Another Shoaling Question.

[Squid]

A while ago as a novice i ended up with a tank and a few fish from somebody who could no longer house the tank.. The tank is about as solid as my nan on a pogo stick, and i could end up with water all over the floor. So I have been setting up a new tank and as you may have seen in other threads, planning the stocking.

There are a couple of aged pentazona barbs that came with the tank that will be moved to the new tank. Now, people recommend that they are kept in groups of 5-6, which i can understand. However, it raises a few questions for me.

1. How do older more established fish (esp pentazona barbs) get along with young new whipper snapppers of thier own type.. will they shoal happily, bully them or ignore them.


2. How do people ever change to keep a new species, because if these two die, then i only have four, and so will need a couple more. Would it be cruel for me to leave them as two, and use my stocking space for a new species instead.

3. With the answers to the above, would you add more pentazonas, or think about other fish if i wanted a change..?

Thanks in advance
Squid

 

[Squid]

any takers?

 

[Durbkat]

I'll bump this up for ya.

 

[Squid]

oh well.... one last bump.. sorry

 

[karlp]

My experience with adding young shoaling fish has been that they are accepted into the clan after a day or two (or sometimes in a few hours). Pentazona barbs are peaceful fish (I've got 9 shoalling), so I don't see that you'd have any problems. They'd probably spend a few days establishing a new pecking order, but shouldn't be a problem.

With regard keeping new species there are a few options

- don't add new pentazona barbs and in time the remaining couple will die off.
- Try to give them to someone. My old LFS in Leicester used to have a tank of misfits that would get donated to local hospitals schools etc.
- Buy some more Pentazona barbs and make a complete shoal
- Add other barbs, but a different species if you fancy a change and the Pentazona barbs may shoal with the other barbs.

 

[piper]

I have recently purchased 6 Pentazona barbs and the younger two don’t really shoal with the older four. In fact the smallest one spends most of his time either on his own or with my rummy nose tetras! And they don’t come out much when the main tank lights are on; they just stick under the bogwood and in between the plants.

I’m going to get some surface plant to give them shade hopefully that will encourage them to come out, although they might just still be shy as they have only been in the tank 5 days.

Hope that helps.

 

[Squid]

Thanks ;-)

 

[Durbkat]

I know this isn't the same but I had 3 black widow tetras for about 2 or 3 years in a 10g then up graded them and my common pleco into the long 20g and added more black widow tetras to the tank and they got on as soon as the new tetras were added.

 

[Squid]

I know this isn't the same but I had 3 black widow tetras for about 2 or 3 years in a 10g then up graded them and my common pleco into the long 20g and added more black widow tetras to the tank and they got on as soon as the new tetras were added.

any info/experience is gladly appreciated ... thanks

 

[CFC]

The question is do you like the pentazona barbs?

If you do then add another 6, this way when the two older ones die you still have a complete shoal and dont need to add others.
If you dont then either let them live out their natural life spans (could be up to 10 years or possibly more) or return them to a lfs.

 

[piper]

WOW pentazona's can live that long I never knew, ill have to add more to my tank if there going to live that long.

 

[Squid]

The question is do you like the pentazona barbs?

If you do then add another 6, this way when the two older ones die you still have a complete shoal and dont need to add others.
If you dont then either let them live out their natural life spans (could be up to 10 years or possibly more) or return them to a lfs.

I do like them... and hadn't thought about adding six.. thats a good idea!

Thanks..

Squid