# Tiger Barbs questions



## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

I have a new 75gallon tank with a cycled filter and currently a school of 4 large Tigerbarbs and a Green Barb with 4 SAEs. I had the barbs in a school of 3 in a smaller tank and they terrorized almost any other fish I would put in there other than the SAEs. I've heard that barbs are much less likely to terrorize other fish when there are larger schools of barbs, I'm planning to add 6 tigers to bring the number up to 11 in the next couple weeks. Anyway getting to my question, has anyone had any experience with Tiger barbs and shrimp? What are some fish that will get along well with these barbs. I'd really like to get a bolivian ram at some point, has anyone had any experience with this combo. Other fish I've thought about are Boesemani Rainbows, neon tetras, cory catfish. I have some faith in this school of barbs, considering that they act like they could care less about my SAEs most of which are very small by comparison. Sorry to load this with 50million questions but my LFS hasn't been much help so far. I've noticed my barbs pecking my plants, they do it as a group, the crowd the plant and dive into it and peck it all over, I've never really noticed any peices falling off but the plants seem to really move when the fish do this, should I be concerned?
Thanks!!


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

Ahhh the tiger barb... one of my favorite fish...



davis.1841 said:


> I have a new 75gallon tank with a cycled filter and currently a school of 4 large Tigerbarbs and a Green Barb with 4 SAEs. I had the barbs in a school of 3 in a smaller tank and they terrorized almost any other fish I would put in there other than the SAEs. I've heard that barbs are much less likely to terrorize other fish when there are larger schools of barbs, I'm planning to add 6 tigers to bring the number up to 11 in the next couple weeks.


Good idea, it has been my experience that this helps with the aggression, the more of them there are to engage in their games the better. Also, try to get a 1:2 male to female ratio (the males generally are not as plump, and have brighter orange noses- you can tell this after they've matured), this also seems to help with the aggression, as a lot of it seems to be centered around the competition that arises from a disporportionate number of males.



davis.1841 said:


> Anyway getting to my question, has anyone had any experience with Tiger barbs and shrimp?


Shrimp? fugeddaboutit... they make tasty snacks for tigers. Unless you try some of the larger clawed shrimp, of which names I do not know offhand, but these might work, my LFS has had some in with almost full grown Altums for the last few months and things seem to be working out. Although I suppose if you're willing to risk it you could try adult amanos, but you may just be giving your tigers an expensive treat.



davis.1841 said:


> What are some fish that will get along well with these barbs. I'd really like to get a bolivian ram at some point, has anyone had any experience with this combo. Other fish I've thought about are Boesemani Rainbows, neon tetras, cory catfish.


Personally I've never kept rainbows so I can't comment, although they might work better than the rams and definitely better than the neons, as they are (I'm pretty sure) bigger than the tigers.... somebody who is more familiar with them should comment on this...

As for cories you should be fine, I've kept them together in the past and for the most part the tigers don't seem to notice them as they don't really share the same spaces in the water column, especially in a tank your size, I would think there is enough space to go around.

You may consider looking at other species of barbs and rasboras as tankmates for your tigers... such as the checkerboard barb, tinfoil barb, gold barb... it's a pretty long list. Red Tail Rasboras, or any species of a similar size to the tigers are also good. Barbs and Rasboras of all sorts all seem to be 'like-minded' fishes and can tolerate the habits of one another better than mixing in some tetras or other fishes. In general, avoid fish with long flowing fins as these will inevitably be targeted by your tigers.

Conversly, you could just up your school of tigers to 20-30 fish, sometimes a giant school of the same fish is much more impressive than several smaller schools... I posed this same question (one big school vs. several different small schools) to this forum not too long ago and the general consensus seemed to be that for aesthetic purposes, one big school is much more visually appealing.



davis.1841 said:


> I've noticed my barbs pecking my plants, they do it as a group, the crowd the plant and dive into it and peck it all over, I've never really noticed any peices falling off but the plants seem to really move when the fish do this, should I be concerned?


If they're not actually damaging the plants I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe they are eating some critters that are too tiny for you to see.

Anyway, hope that all helps, LONG LIVE THE TIGER BARB!:high5:


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Your plan to increase the number to 11 sounds good.

