dwarf Gouramis and angelfish

Question
QUESTION: I have a 30 gallon tank into which I plan to put two angelfish and possibly acouple of blue rams.  will a dwarf gourami or two mix well with the other fish?

ANSWER: Hi Jerry,
There should be no problem.  Add two drawfs as they are timid little fish, and add a few floating live plants to your tank.  Drawfs gouramis need lots of plants to feel secure, so add silk plants to your tank also.
Lynda

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QUESTION: My wife and I decided to wait on the angels.  we just put 2 fancy guppies (male and female), a red tailed shark, and a keyhole cichlid in with a dwarf gourami and spooted cory that I moved from our ten gallon tank.  would we be better off with two angels or two rams added to this as our last fish?

ANSWER: Hi Jerry,
The red tail shark is very pretty, but as he gets older will become more, and more aggressive, and intolerant towards other tankmates.  His behavior ends up stressing all the other fish, and stress brings disease.  He grows to about 6 inches, which makes him quite an impressive fish.  As I mentioned to you, a drawf gourami should not be alone in a tank since he is very timid.  Guppies should be 2 or 3 females to a male as the male will harass the one female all the time.  It is best he have three females.   The keyhole is also a timid little fish, and should be kept in pairs.  They should have lots of hiding places, and plants in their tank.  Corys should be kept in groups of 5 or more as they are a schooling fish, and are lonely alone.    You could then add two angels.  
You will have to decide which fish you want to keep, as you must be careful not to overstock your tank.  If you decide on keeping the cory, and adding more corys, and buying another keyhole, guppies, and gourami, then it would be best not to add the rams.  I would certainly remove the red tail shark.  
Keep a close eye on your water chemistry making sure that your water is free of ammonia, and nitrites, and that your nitrates are low.  It is also important to do 25% water changes every week.
Hope this helps
Lynda

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QUESTION: Thanks for the advice. I am confused though.  Did you mean I could add the corys, keyhole and guppies and stll have room for the two angels?  also i think i ended up  with an odball gourami (he is a dwarf flame) this little guy is anything but timid.  when I moved him to the 30 gallon tank he pretty much took over.  Now he spends his time chasing the keyhole and the male guppy.  is this normal behavior and should i worry about it over stressing the other two fish? I also plan on moving the Red tail shark when he is older I just have to get a bigger tank,  we are planning on a 55 gallon when the time comes.  unfortunatly the shark was picked out by my 5 year old and he won't let me get rid of it now.  will he be ok in a 55 gal community tank with mostly cichlids when we move him?

Answer
Hi,
You have one aggressive little gourami.  They don't usually act this way.  He might settle down, but if he continues to chase other fish, he will stress them.  I don't know the reason why he is doing this, but do know that it isn't wise to add different families to a tank.  The male guppy has a long skirt, and this is an attraction to other fish.  Guppies should be kept with platys, and swordfish.  The flame gourami is usually quiet, and timid, but there are always exceptions to the rule.  Why he is chasing your keyhole, I really have no answer to that one!
The red tail shark would be better off alone in a tank.  If possible, keep him in the 30 gallon.  He will be happier, and so will your other fish.  No matter the size of the tank, the red tail shark is aggressive, and intolerant.  We cannot change their character, he is better off alone.
An angel fish needs 10 gallons of water, which means that two would need 20 gallons.  You could add another keyhole, and cory fish, but this would be your limit. Little corys occupy the bottom of a tank, and should never be kept alone.  The guppies, and the gourami are really not suited to live with cichlids.  Rainbow fish would be a better choice, but they too live in schools, and you would have to wait until you upgrade to a bigger tank.  They are beautiful hardy fish, and make good tankmates with cichlids.
I hope this helps.
Lynda