Tanks gone wrong!

Considering how large they normally get in a home aquarium and the fact they like to swim a lot, I wouldn't recommend anythig less than a 3 foot long tank. And, since they can be extremely aggressive with one another, just keep one.
 
Where on earth did you read a rainbow shark only needs a 10 gallon? They can get up to 6 inches long and are extremely territorial. In such a small tank one will kill the other and possibly other tankmates. I have a red tail shark(very similar) that is 2.5" long and he is in a 80 gallon. I wouldn't dream of adding another because I know he would kill it. They can't stand anything that looks like them.

As for the fish you added, you now have an overstocked tank again. Since it's not completely cycled and is overstocked you are going to run into problems with ammonia that you can't control. I really think you should start taking some of the advice on this forum. We really are trying to help you set up a successful aquarium.
 
i wouldnt personally put anything but a betta in a 5 gallon. i dont think anything at all would be really that happy and healthy in a 1.5 gallon. i suggest at least getting a 10 gallon because youll have much more options.
 
You may wish to check out a very handy website called AQadvisor. It's not perfect, but it's a good tool to give you a good idea of what type of fish will work together as well as what your stocking levels are. It's a good starting place and then you can do more research on the needs of the different fish. Also, it probably wouldn't hurt to double-check the species of the fish that you've purchased. Often times aquarium stores will have various fish mis-labeled and that can lead to a lot of confusion. It's not their fault, often their suppliers mislabel the fish as well.
Here's some info on the rainbow shark: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/rainbowshark.php

If the fish you have is this one, then you really will want to only have one with a minimum 50 gallon setup in order to avoid aggression issues. They really can be cranky fish.

As for the gourami comment, it depends on the type of gourami. The giant gouramis which are what I believe is generally fished for in your area are in fact large, cranky fish that generally eat anything they can get their mouths around (just like a bass here in the US), however a lot of the smaller gouramis are much more peaceful towards tankmates.
 
I've read on several sites that my redtail shark can have a 10 gallon for a sufficient home so I would really maybe only need a 20 gallon tank for both fish?

:nono::nono::nono: A single redtail shark requires a 55g and must be kept by himself. You cannot keep 2 redtail's in one tank!!!! One will beat up on the other.

Where on earth did you read a rainbow shark only needs a 10 gallon?

A quick google turned up this site. :22_yikes: It is not accurate at all...
As for the fish you added, you now have an overstocked tank again. Since it's not completely cycled and is overstocked you are going to run into problems with ammonia that you can't control.

With that many fish in such a small tank, the ammonia is going to skyrocket which will lead to dead fish, which will lead to you buying new fish, which will lead to ammonia skyrocketing, which will lead to dead fish... Do you see where I am going with this? The cycle will continue until you either give up, or setup the tank properly.

I will recommend again that you return both redtail sharks, cycle the tank, then and only then, get a fish that suits the size of your tank.
 
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