Albino Tiger Barb Tank Mates

[fishyfish890]

Hey everyone!
 
Currently, my 120l aquarium with 3 albino tiger barbs and 3 boesemani rainbow fish. I would like to put 1 other species also. However, at the present the balance is kinda perfect between the two and I know how difficult tiger barbs are, so any suggestions would be great.
 
My thanks,
 
Fishyfish890

 

[Flubberlump]

Hi!

Do you know what your water parameters are? You should make sure that you have suitable water for any new fish you get. You are right about the tiger barbs! I've kept those, as well as the green ones, and they are aggressive. The bigger the shoal the better, as the aggression is spread out between them rather than just the few of them picking on each other. How do they get on with your rainbows? Have you thought about upping the numbers of the barbs? I personally really like a big shoal of fish rather than lots of little ones, and shoaling fish always do better in a bigger shoal. They look more natural too. Have you seen the different colour variations? There are a few and if I'm not mistaken you can mix the different colours within one shoal. That would create some interest if it's variety you're looking for. There are the striped ones, albino, green, yellow, and probably others that I haven't seen.

I've never kept the rainbows so I can't comment on how they would fare with a bigger shoal I'm afraid.

 

[fishyfish890]

Hey!
 
Yh I have tried to this before but tiger barbs die out so quickly that I've given up on them to be honest. The albinos and rainbows get on perfectly; thats why I'd really like a different species. My water parameters are a ph of 7.5 and a temp of 25c.

 

[Byron]

You have a bit of an issue here.  First, both fish mentioned are shoaling species which means that they should be in a group; three is not a group in this respect, it should be at least six but more is always better.
 
Snag #1 is that a 120 litre aquarium is not sufficient space for a proper-sized group of Bosemani Rainbows; these fish attain 4+ inches (males) and 3+ inches (females) and being active swimmers need more length.  In groups of less than six, the fish will often be skittish; and males will be much brighter in colouration with a larger group.
 
The second issue is the Albino Tiger Barbs, which are the same species as the original Tiger Barb.  These also are shoaling and a group of 8+ is recommended.  These would easily fill the 120 litre aquarium.
 
Byron.

 

[fishyfish890]

Hi,

With all due respect the rainbow fish have plenty of room tbh and most people over crowd their aquarium.

Fishyfish890

 

[Byron]

Hi,

With all due respect the rainbow fish have plenty of room tbh and most people over crowd their aquarium.

Fishyfish890

 
I expected something like this.  In the interests of being helpful, and for the sake of the fish, I will take the time to better explain things.
 
Shoaling fish need a group.  They have evolved to expect this, and there are several reasons.  Safety in numbers is obviously one.  But some species also develop hierarchies within the group.  As I mentioned previously, this species will frequently become skittish with less than six or seven.  You probably wouldn't notice this, but the fish can be stressed without outward visible signs until it is too late.  This is an active species, so it needs swimming room, and a 120 litre tank is not going to provide this.  A group of this species in a larger tank would not be "overcrowded," and I am not suggesting you should do this in the present tank.
 
If you care about your fish, you will take the time to research their needs and provide them.  Not doing this is frankly cruel to the fish.  Dr. Loiselle's citation in my signature covers this.
 
Byron.

 

[fishyfish890]

How long exactly would it take for such stress to meet an unfortunate event then? Actually I am completely horrified by what you are saying, as I love to think of welfare rather than what looks nice or pretty - beleive me, this post is more of a 'out of curiosity' but I have kept rainbows for two years with no probs.

 

[Byron]

How long exactly would it take for such stress to meet an unfortunate event then? Actually I am completely horrified by what you are saying, as I love to think of welfare rather than what looks nice or pretty - beleive me, this post is more of a 'out of curiosity' but I have kept rainbows for two years with no probs.

 
Fish experience stress from many sources, and this weakens them.  The longer the stress--any stress--continues, the weaker the fish become.  The immune system is often first to weaken, so the fish are more susceptible to disease they would otherwise be able to fight off.  The internal physiological functions of a fish are also affected by stress.  The fish is having to work much harder just to keep its inner balance, what is termed the homeostasis in all animals.  How the heart works, the gills, kidneys, intestines, and so forth.  Because fish are living in an aquatic environment, all this is amplified more than it is in land animals, so the detrimental effects can be far more reaching.  I authored an article on stress for another forum, and since we cannot link other forums (rightly so), I will cut/paste the pertinent bits that may make this clearer.
 
Stress is the root cause of almost all disease and health problems of aquarium fish.  Today we recognize that the health of any living organism is directly related to the level of stress inflicted upon it; for fish this is a major problem because the fish cannot do anything to reduce or eliminate it—they can only fight it or succumb to it.  Our fish are confined to the small space of their aquarium, and only the aquarist can control their environment.  In a very real sense, we are directly responsible for any and all stress inflicted upon the fish.  Later we’ll consider how this occurs, but before that we must understand what stress is and how it harms our fish.  Here is how Biology Online defines stress:
 
The sum of the biological reactions to any adverse stimulus—physical, mental or emotional, internal or external—that tends to disturb the organisms homeostasis; should these compensating reactions be inadequate or inappropriate, they may lead to disorders.
 
