Fish Pairs

[haleem8777]

As we all know that there are quite a few fish that the males and females can be differentiated very easily. And as a rule we are told to have them in a ratio of more females but i was wondering if it is possible to keep them in a pair the fish i need to know about is cherry barb and checkered barb.

 

[wrightt3]

Do you mean you want a pair of barbs or you want an equal ratio of male to female?
Just a pair won't work because they need to be in groups of 6+
If you mean you want an equal ratio then I don't see why it wouldn't work? It is usually only livebearers that should be kept in female dominated groups due to how relentless the males are.
Saying that though, you should never keep significantly more males than females with any fish species so make sure that it is an equal ratio.

 

[haleem8777]

i mean just a pair 

 

[Wills]

No they are not really pairing fish - you will be much better off with a school of these fish.
 
Cherry Barbs are quite easy to sex the males are more red and the females are a more copper colour. Not sure on Checkered Barbs though, would look at fin extensions, size and general colour to judge males from females, females may also be more rotund around the middle where males may look thinner. 
 
Really if you want a "pair" of fish you want some kind of perch type fish like Cichlids, Gourami etc there are all kinds of sizes of these fish that you could keep in similar conditions to the above fish.
 
What tank size did you have in mind?
 
Wills

 

[haleem8777]

quite small ,  i guess about a  100 l

 

[wrightt3]

Giving your dimensions is more helpful than the volume.
Wills mentioned gouramis so if your interested in these you could go with dwarf or honey gouramis which are generally quite peaceful. Wild betta species would also be an interesting option if you could find them.
As for cichlids you could probably go with any of the dwarf species (rams, apistos, keyholes etc)
If you wanted something bigger then you could go with rainbow cichlids or sajica cichlids.
What else do you have in the tank?

 

[haleem8777]

maybe tetras- rummy nose and some small catfish.
also will dwarf gouramis be safe

 

[wrightt3]

12 Rummynoses, several catfish and a pair/trio of dwarf gouramis would work fine IMO.
What sort of catfish are you after?
If you like Plecos then zebras, clowns, pitbulls or bristlenoses would work.
A shoal of Debauwi Catfish would be pretty cool depending on your tank size if your after something different. They look a bit like mini pangasiuses. Farlowellas, banjos, whiptails and upside downs are also options.
And of course, there are always cories but personally, I've never really seen the appeal?

 

[haleem8777]

while i was researching gourami care i came across a fish know as a golden pencil fish. would that be good

 

[wrightt3]

Yeah they should be fine. You could probably do a shoal of rummynoses and pensilfish with the gouramis and catfish but I can't confirm this until you give your tank dimensions

 

[haleem8777]

I just wanted a picture of what fish i could keep together. and thanks to wrightt3 i have a good picture and i have enough information to make the right choices.
 
Once again thank you