Tiger Barb/Ruby Barb!

[jimbob]

I hear really mixed opinions on this fish...

I've got;
200l community tank
4 sword tails
3 dwarf blue Gourami
6 neon tetra's

I was thinking of getting 6-8 tiger or ruby barbs... Good idea?

 

[Ruadh]

I don't think it's a good idea.
I've never kept gouramis but I have had the others in a big tank once upon a time and only the barbs are left. They bullied the others to death.

 

[mfdrookie516]

tiger barbs are pretty aggressive. Something like cherry barbs would be a better choice imo

 

[jimbob]

I read an article that said 'if tiger barbs are kept in groups of more than 6, they will not tend to bother other fish'.... how true do you think this is?

 

[Smitty]

I have a good mix of fish, 14 of them being tiger barbs. Along with them are Bosimi Rainbows, zebra danios and 2 bolivian rams. I watch them with the lights on and the lights off and I don't see the barbs bothering the others at all.

Now, they will chase each other around the tank a lot... and they may chase the other fish when you introduce them because they are something new (my barbs did get courious about the rams at first but now leave them alone).

That being said, your dwarf gourami will be chewed up. They have long fins and those are like treats to a barb. Also, the neons are delicate to begin with and I think they won't last long either. So with your fish, I wouldn't recommend it even though it is possible with other groupings.

 

[taylorodw]

The thing about Tiger Barbs is that no matter the tankmates (any temperament, tank area, shape/color, speed, etc - the only thing that can stop them is size!), the Tiger Barbs might kill them. It depends on your school. If you can, try to select the most docile Tiger Barbs at the LFS, if you want to risk it.

By the way, even size doesn't guarantee safety. I read one thread where a school of 9 tiger barbs destroyed a tank, including some medium-sized cichlids.

I kept tiger barbs in my first tank and they were definitely killers.

 

[jimbob]

I don't think I want to risk trying to add some tigerbarbs.

So let me try a different approach, I'm looking for a playful, confident fish that needs to be kept in shoals ie has a community. Grows between 5-12cm, I can't keep Loaches because I have the wrong substrate (gravel).

Any suggestions?

 

[rainbowsheep03]

We have tiger barbs, cherry barbs, albino barbs. in the same tank as things like Gupies and other livebreaders. The barbs are all fine in there groups of 5. The only 'bullies' in the tank are the serpae tetras. They're worse than the barbs. But they all seem to get on well together as they are all in groups of 5.

 

[jimbob]

What are Clown Barb's like? Or are they similar to Tiger barbs?

 

[fishboy444]

If you get a lot of tiger barbs they will probably be to busy with each other.I have a 32 gallon with 1 RTS and 5 tiger barbs and they're doing fine.

 

[fynnie]

Just to chime in , I have always kept my 6 pearl gouramis with a large school of Tiger Barbs (15 fish) . They have never been a problem as they keep all their squabbling within their own group. I would go for it. Tiger Barbs are the worlds most underrated fish IMHO.