would be lovely if we could mix all the fish we love, but nature does not permit this, and we are taking a chance when mixing fish that should not be together.
It is up to you to take the chance, but the betta is a big NO NO..
Lynda

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok so I will hold off on the lobster. I don't plan to get any females in this tank I cant afford to take care of fry at the moment. so, so far you've told me that having the rainbows, one gourami and two swordtails are all good together... do you think i could add a ram? or will two gouramis get along if there is no female and lots of food to keep them happy? Also i thought betta were frinedly to other fish just not to other male betta??


Answer
The betta only gets along with a few fish, and is best kept alone.  He would not fit in with rainbows, and gouramis...the only fish the betta can be put in with, and there is no guarantee are cory catfish, neons, platys, shrimps, Khuli loaches, minnows, and that's about it.
Rams are cichlids, live in acidic water, and must have hiding places such as overturned pots, and rocks in cave like formation.  Do not keep them alone, they are very timid, and would most likely die.   The two swordfish should be females.  Rainbows should be mixed, one male to three females, and the two gouramis should be male.
Lynda