Are these fish compatible?

Question
QUESTION: Hey Ron, I was just wondering if the following fish are compatible and what size tank they should be in:

1 Redtail shark
2 Red parrot Fish
3 kuhli loaches
3 Pictus catfish
4 Emerald corydoras
2 Emerald Rainbow fish
2 Bosemani Rainbow fish
2 Red Rainbow fish

I know you specialize in cichlids but I wanted to know if you could answer this compatibility question. I was thinking 30 - 50 gallons.

Thanks, Jay

ANSWER: Hi Jay,
 I think the red parrots are ultimately going to cause trouble by attacking and bothering the other fish, particularly as the red parrots get large and mature.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


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

QUESTION: I was thinking of removing the other fish so my tank would look like this:

1 albino rainbow shark
6 Kuhli loaches
6 Emerald corydoras


The fish I planned on adding were some Campo Cichlids, Geophagus species in general, Stripetail cichlids, Pindare Cichlids, Ngounie Cichlids, Amazonas Red Cichlids, Steiney Cichlids, Rainbow Eartheater's or Devilfish cichlids. I'm not sure which types I'm going to get, which quantity, or which fish I'm going to put together. Which amount should I get of each fish, and which types should I mix? They have the same water specifics as the cory's, shark, and kuhli's. Also,  Are There Any Single Color South/central American Cichlids That Don't surpass' 6-8"? Sorry for the long question but I know you specialize in these and I was hoping you could answer it.

Answer
Hi Jay,
  In general, I do not mix fishes from different parts of the world.  So for example, I would not put loaches or sharks (southeast Asia) with South American cichlids.  

  If you want to go with South American cichlids, e.g., one of the Geophagus species, I would suggest you pick a single species, e.g., Geophagus steindachneri and get about 6 of those. Put them in a tank (at least 29 gallons), perhaps along with the corydoras.  I would not get one steindachneri and one Satanoperca leucosticta, etc.  Basically each of these species comes from a different part of South America and putting them together is likely to result in bad things, like attempts to breed with each other and the like.

 There are lots of eartheaters that stay relatively small.  Species like Gymnogeophagus balzani seldom get over about 4 to 5 inches.  

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>