Tiger barb care

[flame_fish]

Okay, so I know little to nothing about tiger barbs. Anyone wanna inform me? these are my questions..

How you can you tell whether one is a male or female?
Are they hardy?
How many can be an a 55 gallon tank with live barriers?
What type of decor do they like the most? Or does it matter?

Please & thanks.

 

[jcolon]

okay, so i know little to nothing about tiger barbs. Anyone wanna inform me? These are my questions..

How you can you tell whether one is a male or female?
males will generally have more red on their fins and red on the nose. Females tend to be rounder in shape. Both may not become noticeable till they mature some.

are they hardy?
yes ... They are good fish to cycle a tank with, very hardy with a wide temp and ph range. One of the few tropical fish that do fine at room temp.

how many can be an a 55 gallon tank with live barriers?
generally stay away from slow swimming fish with large fins as tb's are notorious fin-nippers. You could do them with live bearers if you keep them in a shoal of at least 7 minimum, but more is better. In a 55 you could do 10tb's no problem.

what type of decor do they like the most? Or does it matter?

plants, plants and more plants along the back and sides ... Oh some dw and rocks also helps! But!!! Leave plenty of swimming room in the middle areas since tb's are very active fish that constantly chase, nip and fight with each other. Nature of the beast, the male constantly jockey for the alpha spot of the shoal. Which means low tb (usually the smallest) on the totem pole may get bullied.


please & thanks.

answers in bold

 

[Fishguy2727]

They will eat all fry from the livebearers.

Decor is insignificant.

They are very hardy.

Sexing them is like most egg layers, females will be slightly larger and plumper, but only when full grown and even then you may not see a difference unless they are ready to breed.

I do not prefer tiger barbs, they can be very nippy. Some people have had success reducing that aggression by having more of them, the idea is that they can develop a pecking order amongst themselves without having to involve their tankmates. They are great looking fish though, good luck.

 

[flame_fish]

Thank you both & you said they'll eat all my livebarrier fry even with a lot of hides? I mean thts what I wanted to keep the population in check & can I put a mix of barbs in my tank & they'll keep their aggression to themselves?

 

[Fishguy2727]

It may work that if you have enough tiger barbs they will keep to themselves, but that has not worked for everyone.

Most likely they will keep the fry population to almost zero. If you want to raise any fry I wouldn't add them.

 

[jcolon]

They will eat all fry from the livebearers.

TigerBarbs are voracious eaters and like fishguy2727 said, livebearer fry would make a tasty meal. TB's can be kept with many other fish, but a TB only tank can look really nice! Especially if you mix the normal TB's with the Albino's and Green TB's.

Although TB's are not particular about tank decor, you'll appreciate their coloration and natural behavior more if plants, DW and rocks are provided. The more plants and DW I added to my tank, the more active mine became.

I recommend them highly!

 

[jcolon]

It may work that if you have enough tiger barbs they will keep to themselves, but that has not worked for everyone.

Most likely they will keep the fry population to almost zero. If you want to raise any fry I wouldn't add them.

Have to agree with Fishguy2727. Keeping TB's in a large shoal is no guarantee they will not fin nip livebearers, and they'll almost certainly feed on the fry.
Like I said before, nature of the beast!

 

[flame_fish]

Okay thank you again and I wasn't planning on keeping the fry but if any of them survive I wouldn't mind but I was told tiger barbs are good with musk turtles for a while. I'm getting musk turtles & barbs are fast right? Just incase my turtles might be in the hunting mood..

 

[Fishguy2727]

Are you wanting to put turtles in with the livebearers?

 

[flame_fish]

Yes I am!

 

[flame_fish]

Good or bad Idea??

 

[Fishguy2727]

Bad. Any tankmates for turtles need to be chosen VERY carefully, and even then you still have to assume they will end up as food.

 

[flame_fish]

Even musk turtles? They're very lazy turtles, even as hatchlings. I just thought this would work from many sugguestions but maybe I have to re consider the well being of my fish.

 

[flame_fish]

But i've heard of turtle/fish tanks tha work without any dead or eaten fish and people have even had fish tanks with female bettas & males so I think if who ever wants to try to do with tiger barbs & bettas they should be able to have a tank to take any fish out if tht doesn't work out.

 

[Talvari]

It depends on the turtle and the size of the tank. Generally speaking, I would not do it. Ive heard some horror stories, such as everyone getting along just fine and then the next morning, its like a murder scene in the tank.

As far as the TBs and the bettas... Tiger Barbs are just to aggressive and too active. More than likely, even if they do not end up nipping on the betta's fins, they will still stress the betta out. Bettas do not live well, or live long, under stressful conditions and will usually lose their color, stop eating, and eventually die.

Just because something "works" doesnt mean it is necessarily the best scenario for the fish.

 

[flame_fish]

So you personally think its a bad idea?

 

[Talvari]

Yes. I work at a LFS and have had customers put bettas in with larger, more aggressive fish and it usually doesnt work out. Like I said, they do best with small, non aggressive fish, if they have any tank mates at all.

 

[severum mama]

Moved to FW and Brackish- General Discussion.