I personally wouldn't add any shrimp or Rams since they probably wouldn't fare will with the barbs.
You could add faster swimming fish, fish larger than the TB's, and fish that don't have longer fins and probably do okay in a tank that size. Fish like Cory's or smaller Pleco's probably could stay out of their way too.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

Thanks for all the tips, this site is really helpfull,well i guess its the people that frequent it. Any other experiences with tigers out there. A long time ago in my first tank a 10 gallon fish only tank, I housed one single tiger, a neon tetra and some other fish I can't really remember and I never once had a problem with compatability, it must have just been a lucky match, back then I had no idea that either of the two were schooling fish or that the barbs had the fin nipping habits that they do. I wish I would have known ahead of time that I couldn't get shrimp with the barbs, I kinda figured that would be the case after I saw how they treated some other fish I added in the other tank. Anyway I'm really looking to get some variety in this tank. I do agree though one large school would probably look better than several smaller ones. I'm just really interested in so many fish that I can't settle on one and I think a little variety would be nice. I have heard that yellow mountain minnows and shortfin danios are good matches for the barbs, as well as the rasporas. Does anyone know of any other good matches for the tigerbarb, expecially larger fish than the ones I just mentioned.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

davis.1841 said:


> I'm just really interested in so many fish that I can't settle on one and I think a little variety would be nice.


Ah yes, that's why I have 13 tanks....:crazy: LOL!

I can't think of any larger fish off hand, but like I said, it would be to their advantage if they are fairly quick, and shorter finned, so that's at least a starting point.


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## Runawaypencil (Apr 11, 2006)

*tigers*

I have 7 tigers that are fully grown and with them i have 3 black neon tetras that they dont really bother at all the tetras just stay on the opposite side of the tank... I had 3 tigers at one point in time butthe largest one went around nippling on everything so i got more to prevent the battles... lol... they were pretty intense when one of the other tiger/tetras wounldnt back down... it caused the the fish to have pretty beatten up fins but now everythign is right in the tank with the number at 7.

I to am debating on increasing the numbers of the tetras to 7 or so to give them an actually school is this ok, or should i just let them be and maybe increase the tigerbarbs...


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

I'd really like to have more tanks but I really dont have the space nor can I afford it right now, so I'm trying to do what I can with my 75. Its nice to hear that Runawaypencil had luck with just 7barbs and was able to have some tetras. It sounds like they act like my SAEs, they seem to avoid eachother, but occasionally they swim in one big ball and I haven't noticed any quarrels between the two. I haven't tried any other fish since I upped the number to 5 but like I said I'm planning to bump it up even more to something like 11. I'll probably try some new fish then. Any more suggestions out there?


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## anthonysquire (Mar 15, 2006)

I have 5 tigers sharing a 75 gal with 4 angles, a small school of neons, 5 black skirts, a Green Severum, a Convict cichlid, and a pleco. They all seem to get a long really great.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

anthonysquire said:


> I have 5 tigers sharing a 75 gal with 4 angles, a small school of neons, 5 black skirts, a Green Severum, a Convict cichlid, and a pleco. They all seem to get a long really great.


Wow sounds like a cool mix what kind of angels?


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

anthonysquire said:


> I have 5 tigers sharing a 75 gal with 4 angles, a small school of neons, 5 black skirts, a Green Severum, a Convict cichlid, and a pleco. They all seem to get a long really great.


How big/old is your severum? I'm just curious because it has been my experience that these guys can get really rather large and although they are not nearly as aggressive as say, a red devil cichlid, I would be wary of keeping one in a tank that size with Angels, as they will eventually outsize them 4 or 5 times... my friend who keeps several of them has had difficulty not only keeping them with Angels, but with plants in general, as hers will indiscriminatly rip through any type of plants she tries to keep in their tank. All in all, I would avoid them in a planted setup.


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## nailalc (Mar 17, 2006)

I have a tank that currently has 5 Tiger Barbs with 4 Bala sharks, a red-tailed shark and 3 Giant Danios as housemates. My barbs or any of the others have never messed with my plants and all get along well. As far as aggressiveness, my barbs are the 'low man on the totum pole' so to speak. The balas and danios don't seem to pay them any attention at all, but the red-tail seems to enjoy chasing them around from time to time. I've enjoyed the addition the tigers bring to the planted tank.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

nailalc said:


> I've enjoyed the addition the tigers bring to the planted tank.


Definitely, the tigers look great and are very active, they constantly swim together and chase each other weaving through plants or other obstacles. I think they're pretty cool to watch.

Anyway today I upped the number from 5 to 11 tigers, all seems well so far. next weekend or maybe a little later I'll probably start to add something different. Has anyone had any luck with tigers and white cloud mountain minnows? what about Denison Barbs(aka Red Lined Torpedo Barb, Rose Line Shark). Also I talked with several people at the LFS today about neon tetras and tiger barbs, I got a very mixed opinions about it, most of those who said they wouldn't be compatable acted like the barbs are terrible fish to buy because they aren't compatable with anything. Others acted like I would be crazy to think they would have problems. I noticed in their 200gallon planted display tank they have Denison Barbs, mountain minnows, SAEs and neon tetras or cardinals(I can't tell them apart). This LFS is supposed to be pretty respected and I've never seen such differing opinions from those who work there.

