Rosey Barbs eat thread algae?

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dskidmore

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I have a 75 gallon planted aquarium. I'm currently battling thread algae. I've heard that rosey barbs may eat it? They should be compatible with my existing tetra and ottocat population. Has anyone else heard anything about barbs eating algae? Being shy fish, how many would you put in a 75 gallon? (I have lots of plant cover, and the tank is maybe at 1/3 of it's stocking capacity.)
 
dskidmore said:
Being shy fish, how many would you put in a 75 gallon? (I have lots of plant cover, and the tank is maybe at 1/3 of it's stocking capacity.)

They are shoaling (schooling) fish, so at least 6....
 
Andyvette said:
They are shoaling (schooling) fish, so at least 6....
Really? I couple places I read said they were shy with members of thier own species. I'd probably start with 6 then, (don't want to shock the QT biofilter) and decide if I want to make it more later.
 
When I had two, they were inseparable. Now he just hangs with the other barbs. They are very active and always at the front of the tank flirting for food. I highly recommend them. The males get very bright.

img_627046_0_62280d3f966770e2d38c998e7c0d8c71.jpg
 
My barbs pick at algae all the time. It's funny to watch. I don't think I have rosys but mine look similar, and they are very peaceful and interesting. If you think you would like these fish other than just for algae cleanup, I'm sure they would mix well with your current stock. It certainly sounds like you have the room. Oh, and I agree that it's best to keep 6 or more. Good luck!
 
If my LFS doesn't have Rosys in stock, are any other barbs recomended for eating algae? Will barbs of mixed types school well, or are they best kept in all the same variety?
 
Petco (boo, hiss) carries goldies, roseys, neon and fancy fins all in the same tank.

My guess is that gold barbs would eat it too because they are so similar, but that is a guess. I did some digging and found one thread that suggests it, but that is all.

You should get a mix of gold and rosey. That would be pretty. My albino, tiger and rosey school together. When my other rosey was alive, my two roseys swam together all the time. Keep in mind that roseys get bigger than tigers by about two inches.
 
I usually go to the "Pet World Aquashoppe" It's a generic little pet store, about 50% devoted to fish. They have much better fish selection than the big stores, but it's also more variable than the big store.

I had read one profile that said the rosy can grow to 6" in the wild, so I'll make sure to leave plenty of room for growth. Going to cut out my plans to add a couple more schools of small tetras. Might still be able to add another 6 smaller tetras to the tank too, we'll see how the barbs work out.

Current population: 6 varying tetras, 8 ottocats, 5 ammano shrimp.
 
Well, I did it. The QT now holds 4 rosy barbs, and 3 gold barbs. I tried to take a picture, but I'm not very good at manipulating auto focus.
 
Fantastic! I hope the goldies eat it too. If not, they'll be really entertaining. You know my rosey loves the zucchini I put in there for the pleco, so it makes sense. Let us know if they dig in!
 
A couple of the rosys seemed curious (I put a big ball of the stuff into the QT) but no-one seemed to chow down. (Kind of early after a move for a big appetite, but they were tasting anything they could find that fit in thier mouth.) I think I'm going to only feed them very lightly every few days, to see if thier appetite for algae increases.
 
Mine just swim around and graze on algae. I've never tried giving them algae. They just seem to pick at it regardless of how much I feed. Good luck, you'll enjoy these guys.
 
FYI: The barbs didn't make much of a dent in the algae, although they nibbled occasionally. I increased my ammano population at the same time, and my algae is starting to die off. I think I have yet another speices of algae taking it's place, but the long strands of hair algae are almost gone.
 
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