Tiger Barbs

[markandhisfish]

will finally be ordering my new tank soon ( in about 2 weeks) will be a 75 gallon(uk) it will be home to deffinately myt red tail black shark my kribs pictus catfish and a plec of some kind , seen a nice l200 "green phantom" in lfs also probably a blue acara and a severum . to this i want to add a good size shoal of something and i absolutely love tiger barbs only they seem to have a reputation for being bstards.

possible alternatives maybe

congo tetras dont see them very often and lfs only has 4 at mo would want more
bosmani rainbows have heard they take ages to show proper colours not that patient
maybe some other rainbows will have to do some research

must be something that will gro too big for the pictus to firt in its mouth and be able to hold its own with the shark etc

any ideas or advice please

 

[peter22UK]

i used to have a nice big shoal...

they didnt ever cause any problems!!

congos are nice too!!

 

[Corleone]

Tiger barbs are only a problem if kept in a small group (for the size tank, go with 10-12, IMO), or with slow moving fish or ones with long fins. The fish you mention don't have long fins, and most of them are either fast enough to flee or tough enough to stand up for themselves.

 

[jonny_dw]

if you dont want to risk tiger barbs there are a couple of lookalikes that are very peaceful...i cant remember the names though lol someone will know

 

[markandhisfish]

ok so provisional stocking idea for 75 gallon 1 rtbs 2 kribs 1 pictus catfish 1 L200 plec 1 blue acara 1 severum 10-12 tiger barbs and possibly some corys .

tanks is coming from nd aquatics black cabinet and trim black background black silicone 10mm layer of tropica plant substrate covered with 40 to 50 mm of black gravel ( yep black themed to really emphasise the colour of the plants and fish) arcadia twin light controller with 2 arcadia t8 tubes co2 infusion ( not settled on system yet possibly jbl) plenty of rocks bogwood etc filtration will be either tetratec ex1200 or equivelent eheim will decide after more research

cant wait feel like a kid on christmas eve lol

 

[markandhisfish]

been looking at videos of shoals of tiger barbs on youtube. now i know i gotta have em !!

 

[Sparnon]

My local fish shop guy has told me that he has personally had tiger barbs mixed in with angel fish, bettas, platies, long finned tetras, and discus, and hasn't had any problems. From his point of view they're "occasional fin nippers" not "killer sharks"! Anyone who is in the habit of telling people that tiger barbs are aggressive would be the first to tell you that tiger barbs and angels supposedly do not mix!

I've noticed that for every one person who reports aggressive tiger barbs, there's another 6 who say "well mine are fine, and I've only got 3!", and theres another 12 who say "well I've got a totally different species of fish and I have the same aggression problem!". It seems to be a fish thing. I mean why on earth is it that black widow tetras have a reputation as "fin nippers" when there's a "long finned" variety? Surely they would all nip eachother to shreds? The answer is of course that nothing is ever black and white.

Talk to your LFS dude. Ask him about his experiences with the tiger barbs he keeps, how aggressive or docile he finds them to be. Then go ask someone else. Then someone else. Keep looking around and I swear to you that eventually you'll find someone who has a supplier who gives them really super docile ones, and a some other shop that has a supplier that gives them barbs that have a history of fighting.

 

[markandhisfish]

the fishouse manager at my best lfs is an enthusiast who uses these forums he seems to really know his stuff too so will trust his opinions/advice . and the tiger barbs he has look real good too. also have been reading about them tonight and the general opinion seems to be that increasing the numbers decreases the agression and as i plan on having 10 or 12 with other robust fish i rekon they should be fine. also being a good lfs i know he will take thewm back if they are a problem so as i have always wanted them im gonna go for it

 

[Jazzzz]

no tiger barbs they attack plecs, apple snails and even 20+cm normal goldfish. Well mine do

 

[markandhisfish]

thats something i will keep an eye on. but i just have to have em. i rekon a shoal of about 10-12 would look great in a planted tank with black background etc .

 

[OscarWilde]

I have a Shoal of 20 Tiger Barbs. They are no bother at all and live with a couple of Gouramis. Bigger the Shoal the better though!

 

[markandhisfish]

gonna go for the max size i can have in 75 gallon after the other fish are in

 

[Sparnon]

You go dude! Don't let anyone else tell you what fish you can and can not have, if you want that fish then get it! Most of the peopke on this forum badly understock their tanks anyway so don't listen to any nonsense about how many you can have. In a 75 gallon you can have 30 tiger barbs and still have plenty of room if you're going for a species tank! Aim for around 15 for a good shoal and to leave room for other fish if you want a community.

 

[oakes]

You go dude! Don't let anyone else tell you what fish you can and can not have, if you want that fish then get it! Most of the peopke on this forum badly understock their tanks anyway so don't listen to any nonsense about how many you can have. In a 75 gallon you can have 30 tiger barbs and still have plenty of room if you're going for a species tank! Aim for around 15 for a good shoal and to leave room for other fish if you want a community.

There's no such thing as an understocked tank.
Stocking less than the maximum possible is good thing, it reduces stress on the fish as well as maintenance.
The only exception is where more individuals of a shoaling species are required, but this is a separate issue to total fish numbers.

 

[jourdy288]

Maybe fiveband barbs would be good subs.