tiger barbs, male dwarf Gouramis, redtailed shark or yoyo loach

[stunt 101]

i am going to set up a ten gallon tank with 6 small tiger barbs, 3 male dwarf gouramis and a red tailed shark or yoyo loach. i am leaning for the loach because he eats snails. any advice/ early precautions that i need to know about this set up?
I have 2 other set up tanks that the snails can multiply in. I hear all they need is algea and they breed like rabbits. how many snails should i start with.

i also have 2 turtles in another tank to dispense of snails with.

[ConMan]

The red tailed shark may get too large for the ten and it's inhabitants. They are pretty, but they are territorial and nasty too. In my experience obviously. Mine is 6" long and has beaten a convict cichlid into submission.

I don't know about the yoyo loach though.

[TKOS]

Actually all of the fish you have chosen don't belong in a 10 gallon tank. Tiger barbs get rather large bodied for such a small tank and really need to be in a group of 5 in a 20 gallon. Cherry barbs would be a better choice. The RTBS does get way too big for a 10 gallon. My brother had one in a 10 gallon for a year but it got too big to really do anything but chase other fish. He has since moved it to a 29 gallon. The bets loach choice for a 10 gallon would be the khulie loach as it gets to be around 4 inches and stays really thin. And 3 dwarf gouramis will fit in a 10 gallon but will most likely kill each other over territory. 1 dwarf in a 10 gallon is about the max you should have.

All of those fish are ont he aggressive side and will more than likely kill each other in such a small space.

[stunt 101]

alrighty ill get 1 male gourami like 5 barbs and look into the smaller loaches. Did the one you mention eat snails?
this set up is only temporary and will be upgraded

thanx 4 the advice

[OrionGirl]

Kuhli loaches will eat snails. I'm working on removing the kuhli's from my puffer tank, since they compete with the puffers for the snails. The other tank of mine with kuhli's used to have a tons of them (very little in the tank, they keep the sand clean) and very few now. I watched a kuihli last night harrass my large apple snail in the tank--not sure how long it will take them to kill it, but I'm pretty sure they will if I don't remove it soon.

[TKOS]

Keep your eye on the gourami as well and be prepared to move him if needed. Not due to his aggression but the tiger barbs might enjoy a snack of those little feelers.