Any thoughts?


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

I would avoid the neon tetras with the tiger barbs, as they will just be bullied... you could try cardinal tetras with the tigers if you've really got your heart set on something like these. The cardinals (who have entirely red bellies as opposed to the neons who have half white, half red bellies) will are larger at an adult size and might be able to stand up to the tigers better... their existence in your tank will probably also be helped if you have sufficient planted spaces they can retreat to.... You have a fairly large tank and I would image that they will be able to establish themselves in the lower regions while the tigers hang in the mid to upper areas...

As for tigers not being compatible with anything this is crap, don't listen to them... you just need to do some research first (which you are doing) and expect some rowdiness on their part.

One last thing:

Are you quarantining these new fish? I can't stress the importance of this, keeping these guys seperate from your other fish will eliminate a lot of future problems... even if you just keep them quarantined for a week or so to rule out any major parasites and such... its so much better to do this, and more economical, as treating a ten gallon with medicine (should you need to) is much cheaper than treating a 70 gallon. I know it is tempting to want to put the new guys in your tank right away and enjoy them but trust me, in the long run, a quarantine tank is a valuable investment.


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## Runawaypencil (Apr 11, 2006)

i am also planning on getting some kind of angles not really there yet but what kinds work best with the tigers any idea...


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

Really I would not recommend mixing angels with tiger barbs as these fall under the "long, flowing fins" category and will just be nipped constantly by the barbs... you can trust me from experience on this one.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

Thanks for the advice everyone!! Any experiences with Bosemani Rainbows and Tigers? sorry about the botched spelling there.


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

You might want to post a new thread with Bosemani and Tiger Barb in the title, that way it will grab the attention of the Rainbow fish people.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

Thanks I'll do that.


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## diannalortiz (Nov 8, 2007)

*Tiger Barbs Pregnant vs Dropsy*

I just bought a tank this last weekend. One of those TetraCare 10 gallon aquarium with the 'getting started kits' at Wal Mart. We bought the fish at the same time. the directions said nothing about letting the tank run for a certain amount of time with the new filter. We did put in the water treatment and we let the fish sit in bags on top for 20 minutes before releasing them. We bought 5 tiger barbs, 2 guppies a male and female, and 6 other fish i can't remember the name. Maybe someone else does....They are a pinkish color, a bit see-through. Black fins and a black dot near the gills. I removed the 2 largest fish of these becuase they seemed aggressive toward the barbs.Oh yeah, and the guppies died. They wouldn't eat and stayed in the same spot for the first 2 days. The other fish did NOT like them! Okay....now to my Main question! lol One of my tiger barbs looks a bit plump in the belly. It didn't look that way when I brought them home. Body doens't look alarming, eyes don't look puffy or bulging. Is this fish with eggs? I've noticed another of the barbs with something always hanging out of it. Is this one trying to mate? If the big belly fish is going to lay eggs do I need to remove it before the eggs are laid or will the eggs be okay? Also, when I change some of the water..do I need to add drops of the water treatment with every change?


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

*Re: Tiger Barbs Pregnant vs Dropsy*



diannalortiz said:


> I just bought a tank this last weekend. One of those TetraCare 10 gallon aquarium with the 'getting started kits' at Wal Mart. We bought the fish at the same time. the directions said nothing about letting the tank run for a certain amount of time with the new filter. We did put in the water treatment and we let the fish sit in bags on top for 20 minutes before releasing them. We bought 5 tiger barbs, 2 guppies a male and female, and 6 other fish i can't remember the name. Maybe someone else does....They are a pinkish color, a bit see-through. Black fins and a black dot near the gills. I removed the 2 largest fish of these becuase they seemed aggressive toward the barbs.Oh yeah, and the guppies died. They wouldn't eat and stayed in the same spot for the first 2 days. The other fish did NOT like them! Okay....now to my Main question! lol One of my tiger barbs looks a bit plump in the belly. It didn't look that way when I brought them home. Body doens't look alarming, eyes don't look puffy or bulging. Is this fish with eggs? I've noticed another of the barbs with something always hanging out of it. Is this one trying to mate? If the big belly fish is going to lay eggs do I need to remove it before the eggs are laid or will the eggs be okay? Also, when I change some of the water..do I need to add drops of the water treatment with every change?


