Barbs Vs Tertas?

[evilchild]

got a few rosey barbs and some more green tiger barbs the weekend. all are fine apart from one of the rosey barbs who went belly up this morining? i think this was stress related, new fish in a new tank and i put my new filter on too, which wasn't the best of idea. live and laern.

when i was in the shop i was going to get some Diamond tetra's the guy said 'can't put tetra's in with barbs they will rip them apart!' i was abit surprised about this as i have tetra's in with them and they are fine? (black neons) i know you shouldn't put slow moving fish with long fins but these didn't have any of them?

so what do you think about this comment?

 

[omega59]

wow that is strange of him to say that, i had tiger barbs with tetras and platy's before

 

[Colin_T]

Tiger barbs will have a go at slow moving fish with long fins (angels, male fighters) but they don't normally bother tetras. Most problems with barbs occur because there aren't enough of them to keep each other occupied. Barbs naturally live in large schools (1000s) so when you put 2 or 3 in a tank they get bored easily and look to other fish for company. The other fish swim away and the barbs give chase.
If the local fish shop is concerned about fin nipping then they should watch out for black widow, serpae, red-eye & beunos aires tetras, these tetras are just as bad as a tiger barb. All barbs and tetrs should be kept in schools of at least 6, but preferably 10 or more.

 

[evilchild]

i know thats what i thought? i think i'm going to advoid that place from now on.

i have 4 big tiger barbs 3 green tigers and a rosy barb, and 4 black neons all seem fine no probs with any? (i know i should get more tetra's and rosy barbs but will sort that in time, think may tanbks quite well stocked as it is so don't want to push it to much)

 

[PRW1988]

Barbs are generally fine with tetras, but it usually does depend on the type of tetra. Things like neons or Cardinals with get killed. Other things like black skirts, black phantoms, Aries tetas and Seprea tetras are fine.

 

[omega59]

cardinals will get killed by the tiger barbs?? oh my i better not get any then hehe.

 

[PRW1988]

I've had my neons and cardinals ripped to shreds by Tiger barbs... I had a school of 12 tiger barbs, and a school of 10 neons and 10 cardinals. The cardinals and neons were down to 3 in each school within a month...

 

[celaeno]

i'd only keep barbs with similarly-sized tetras that can hold their own against the barbs.

for example, you can keep cherry barbs with neon/cardinal tetras.