Need some information about the compatibilty of these fish?

Question

now i have got the tank size right but i just wanna know if thiese fsh will get along, i plan to buy them all from small so they grow together but as there so expensive i really dont wanna get it wrong and i alwys seem to grow attached to them!!

1 tiger shovel nose

1 siamese tiger fish

1 spotted gar

1 plec or flagtail

Answer 1

All of the fish listed have high potential for compatibility, but measures can still be taken to improve your odds.  To avoid difficulties in establishing territories, introduce all the fish to the tank simultaneously, if possible.  This way all fish have the same amount of time to find/establish which portion of the tank is "theirs."  Each time an additional fish is added after that, rearrange your tank's decor/hiding spaces, to force every fish to find new territory and allow for the new member equal time to establish territory.

If one fish still ends picking on one or more other fish, you might want to consider buying another fish that is larger than the "bully fish."  This way the bully fish will be knocked down the totem pole.  I used this technique when my Damsel would kill my other fish; I bought a Yellow Tang, and the Damsel gave the others no more trouble.

Answer 2

Some of what Honda is saying will work to some degree.  The advice about the boundries however is mostly applied to keeping cichlids of South American or African origins.  However, none of those fish you have listed are cichlids, so the effects and benefits of trying to keep aggression in check by the decor is not going to be quite as effective.

I am assuming this Siamese tiger fish is a Datinoid?  If that is the case I do have one of those.  This is a predator type fish, but shouldn't have issues with the others.  When you say pleco, what species?  Common plecos grow quite large, but clearly if you have a gar in mind, I would figure this to be a very large tank.  Pleco's are a bottom feeder/armored catfish, and shouldn't have issues with the other three either.

I have not kept a shovel nose or gar before, but I would be concerned about the gar in this case.  From all I've seen about gar's, these are predator types and don't seem to have inhibitions about eating any one type of fish.  I suspect, it might eat all the other tank mates at some point when it ages.  I can't say I know that for a fact, not having kept one though.  If it were me, I would pass on this fish.  I think you'll be ok until it reaches adult size though.