Cichlid Suitable To Live With Tiger Barbs?

[SamB]

Hi, I have a 30 gallon tank with 8 tiger barbs. It's really empty right now, and besides maybe getting a bottom dweller (or more tiger barbs.. ), I'm at a loss of what I could add in there. I was thinking a 3-5" fish would look kind of neat in there.. is there a cichlid that stays relatively small that could stand up to the tiger barbs?

 

[wrightt3]

Assuming that you stick to one cichlid, you could have one of the following:
Firemouth, Sajica, Cutteri, Acara, Honduran Red Point, Convict or a jewel. 
If you would rather have a pair then you could go for:
Rams, Apistos, Keyholes, Dwarf Acaras or  Rainbows
These are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head. 

 

[JenJ]

Sorry to disagree, but in terms of a firemouth etc I would think the tank is too small. The convict and jewel are smaller but there's a strong risk they would attack your barbs.

Rams etc would probably be fine

 

[DrRob]

It's a difficult one, the smaller cichlids would do well in the tank but are at risk from the tigers, the larger ones are really a bit large for the tank.
 
Personally, I'd go for some of the danio or larger tetra group if you wanted another species, or just top up the tigers to a bigger shoal and go for broke with the species tank.

 

[Wills]

Personally I dont have a problem with mid sized cichlids in a 30g - they are often used as tanks for pairs of things like Blue Acaras and Convicts and their relatives. I think Firemouth is borderline as they do roam in a tank quite a bit.
 
Tiger Barbs in this kind of tank is a bit tough though as they take up a bit of room and need something small enough to suit the tank and yet not too big to dominiate the Barbs....
 
I actually think your best bet are African Butterfly Cichlids - not a massive Cichlid but not too small either and while they can be perfectly peaceful they can also stand up for themselves with quite a reputation at times, so would probably suit the Tigers pretty nice
 
As for bottom dwellers in there its a little hard really. I think you should keep it Asian/African since you have the Tigers and Butterfly there, but Loaches are probably a bit squishy for the other fish - maybe some kind of small Synodontis - or small Bagride catfish might work. Or you could look at Moth Catfish - I think its Hara Jedrioni (spelling) that gets to about 2-3 inches... might be wrong but worth a look and an interesting fish as well
 
Wills

 

[SamB]

I really love my tigers but they can be a right pain in regards to tank mates, haha. Thank you for all the advice everyone. I was wondering about a single convict - some of you indicated that that might eat my barbs? I had thought they were peaceful besides defending their fry which wouldn't be an issue in this case.
 
wrightt3 - Thank you for that list! I will do some research into those species.
 
JenJ - I would probably go with GBRs however in my 20 gallon, my male GBR (who may actually be a bolivian that was mis-sold as a GBR, I'm not sure) killed my female GBR and it was fairly tragic. I didn't notice the harassment until she was too damaged to save (tried isolation, light medication etc. but she passed). I've kind of been put off them.
 
DrRob - that's my backup plan. I know they will look great in a species only tank, but I also think it would be fun to have a bigger guy lurking in there! I would just go and get a 55 gallon.. but i think my apartment mates are quite happy with the amount of water I already have in the apartment.
 
Wills, the African Butterfly Cichlids look like an interesting option if I can source them. Would that be one fish only? As far as bottom dwellers, I had been thinking an albino bristlenose pleco but the fish you mentioned are appealing as well. EDIT: Do you know where to get the Moth Catfish? They look incredible

 

[wrightt3]

Sorry to disagree, but in terms of a firemouth etc I would think the tank is too small. The convict and jewel are smaller but there's a strong risk they would attack your barbs.

Rams etc would probably be fine

I don't really see a problem with any of the fish I mentioned. None of them exceed 6 inches and I read somewhere that a good rule to use for cichlids is the 6 times rule (tank should be 6 times the length of the fish) Your probably more experienced in fishkeeping than I am but I have read on many sites (this one included) that those cichlids would be fine in a 30 gallon provided they weren't in a pair.
I'm not looking for a fight here but a lot of the pro aquarists seem to shun the smaller aquariums even though they are suitable. Some would say that a 30g is too small for a firemouth but how many would say that a 170 gallon is too small for an Oscar which is proportionally the same size? 

 

[SamB]

I really quite like the looks of the firemouth and the convict cichlids. If I got one of these at the young size they sell them at in my local LFS - will my tigers (who are at about 1" now) be relatively safe? I could up their numbers if necessary?

 

[wrightt3]

I would wait until your barbs are a bit bigger before adding a cichlid personally. Be warned that cichlids are unpredictable and there are no guarantees as to weather they will be compatible with what you have or not. Your likely to have more success with the Firemouth as these are less aggressive but there's no reason why you can't try a convict so long as you are able to rehome him if there are problems.

 

[DrRob]

From an aggression point of view you'd be better off with a firemouth or similar thorichthys than with a convict. Both could stand up to tigers.
 
I'm pretty borderline on that size of tank and would say that it depends on the fish and how much it dominates the barbs. If you get a bit of a wimp it may end up pushed into a corner and suffer, if it's a normal to more aggressive one then it should be OK, but then there's variability in the barbs to consider as well.

 

[SamB]

I would wait until your barbs are a bit bigger before adding a cichlid personally. Be warned that cichlids are unpredictable and there are no guarantees as to weather they will be compatible with what you have or not. Your likely to have more success with the Firemouth as these are less aggressive but there's no reason why you can't try a convict so long as you are able to rehome him if there are problems.

 
My concern is the cichlids that are available as a source to me are barely bigger than the tiger barbs. If I put a very small one in, I feel it is at greater risk from the barbs. I wouldn't be able to rehome a convict at the moment (small aquarium community in my area!) so I feel like that option may be out. 
 

From an aggression point of view you'd be better off with a firemouth or similar thorichthys than with a convict. Both could stand up to tigers.
 
I'm pretty borderline on that size of tank and would say that it depends on the fish and how much it dominates the barbs. If you get a bit of a wimp it may end up pushed into a corner and suffer, if it's a normal to more aggressive one then it should be OK, but then there's variability in the barbs to consider as well.

 
I'm leaning towards more tiger barbs. I would hate to have a fish die because i thought it would look cool in my tank my barbs are relatively tame with one or two fiesty fish who like to chase the others a little bit. Obviously, I've only observed them with themselves, though.