Tiger Barbs

[patthecat12]

Hi i have a 60 litre aquarium doing its cycle, (fishless) and am putting in my two C. irrubesco (red eyed, red tailed puffers) i have been told that as long as the fish are fast and don't have long fins that they would be fine in the same tank as my puffers, so when i have settled the puffers in a week or two i was considering getting some sort of barbs, i like the look of the tiger and Iridescent barbs in my LFS. but i would like to know before any commitment about the nature and any bad or good experiences with them. and i am also concerned if they would pick on my puffers

Cheers patrick

 

[fifefish]

if you keep them in a shoal of 6 they should keep to them selves..any less and they nip fins..

 

[patthecat12]

Thanks fifefish How much space would 6 require? because there not the smallest of fish

 

[fifefish]

what is the length of your tank?

 

[Lord Fishheart]

I love Tiger Barbs my favourite fish. FWA! Fish with Attitude.

Always first to the food, always at the front of the tank, great fishes, not ideal if you have long finned fish though, tend to get a bit nasty

 

[patthecat12]

60 cm long 30 cm heigh and 30 cm wide all to gever its 60 litres (measured when putting water in)

 

[fifefish]

that should be fine though its actually 54 litres

 

[patthecat12]

Thank you fifefish

Oh well 6 litres off

Cheers patrick

 

[Jazzzz]

In my opinion Tiger barbs are aggressive fish that will bully anyone and nip anything that moves a shoal of 9 i had nipped often a 10" goldfish with normal fins they were only 3cm. a 6" pleco and they made regular attacks on the apple snail.

I would not reckomend them to anyone enless it was a species only tank they have problems with Nitrites as well and eat loads.

I also feel to keep 9 you need 120L, so you would need 80l to keep 6. the mith if keeping more than 6 and they will be calm in my opinion having kept 9 is that this is total rubbish at one point thye were in a 260L tank and they still nipped anything that moved.

 

[rabbut]

Tagerbarbs are thugs if you aren't careful what you mix them with, but they aren't desurving of their reputation IMO Give careful considerations to tank mates, and keep a group, avoiding anything with long fins, and they should be fine

This said, they will become puffer food in most scenarios. It can work if your puffer(s) are laid back, but it would be rare (though puffer's deffinately aren't my speciality). They won't be able to touch the Tiger Barbs during the day due to their speed, so that is safe, but at night when the Barbs are resting....Well, different ball game Though Puffers and other fish can work, you must understand that there is always a risk with these fish that they will fin-nip their tank mates. You are even more likely to see that behavior if the puffer(s) get(s) bored..

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Jazzzz]

Tagerbarbs are thugs if you aren't careful what you mix them with, but they aren't desurving of their reputation IMO Give careful considerations to tank mates, and keep a group, avoiding anything with long fins, and they should be fine

This said, they will become puffer food in most scenarios. It can work if your puffer(s) are laid back, but it would be rare (though puffer's deffinately aren't my speciality). They won't be able to touch the Tiger Barbs during the day due to their speed, so that is safe, but at night when the Barbs are resting....Well, different ball game Though Puffers and other fish can work, you must understand that there is always a risk with these fish that they will fin-nip their tank mates. You are even more likely to see that behavior if the puffer(s) get(s) bored..

All the best
Rabbut

I am afraid i disagree how does an apple snail have long fins and the normal goldfishes wernt long either

 

[rabbut]

Apple snails and Goldies are technically "coldwater" (well, temperate if you are being technically correct ) so IMO they should't have been with a tropical fish anyway, but I do agree that they should not have picked on them by my "guidelines" above This also said, both many barbs and the apple snail and goldfish can do well in eachothers climates, again if care is taken...

They are one fish where I have had supprisingly little trouble with in the past, so yes, I think we may well have to agree to dissagree on this one

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Jazzzz]

apple snail iwasn't aware were coldwater oops will look into that one

the goldie was only temporary i know they shouldn't be together but they had to go somewhere for whilst their tank was totally taken down sold and the newone set up they were there less than a week.

 

[rabbut]

If the barbs were their first, could the agroo have been teritorial?

All the best
Rabbut

 

[paul123]

i had barbs with discus and angels... i had 13 of em but gave them to my lfs because they were stressing out the discus.
but that's just my bad...
there good and strong fish they grow up quick... the lfs around me say that u should have them with 5 or more....