Will these fish be able to live together?

[blah]

I going to be getting a new 55 gallon tank soon and I am trying to decide what fish I want to have. Below is a list I have debated about. I am going for a semi-aggressive tank, but will these fish be able to live together?

A pair of kribs
1 rtbs
1 paradise fish
1 pleco
Mixed school of 10+ tiger barbs, albino tiger barbs, black ruby barbs?

I have been reading up about these fish, but any suggestions or comments about compatiblity, stocking levels or anything else would help.

 

[richiestang_78]

Tiger barbs will most likely nip at most fish so I would go with a less agressive barb. The plec will be fine with just about anything due to its armor. Paradise fish can be agressive but probably will be fine with similar sized fish. I recommend you go out and get a good fish book to get info on possible fish.

 

[JustOneMore20]

The only fish I'd be worried about keeping with the barbs (from your list) is the paradisefish. I believe they are pretty fiesty though, so I think they could stand up to the barbs. If you keep them in a big enough school (10+) they should occupy themselves with each other and leave the other fish alone. If you are looking for another school, Serpae tetras are also semi-aggressive. But again, I'd worry about the paradisefish's fins being nipped.

Its kind of hard to choose a centerpiece tankmate to go with barbs, especially if you want some type of gourami or labyrinth fish. I know people have successfully kept them with tiger barbs though...you just need to have a big enough school. Have a backup tank in case the Paradisefish gets picked on.

If you leave out the paradise, I suggest going with a school of serpaes or buenos aires tetras to go with the other fish choices. Both are very nice looking but have bad attitudes when it comes to long finned fish.

 

[blah]

Thank you both for your replies. I knew the paradise fish would probably not work with the tiger barbs but I had to ask in case someone out there has had a group of fish like this work for them before. I will keep on researching and take a look at the fish you recommended JustOneMore20.

 

[scalesojustice]

I recommend you go out and get a good fish book to get info on possible fish.

speaking of that, what are a couple good books to check out regarding fish selection? titles, authors?


Thanks!

 

[Mosaic]

speaking of that, what are a couple good books to check out regarding fish selection? titles, authors?


Thanks!

The fish you're looking for are pretty common so they should be included in almost any fish book. The Fishkeeper's Guide To... series has a lot of good information. I picked up one on fish breeding at a used bookstore for $3.

If you're gonna keep a pair of kribs you'll probably need a back up tank, either for the fry or to move the pair after you realize they're harassing the other fish while spawning. Except for when they have babies (which is often) they're pretty good semi-aggressive community fish. Maybe they'd be ok with some larger fish, but they kept my tetras cowering in the corner once they started breeding.

What type of pleco are you thinking about? They ought to get along with everyone, but some do get awfully big. I have a 13" one that's almost too big for my 55. I think bristlenose plecos stay a reasonable size and they're cute. They have a following here.

 

[scalesojustice]

thanks for the suggestion, i looked up the library on this site and they recommend the natural aquarium handbook - i'll have to check this out.

i think i'm as excited as planning an aquarium as i am taking care of my current one. though who knows when i'll actually follow through, but until then, the possiblities seem endless.