Its unlikely that the barbs will lay eggs in a 10gallon tank, is the plump barb eating more than the others?? sometimes its just a full belly. I noticed similar diffences in my barbs and there were always a few that were fatter than the others. I can't imagine its a problem unless the fish starts to act ill. Is it possible that the hanging thing from the other barb is a turd?? I've never known them to have reproductive parts that you could visibly see while they are swimming around like you discribe. I'm not all that suprised about the guppies either, they aren't really the best match for Tiger Barbs being that guppies are considered peaceful and the barbs are semi-aggressive as well as notorious fin nippers. Tiger barbs are great fish they just limit your choices for tank mates and thats the reason most people avoid them even though they can be very striking. Good luck with your barbs


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## nailalc (Mar 17, 2006)

*Re: Tiger Barbs Pregnant vs Dropsy*



davis.1841 said:


> Its unlikely that the barbs will lay eggs in a 10gallon tank


I agree about the eggs in the 10 gallon tank, if eggs are layed, they certainly won't last long unless there is some serious cover.

I have had tiger barbs breed in my 55 gallon tank. There is a huge amount of plant mass for the young to hide and find food in. This was completely accidental but welcomed. I'm sure that there were many more eggs dropped than eventual grown tigers.


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## bayurero (Sep 27, 2006)

I previously had 6 tiger barbs and 5 boesmani rainbows in a planted 35g. The barbs never really bothered any of the other fish. They were always busy chasing each other.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

bayurero said:


> I previously had 6 tiger barbs and 5 boesmani rainbows in a planted 35g. The barbs never really bothered any of the other fish. They were always busy chasing each other.


Rainbows and barbs are great tank mates, I too have them and it really works because Rainbows are capable of holding thier own against a fleat of barbs, they have the great advantage of beeing very fast swimmers and the barbs get tired of trying to chase them to investigate and get more caught up in they're own quarrels. Barbs constantly interact with everything around them, if something is new and intersesting they have to check it out and are notorious fin nippers because of this. fish like guppies are much lower moving fish and have flowing tails, any fish with this combination is not a good match for barbs. Barbs also like to eat, quickly so any slower more timid fish will not get any food and eventially starve. its alwasy best to pick fish which compiment eachother.


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## toxic69 (Nov 7, 2007)

i have 6 tigers and also have rams in my tank and the tiger barbs leave the rams alone, but they can be funny fish if they take a dislike to a fish they will pick on it untill it is dead, if you increase the number of tiger barbs to try and calm them down you may find that they will fight each other alot at first and you may lose a few i had 4 to start with and added another 4 i now have 6 as lost 2 from them fighting. stay away from long fined slow fish as they wont stand a chance the rest is luck with tigers as they will eather kill it or ignore it


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## dawntwister (Sep 29, 2007)

You should check out youtube.com, so you can see how the fish you are interested behave in a natural setting. I saw one video that had a school of 8 barbs with a male betta. Normaly a bad idea. Just shows that as you experienced in the past, fish don't always behave as facts show.


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## toxic69 (Nov 7, 2007)

yes youtube is great for watching how fish get on with each other


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## Adragontattoo (Jun 3, 2007)

davis.1841 said:


> I have a new 75gallon tank with a cycled filter and currently a school of 4 large Tigerbarbs and a Green Barb with 4 SAEs. I had the barbs in a school of 3 in a smaller tank and they terrorized almost any other fish I would put in there other than the SAEs. I've heard that barbs are much less likely to terrorize other fish when there are larger schools of barbs, I'm planning to add 6 tigers to bring the number up to 11 in the next couple weeks. Anyway getting to my question, has anyone had any experience with Tiger barbs and shrimp? What are some fish that will get along well with these barbs. I'd really like to get a bolivian ram at some point, has anyone had any experience with this combo. Other fish I've thought about are Boesemani Rainbows, neon tetras, cory catfish. I have some faith in this school of barbs, considering that they act like they could care less about my SAEs most of which are very small by comparison. Sorry to load this with 50million questions but my LFS hasn't been much help so far. I've noticed my barbs pecking my plants, they do it as a group, the crowd the plant and dive into it and peck it all over, I've never really noticed any peices falling off but the plants seem to really move when the fish do this, should I be concerned?
> Thanks!!


IIRC Barbs in smaller groups will take out their aggression on anything that in the tank. Larger groups mean that they confine their aggression to theirselves and also the sick and wounded.

I have kept Boesmani rainbows and they are absolutely gorgeous fish. Keep them in a group as they dont like being alone.

Dont even bother with Shrimp if you are looking at barbs/boesmani. I accidently dropped some shrimp into my 55 when I moved some moss over and the Boesmani was divebombing the moss to try to get to them (he succeeded and ate every one that he could find). He also would go vertical and pick blackworms out of the substrate.

FYI, Salmon Red Rainbows are the worst Rainbows I have ever owned. Maybe it was the bunch I had but they were ruthless to anything smaller then them.

Of course all fish are individuals and you may not have the same results that I did.


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