Opinions on tiger barb

[jevousdeteste]

Two weeks ago, I bought a used 15 gal tall. It came with two tiger barbs and a goldfish. I gave the goldfish to my girlfriend and it's in one of her ponds. One of the tiger barbs died last week, probably due to the stress of the move. The remaining tiger barb is swimming in my 38 gal community tank (nine mollies, three platies). I've been trying to find a pet store that could take her. I'm not concerned about actually selling it; it would just be nice to know that she'll be able to be in a school of barbs. Anyway, all of the stores that I've called are stocked or just won't take her.

Would it be best to continue looking for a home for the lone barb, or just invest in a small school of tiger barbs? I don't want to overstock my tank. I was thinking about getting cories, but have kind of given up on that. I don't have algae problems (not yet, at least), and my mollies tend to eat anything that they can find, no matter where it is. I do weekly 20%-25% water changes, and I've never had a problem with water quality. Any suggestions?

 

[Toirtis]

I would get rid of it.....with 9 mollies (at an adult size of 2"-4½" each, depending on species and strain), your 38 is already approaching its bio-load limit....a school of tiger barbs would just end up crowding things and possibly affecting water quality.

 

[TankGirl]

I agree - tiger barbs get right beefy when mature and you'd need at least 5 to create a happy school, and that would be too much for the tank.