Tiger Barbs Vs Bosemmi Rainbows

[markandhisfish]

in my next tank ( 300 litre) im toyiong with a shoal of about 12 tiger barbs as ive always liked them. but on the other hand i have been told a shoal of bosemi rainbows looks amazing too. now would i be right in thinking that the rainbows being more peaceful would give me more of a varied choice of the fish i could put with them?

 

[tenohfive]

Tiger barbs have a reputation for being nippy, so if its a community tank I'd avoid them. Boesemani's certainly look spectacular, though I know nothing about them.

 

[markandhisfish]

its going to be a community of fairly robust fish nothing too aggressive but fish that can hold their own kribs etc

 

[oakes]

Assuming there will be no fish that the barbs will bully, i'd say it's purely a matter of personal preference.
I currently keep both species (though not together) and there are a couple of comparisons i can think of that may make a difference to you: Generally the boesmani tend to stay a bit higher in the water column. Barbs are more all over the place but generally mid-water. Neither school as tightly as tetras, the barbs perhaps less so. Barbs are pretty well coloured when young and also grow/mature alot quicker. I had to wait over a year for my boesmani to start showing full colour. But they are worth the wait!