how many barbs in a 10 gallon tank?

[coldsteel]

I read that if you put too many barbs in a cramped space they will eat each other. I was wondering if I could put 3 cory cats, 1 algae eating shrimp, and 8-9 barbs of various types together, if they would be okay. Also, do you have to have 3 of each type or can you get only 2 of each type?

Thanks!

 

[coldsteel]

oops, i forgot to include that it is a standard 10 gallon tank, i am going to put a couple synthetic plants and a decoration or two in there.

 

[grimlock3000]

I was wondering if I could put 3 cory cats, 1 algae eating shrimp, and 8-9 barbs of various types together, if they would be okay. Also, do you have to have 3 of each type or can you get only 2 of each type?

That would be too many fish for a 10. What type of Barbs are you interested in?

 

[coldsteel]

well, I was thinking some albino tiger barbs, some rosy barbs, and some green barbs, maybe two of each; would that still be too much???

 

[patryuji]

tiger barbs (green, albino or regular) get to be a good 3" long each...10gallons would be too small to have a decent school.

I think there are barbs that stay around 2" each and with those you could probably keep 6 in a 10 gallon tank (along with the cories) with careful water monitoring and maintenance.

 

[coldsteel]

wow, i've never seen a tiger barb nearly that big. i've only seen them grow to about an inch and a half. maybe i'll consider putting some smaller fish in the 10 gal and just getting more barbs for my 56 gal. anything you would recommend for such a small tank? it's just going to be sitting in my room giving me something to entertain myself with, it is hard for me to sit in the computer room/playroom where my 56 gal is and just look at it. Thanks

 

[patryuji]

Make that just under 3". I have seen them that big at one fish store locally.

there are always the various small and colorful tetras (neon, cardinal).

 

[coldsteel]

yeah, i was hoping for something more interesting, but I may have to settle for something like that; thanks for everyone's help.

 

[savga]

I have a few dwarf puffer in my 10 gallon tank. They are very small (less than 1 inch) and are interesting to watch. They probably watch me more than I watch them . They are very curious fish. The down side is they are very picky eater prefering live food. They will eat fozen or freeze-dried bloodworms and snails though.

 

[Fruitbat]

coldsteel...

If you have your heart set on barbs in your 10-gallon I can suggest Cherry Barbs, Puntius titteya as a fine choice. They max out at about 2 inches, are VERY colorful (especially the males in breeding color), and aren't quite as quarrelsome as some of their larger relatives. You could easily get away with a small community (they don't really school like Tiger Barbs) of about 4-6 of these in a 10 gallon with good water quality maintenance. (Yeah...yeah...I know....that's 12 inches of fish....but I don't generally agree with the 1 inch per gallon 'rule' anyway.)

Here's a good general link for information:

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gcherry.html

 

[coldsteel]

well thanks a lot everyone, and i am now trying to decide between tetras or the cherry barbs. I really like the look of the cherry barbs, but i'm not sure how they would look in the tank. but then again, i'm not too sure how any fish would look in there, lol. the gravel is hot pink and flourescent green, and I will probably get some duller colored plants. i might add a little black gravel to the mix. I know tetras don't like the brightly colored gravel, so this is a hard decision. I may just change the gravel altogether. I don't know if i like it that bright. by the way, how many little tetras would you reccomend?

 

[coldsteel]

i'm thinking of just putting barbs in my 56 gallon, and buying tetras, any specific recommendations?

 

[Menagerie]

I like serpea tetras.
I also have another suggestion for you, but after reading what your gravel is, this may not work. There are shell dwelling cichlids that get around an inch big. I currently have 4 in a 10 gal wtih a sand substrate. They dig and defend their territories and are pretty cute.

 

[patryuji]

I don't think the shellies would get along with cories. Additionally don't most shell dwellers prefer hard alkaline water? I don't think too many cories like water conditions of that sort...but from the images I have seen it would be worth it to find a new home for the cories and put shell dwellers in the 10Gallon.

 

[Menagerie]

Oh, there's cories in there? I thought this was a 'clean slate'--forget the shellies if the cories are in the tank. I love both types of fish, but not in the same tank.

 

[coldsteel]

Well, thanks everyone, but I did decide on some fish. I bought them yesterday. I got 3 neon tetras, 3 glowlight tetras, 3 gold white clouds, and 3 corys. This may sound like a lot for a 10 gallon, but if you saw it you would definitely think otherwise. Also, if some of them do outgrow the tank, they can be transferred to my 56 gal. One fo the neon tetras died last night, but the lfs has a return polocy so my dad took it back. They wouldn't give him another one because they said that we had too many fish for a 10 gallon. I was pretty upset because I don't know how well the other 2 neon tetras will get along without a third. I don't have time to go back to the LFS til next weekend. Hopefully they will all be OK. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[Endgame319]

Sounds fine for a 10g. Dont worry about the neon, they are known to die if you look at them wrong . Is your tank cycled?

 

[Atlarge]

Give them a water sample, if they won't give you another clean water usual turns them around.

 

[coldsteel]

the tank had been set up for 2 days with carbon filtration before I added fish. When my dad took the water sample in with the fish, they said the nitrates were too low, they didn't want to give me another fish and have me bring it back when it dies. If I would have been there I would have got the fish anyway, but oh well. By the way, the rest of the fish are all doing well in their new home, so the nitrates must not have been too low! Thanks everyone!