Will these two types of barbs school together?

[BearUniverse]

Hi there!
So Just yesterday I removed a ruthless bully from my school of 5 Rosy Barbs. I donated him to the petstore with the intent of adding atleast two new females of the same barb into my tank. The shop that I was at was apparently out of Rosy Barbs, so I decided to purchase three female Odessa Barbs in hopes that once they get a little bigger they would school with my Rosies. On further inspection after adding them to the tank, they do look a bit different from my other fish. They developed a nice bright orange stripe after settling in the tank, previously when I had purchased them and added them they appeared to be silvery green with just a bit of orange, which was definitely comparable to my two greenish colored Barbs that were already stocking the tank. I originally thought that if my Odessa females looked similar enough to my Rosy girls, that they would school comfortably. Do you think after reading the information above that my plan could still work? Or are the new girls just too diferent in coloration to have them join the school.
I think the reasoning for me jumping in and buying them so quickly is because I was afraid of aggression between my 4 females after removing the male. Maybe I should have just waited for my petstore to get more Rosy Barbs..

This is the best example of what my greenish Rosy barbs look like that I could find without taking a picture

And my new Odessas look similar enough to this

Excluding the orange stripe and red eyes, my Odessas do have greenish bodies.

 

[FWFishTanks]

Most separate species of fish, even in the same family will not school together, although it happens occasionally.

 

[ScotJudd]

Schooling looks good in a tank but is not always a sign of happy fish. Fish school as a defence mechanism, safety in numbers. I keep many varieties of Tetras together, five or more of each, and none of them school. They just seem content to do their own thing. I would just aim to have a good amount of each species and let them sort themselves out. If any species seems a little too shy then add a few more to bolster their confidence.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Brookster123]

They won't school, they'll go non stop ballistic in search of food, sex or a fight the entire time they're awake though.. what size tank?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[althazud]

Sometimes cherry barbs and gold barbs have been documented as schooling together but generally it's pretty rare


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[TbOnE]

Ha I have tigers roses and green barbs all schooling together. I have a pair of each

Sent from my SM-G900V using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TbOnE]

I think it has to do with the size and the layout of structure in the tank....I use barbs in my tank as a Guage of water quality. They don't school when water is off

Sent from my SM-G900V using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Mattyfelts]

I think it has to do with the size and the layout of structure in the tank....I use barbs in my tank as a Guage of water quality. They don't school when water is off

Sent from my SM-G900V using Aquarium Advice mobile app

well that seems rather... cruel...

 

[Brookster123]

I think it has to do with the size and the layout of structure in the tank....I use barbs in my tank as a Guage of water quality. They don't school when water is off

Sent from my SM-G900V using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Bold statement there.. what exactly tips you off??

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TbOnE]

They will stay in one place or move toward a filter discharge when nitrate gets high, I also note when they gang up on a particular fish that is not another barb, it is a sign of weakness /disease in that fish. I'm not saying throw out your test kit and buy a bunch of barbs. I just feel that if you have expensive fish and you care about the tank's well bieng, and if the community permits it, buy a few barbs and throw them in there. Their actions will tell you if there is something wrong well before you can. This is my opionon anyway.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[serena00]

My tigers and rosys actually do school together quite often.


40g community
36g semi-aggressive
20g community
10g betta, nano fish, shrimp
5.5g betta

 

[tiger terror]

They will stay in one place or move toward a filter discharge when nitrate gets high, I also note when they gang up on a particular fish that is not another barb, it is a sign of weakness /disease in that fish. I'm not saying throw out your test kit and buy a bunch of barbs. I just feel that if you have expensive fish and you care about the tank's well bieng, and if the community permits it, buy a few barbs and throw them in there. Their actions will tell you if there is something wrong well before you can. This is my opionon anyway.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Aquarium Advice mobile app

How's your tank husbandry?
Seems like if you're keeping with a proper wc routines,maintenance and tank Is properly cycled you shouldn't have to wait for your fidh to present signs of distress before taking action..
sayin,ya know...just sayin

Sent from my HTC Desire 610 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TbOnE]

O I rarely have problems with water quality. I do have water on the higher side of ph, but with proper attention I rarely see any distress in any fish. But again, I always pay attention to the behavior of barbs for any signs of distress because they usually show first, and the problem can usually be resolved without stressing any larger fish.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Mattyfelts]

O I rarely have problems with water quality. I do have water on the higher side of ph, but with proper attention I rarely see any distress in any fish. But again, I always pay attention to the behavior of barbs for any signs of distress because they usually show first, and the problem can usually be resolved without stressing any larger fish.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Seems inaccurate and unreliable. Barbs could show odd behaviour for a number of reasons other then water quality.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Brookster123]

Yah. You'd really need to record said behavior and compare to parameters. Repeat atleast 5 times.. science needs proof otherwise it's just opinion..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TbOnE]

That's why I said it was my opionon

Sent from my SM-G900V using Aquarium Advice mobile app