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Hm ok. Here's my guess.
You said you just set the tank up, but the fish store said your water was fine.
1) How long is "just set up"?
I ask because you could be in the tank cycle and that's why the fish aren't doing so good.
Water levels will appear normal then you will start getting spikes.
2) How soon after set up was the water tested?
Now on to the fish behavior.
Barbs and puffers can be very aggressive fish. Puffers are best (but not always) kept to themselves or with fish larger than they are.
The same with Tiger barbs. They like to school so it's best to keep them in groups.
I've never been a big fan of either, but friends that have had both types of fish recommend barbs with other barbs, sharks, corys, giant danios and some of the larger tetras like congos or buenos aries.
Just remember some of those barbs can get to be big, tinfoil barbs can get to be about 8 inches or larger.
How big was the pleco? Most plecos can stand quite a bit of abuse from their tank mates. Ours is about 6 inches now and he swats the cichlids with his tail if they bug him. If yours was only about 2 inches, that could very well have been the issue. Without knowing fish size, it's hard to really say.
Goldfish: No idea. I only have them in the pond so no clue on having them in a tank other than I won't do it.
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