Stocking advice

[brianwestchest]

I just got a 45 gallon tank and have begun a fish in cycle with (3) Tiger Barbs per the advice of the guy at the LFS. I'm new to the fish business and need help deciding on how to stock it out. I considered salt water because the fish are more interesting and colorful. But, I didn't want to get into that much chemistry. I would still like to have a variety of interesting and active fish.

I know I like Cory cats and want those as bottom feeders. I'd also really like sharks. But I was going to get Bala sharks until I read they get pretty big, need a lot of room and do better in schools. I also would like a Plecoptera as an algae eater. I am now considering the red tail shark as I understand they do well alone and don't get as big as fast as the Balas.

Any suggestions to add to the Tiger Barbs and Cory cats? What type of pleco should I get? Would the red tail shark be OK? It'd be cool to get something I could breed fairly easily. The mollies we have in our 10 gallon tank have had babies (all eaten or died though). I'd like some really unusual looking and interesting fish. Maybe shrimp and/or frogs?

 

[phoenixkiller]

I just got a 45 gallon tank and have begun a fish in cycle with (3) Tiger Barbs per the advice of the guy at the LFS. I'm new to the fish business and need help deciding on how to stock it out. I considered salt water because the fish are more interesting and colorful. But, I didn't want to get into that much chemistry. I would still like to have a variety of interesting and active fish.

I know I like Cory cats and want those as bottom feeders. I'd also really like sharks. But I was going to get Bala sharks until I read they get pretty big, need a lot of room and do better in schools. I also would like a Plecoptera as an algae eater. I am now considering the red tail shark as I understand they do well alone and don't get as big as fast as the Balas.

Any suggestions to add to the Tiger Barbs and Cory cats? What type of pleco should I get? Would the red tail shark be OK? It'd be cool to get something I could breed fairly easily. The mollies we have in our 10 gallon tank have had babies (all eaten or died though). I'd like some really unusual looking and interesting fish. Maybe shrimp and/or frogs?

Couple things to get you started.
1. Tiger Barbs are nasty. My brother made the mistake of keeping a school of them in his community tank, and he payed dearly, when he noticed that several fish were missing entire fins. If you are keeping these indefinitely, you would need to get a lot more and it still limits your options. Googling "Tiger Barb Tankmates" will get you some good advice.

2. As far as my knowledge of Red-tailed Sharks goes, they are kinda mean as well, but should be ok with the cories.

Tiger barb tankmate parameters should be fish that are quick without long, flowing fins such as Bettas, angels, etc.

Lastly, enjoy! This is a superb site, so someone else will chime in .

Hope I helped!

 

[HN1]

Unfortunately, the method of recommended cycling by your LFS is off in pretty standard fashion. I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!Aquarium Advice

As for your stocking questions, if you plan to keep the barbs and cories I'd recommend skipping the Red tailed shark. They are territorial. Rainbow sharks are slightly less so. The only plecos that I'd recommend would be those that stay under 6" or so. Other than ancistrus (bristlenose) that would include several "fancy" plecos. They can be somewhat expensive and difficult to source. Avoid a "common" or "sail fin" at all costs. Live bearers, shrimp, and frogs can be ruled out based on the tiger barbs attitude.

 

[brianwestchest]

Hmm....

Well, here we go again. I actually was going to do a fish-less cycle. But, the guy at the pet store recommended I do a fish-in with a few hardy fish. When he gave me my options, I chose the Tiger Barbs because they seemed like pretty cool fish in their school. If they're going to be a limiting factor though, I can return these three guys once the tank is broken in. I'm not in love with them.

I've been doing some more research and have crossed a couple of fish off my list based on the fact they get too big. Most plecos and the Bala Shark for example. Here are the fish I'm considering now:

Cory Cats- any type
Red Tail or Rainbow Shark
Giant Danios
Rainbow Fish (I don't know if I'll be able to find them though)
Dwarf Chain Loach (again, may be hard to find?
Bristlenose Pleco

I think a lot of these guys hang out in the middle-to-lower region of the tank. Are there that hang out at the top I should consider?

p.s.- I've been doing more research on the Tiger Barbs and there are mixed reviews as to what other fish they can be in community with. But, I have a 10 gallon tank that currently houses a couple of Mollies, 2 Amano Shrimp and a four neon tetras. If I had to, I could move the school of Tiger Barbs into that tank and put those guys in my community tank.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Consider Hatchetfish. Top dwelling peaceful fish that may work with your setup.

If you needed to move the Tiger Barbs, rehoming them would be the best option. IMO they need 20 gallons or more to stay happy, and I dunno what they would do to the mollies... we can only guess...