Homeostasis is defined as “the tendency of an organism or a cell to regulate its internal conditions, usually by a system of feedback controls, so as to stabilize health and functioning, regardless of the outside changing conditions.”  Physiological homeostasis, or physical equilibrium, is the internal process animals use to maintain their health and life: “the complex chain of internal chemical reactions that keep the pH of its blood steady, its tissues fed, and the immune system functioning” (Muha, 2006).
 
Four important body functions of homeostasis are closely associated with processes in the gills: gas exchange, hydromineral (osmoregulation) control, acid-base balance [pH] and nitrogenous waste excretion [ammonia].  These processes are possible because of the close proximity of the blood flowing through the gills to the surrounding water, as well as the differences in the chemical composition of these two fluids (Bartelme, 2004).  Each species of fish has evolved within a specific environment—and by “environment” in this context we mean everything associated with the water in which the fish lives—and the physiological homeostasis only functions well within that environment.  This greater dependence upon their surrounding environment is why fish are more susceptible to stress than many other animals (Wedemeyer, 1996).
 
How Stress Affects Fish
 
Stress is caused by placing a fish in a situation which is beyond its normal level of tolerance (Francis-Floyd, 1990).  Stress makes it more difficult for the fish to regulate the normal day-to-day physiological functions—the homeostasis—that are essential to its life.  Dr. Cliff Swanson, associate professor at North Carolina’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says that stress creates “a fundamental physiological shift in fish, from energy storage to energy usage—the fight or flight response” (Muha, 2005).  The survival of any organism depends upon its ability to keep its internal chemical balance from fluctuating too much.  When critical energy is being used to fight stress, it is diverted away from other functions.  The fish must then work much harder just to “keep going.”  Laura Muha (Muha, 2006) likens this to driving a car up a steep hill: it takes more gas (energy) and effort to maintain the same speed as on level ground (level being the norm for the fish).
 
The effects of stress on fish are very complicated physiologically, and are often subtle.  There may or may not be external signs discernible to us—it can continue for weeks and even months, sometimes up to the point when the fish just suddenly dies.  The reasons for this are involved.
 
Adrenaline released during the stress response increases blood flow to the gills to provide for the increased oxygen demands of stress.  The release of adrenaline into the blood stream elevates the heart rate, blood flow and blood pressure.  This increases the volume of blood in vessels contained within the gills, increasing the surface area of the gills to help the fish absorb more oxygen from the water.  The elevated blood flow allows increased oxygen uptake for respiration but also increases the permeability of the gills to water and ions.  This is what is known as the osmorespiratory compromise (Folmar & Dickhoff, 1980; Mazeaud et al., 1977).  In freshwater fish, this increases water influx and ion losses.  This is more critical in small fish than larger due to the gill surface to body mass ratio (Bartelme, 2004).
 
Short-term stress will cause an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration as described in the preceding paragraph.  The fish can only maintain these altered states for a short and finite period of time before they will either adapt or (more often) the stress will become chronic.  During this initial stage the fish may look and act relatively normal, but it is depleting energy reserves because of the extra physiological requirements placed upon it.  At the chronic stage the hormone cortisol is released, which is responsible for many of the negative health effects associated with stress.
 
One of the most characteristic aspects of stress in fish is osmoregulatory disturbance, which is related to the effects of both catecholamine and cortisol hormones.  The extent of the disturbance following stress depends upon the ionic and osmotic gradients (difference) between the internal fluids of the fish and its surrounding environment (water)—something we will explore in more detail later.  If the stress is persistent and of sufficient intensity, changes in the cellular structure of the gills may occur under the influence of cortisol.  In this situation, increased death and turnover rates of branchial epithelial cells leads to accelerated aging of the gills.  These degenerating and newly-formed gill cells do not function normally, which further limits the fish's ability to maintain water and ion homeostasis under stressful conditions.  Thus, acute stress limits the fish's capacity to osmoregulate, and prolonged periods of extreme stress may result in osmotic shock and death (Bartelme, 2004).
 
Chronic stress impacts negatively on fish growth, digestion, and reproduction.  It is the main cause of deterioration in the slime coat.  It significantly lowers the ability of the immune system to respond effectively and fully.  And in all cases—stress reduces the fish’s lifespan.
 
This excedpt from the section on the causes of stress may help too.
 
The physical environment is also extremely important to fish health.  Some species need multiple hiding places; some cannot tolerate bright overhead light, and/or a light coloured substrate; and some fish wear themselves out battling continual water currents that are greater than what they are designed for, while others may need these.  Shoaling or schooling fish need a sufficiently-sized group; in lower numbers they are under constant stress due to insecurity or lack of interaction that may have social/hierarchical relevance, or both.  Aggressive fish in the same tank will keep other fish constantly under fear of attack, even if no actual physical confrontation occurs.  As all this illustrates, there are indeed many aspects to consider for true compatibility and truly healthy fish in a community aquarium.
 
From all of this we can gather one absolute:  preventing stress is probably the most important aspect of responsible fish keeping.
 
It is not possible to estimate time lengths, as the individual fish plus the affecting factors are all involved.  The point we make is that providing fish with what they expect is the safest route to healthy fish.  And that should always be our goal.
 
Byron.