29 gallon setup - tiger barbs and..?

[swanandmokashi]

I am trying to setup a new 29 GAL tank. I like tiger barbs and would like to put 6 of them in there. What other fish can I have with them? Is Guppy an option - I like them too .
Also what kind of bottom dwellers/scavengers?

How many of them should I have?

 

[QTOFFER]

Tiger barbs have a very nippy reputation, but if you get six or more, most of their aggression will be played against each other. If you can, provide lots of foliage cover (fake or real) and caves to hide in. I would avoid slow or long-finned tankmates like guppies. Perhaps some fast tankmates that can hold their own against the barbs like danios, large tetras like serpaes, and other barbs.

Bottomdwellers: armored cats like dwarf plecos should be able to withstand some curious nipping. I would be cautious about putting ottos, corys, or shrimp in there - maybe others will have some better suggestions.

 

[patryuji]

Need a "tough" bottom dwelling scavenger? I suggest loaches. Skunk or Yo-yo would be good. If you want a really aggressive loach you can try a red-fin, yellow-fin, or sun loach.

If you go with a pleco make sure you choose one which stays small (rubberlip, bristlenose, etc) and don't worry about a pleco getting on fine with loaches...the pleco may try to push them around but they either swim too fast or just ignore the shoving in my tank.

 

[Christmasfish]

clown loaches?

Barbs are some pretty big fish eventually, so at some time you will need to upsize your tank.
Everytime I think of a tank full of brown convicts, loaches and barbs I think twice...^_^
My lfs has some monster big barbs in one tank. and he had some big clown til recent.....
otherwise?
Striata loaches (zebras are kooky like clowns and not very shy, ,but are not so large as clowns. Not small and bait like as khulis.
Modesta are spunky, downright mean if other botia are present but very pretty

 

[patryuji]

Dario loaches do well too...

All of the aggressive types like eos, and hymenophysa will be "okay" if they are the ONLY loach in the tank (from my experience) but as soon as there is another loach they will start to lash out at anything else in the tank. I kept a botia eos with some common guppies with no fin nipping whatsoever in a 10gallon tank. As soon as I introduced one skunk loach every guppy had nipped fins (one died) and the skunk was constantly hiding behind the heater...it wasn't the skunk doing the damage either (I watched the sun (eos) loach aggressively attacking everything in the tank).

 

[pkremer]

I've been told that if you have tiger barbs, even in a group, you want to have other semi-aggressive fish in there. That's one of the reasons I chose my Yo-Yo loaches. I have yet to put my Tiger Barbs in there, but just by watching them, I'm thinking they will be fine together. The loaches are very active (especially during the day!), and they don't put up with anything from other fish. I'm getting the impression that if the tiger barbs do mess with them, the yo-yo loaches will hold their own.

Also, I've seen many many pet stores putting albino tigers, green tigers, rosy and cherry barbs in with the tigers with no issues. Stores also say plecos will be fine in there with the barbs.

Paul

 

[lreilly]

I have Green tiger barbs and albino tiger barbs together. I have nine total, they are still small, and have had no issue. I have three corys and a QA pleco. Which have never been picked on. They live together nicely for me.

But last night I put in a small zebra pleco, at fist they left it alone then he moved out of the plants on to the front glass they all swarmed around him just pecking at him, he would twitch and move but stayed in the same area. They were relentless. I could not watch it hopping they would catch on and leave him alone so I moved him to a new home. I think they would have stressed him to death.

 

[swanandmokashi]

clown loaches?

Barbs are some pretty big fish eventually, so at some time you will need to upsize your tank.
Everytime I think of a tank full of brown convicts, loaches and barbs I think twice...^_^
My lfs has some monster big barbs in one tank. and he had some big clown til recent.....
otherwise?
Striata loaches (zebras are kooky like clowns and not very shy, ,but are not so large as clowns. Not small and bait like as khulis.
Modesta are spunky, downright mean if other botia are present but very pretty

Aren't tiger barbs 2.5 - 3 inches. So wouldn't 29 GAL be enough for 6 of them (6 * 3 = 18 inches ..still have 11 inches to go)?
How may scanvengers will I need? and how big are they?
Is Serpae tetra an option ?