 

[HN1]

Many will disagree with this statement, but cycling with fish is not the end of the world nor is it automatically "wrong". It can be done totally responsibly. The barbs really would be limiting longer term. They get larger, bulkier, and more boisterous than most people see. They can be housed in a "community", but they do complicate the choices. I like your fish list a lot though I'd recommend shying away from the giant danios. They are just about the most hyper and most likely to jump fish out there. Rainbows shouldn't be too hard to find, for a 45 I'd recommend praecox or psuedomugils. Dwarf chain loaches can be difficult to find (and pricey). You could substitute yoyos or a similar loach, but IMO that would place too many fish competing on the bottom. I'd go with a larger number of either cories or loaches versus lower numbers of both. Their behaviors are just more interesting when in a larger group (IMO).

 

[LyndaB]

No sharks will fit in your tank. For most, the minimum is 55 or 75 and it only goes up from there.

 

[emerald76]

Well, here we go again. I actually was going to do a fish-less cycle. But, the guy at the pet store recommended I do a fish-in with a few hardy fish. When he gave me my options, I chose the Tiger Barbs because they seemed like pretty cool fish in their school. If they're going to be a limiting factor though, I can return these three guys once the tank is broken in. I'm not in love with them.

I've been doing some more research and have crossed a couple of fish off my list based on the fact they get too big. Most plecos and the Bala Shark for example. Here are the fish I'm considering now:

Cory Cats- any type
Red Tail or Rainbow Shark
Giant Danios
Rainbow Fish (I don't know if I'll be able to find them though)
Dwarf Chain Loach (again, may be hard to find?
Bristlenose Pleco

I think a lot of these guys hang out in the middle-to-lower region of the tank. Are there that hang out at the top I should consider?

p.s.- I've been doing more research on the Tiger Barbs and there are mixed reviews as to what other fish they can be in community with. But, I have a 10 gallon tank that currently houses a couple of Mollies, 2 Amano Shrimp and a four neon tetras. If I had to, I could move the school of Tiger Barbs into that tank and put those guys in my community tank.

The mollies and neons would be much better off in the larger tank
I recommend rehoming the tiger barbs and removing the shark from the stock
I also recommend peppered cories
I love mine

 

[brianwestchest]

The guy who sold me the Tiger Barbs said he would take them back, if I like. He says the green and albino Tiger Barbs aren't as aggressive and should be OK in a community tank. So, I think I'll try them out and see how it goes.

I'm really torn about the shark. I'd like to have a shark or shark-like fish. But, I'm getting different advice. One guy, at a reputable aquarium store told me a single Bala shark would be OK. I even pushed back and he said it again. I've been told a single Red Tailed Shark would be OK. But, others have said no. So, I think I might give up on the idea of a shark, as much as I'd like to have a little teeny one.

We have albino cores in our other tank and just added a panda cory to that crew. I definitely want a crew of cories. I'll look into the peppered ones.

 

[ashleynicole]

I would stay away from the redtail shark altogether and go with a rainbow shark. They are the black one with the red tail and red fins. Although I think a rainbow shark needs at least a 50 gallon it might do alright in a 45 gallon if there aren't any other bottom dwellers for it to compete with. In my experience rainbowsharks usually leave cories and pleco's alone and would actually be pretty good in a tank with barbs as they are aggressive enough to hold their own. The rainbow shark likes caves so if you give him enough caves to establish territories it should leave everything else alone. Whichever kind of barb you get you should make sure they are in a large school. In my experience when I had barbs if they were kept in schools of 8-10 they stay busy within their group and leave everything else alone.

I would also suggest cories and a bristlenose pleco. I think that would make for a vibrant and interesting tank. A school of barbs, a rainbow shark, a school of cories, and a bristlenose pleco. JMO

 

[phoenixkiller]

The guy who sold me the Tiger Barbs said he would take them back, if I like. He says the green and albino Tiger Barbs aren't as aggressive and should be OK in a community tank. So, I think I'll try them out and see how it goes.

I'm really torn about the shark. I'd like to have a shark or shark-like fish. But, I'm getting different advice. One guy, at a reputable aquarium store told me a single Bala shark would be OK. I even pushed back and he said it again. I've been told a single Red Tailed Shark would be OK. But, others have said no. So, I think I might give up on the idea of a shark, as much as I'd like to have a little teeny one.

We have albino cores in our other tank and just added a panda cory to that crew. I definitely want a crew of cories. I'll look into the peppered ones.

Cories are super. I have a Peppered, a Bronze, and 2 Zygatus, a great cleanup crew too. I'm glad you can keep the Panda cories alive, many on here have problems with them randomly dying. Good luck!

Let us know how it goes!

 

[Stephen Rollins]

Look into roseline sharks they get 2-3 inches and are cool shoaling fish