School of little Tiger Barbs + what else?

[rufioman]

I think 12 would be fine...but 10 would be ideal for me. They get big and gnarly in like 8 months, trust me. Your options for more fish are limited, but I'd say a good sized Bolivian ram could probably do just fine in there. Something that can hold its own. I'd lose the oto and add a bn pleco if you're worried about algae. Maybe some nerites instead. That oto is gonna be one heck of a play toy for those barbs.

 

[esoepr1976]

Your oto won't be happy by himself. He really needs friends. But, with the barbs, I wouldn't do otos anyway. I'd go with a BN pleco. Or, no algae eater of any kind. You could maybe add a few barbs of different colors, but really, once your barbs grow up, the tank will be fully stocked. If you want a focal fish, you would need to find something that could stand up to the boisterous nature of the barbs, and that didn't have long fins to get nipped.

Emily

 

[stephcps]

Totally agree! they are fun!

and that is when they are the most fun!

[video]http://s88.photobucket.com/user/glabe_87/media/VID00094.mp4.html[/video]

dumping a bunch of ghost shrimp in with them is very entertaining also

 

[authmal]

FWIW, BNs are *not* good algae eaters, IME. As juveniles? Sure. As adults? Not so much, or at least mine doesn't. Not at all.

 

[Asgaroth]

If you want a focal fish, you would need to find something that could stand up to the boisterous nature of the barbs, and that didn't have long fins to get nipped.

Emily

Like red fin shark ? :dance2:

 

[ktrom13]

Lets do some review here. A 40gal planted tank with tiger barbs. Hard to find a good focal fish that will hold its own against the barbs. Go with a Leaf Fish of some sort. It will love the plants and will grow big enough to stand its own against tiger barbs and stay small enough to live a good life in a 40gal

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[Proudlypinoy]

Try rosy barbs or some tetras

 

[lovemybarbs]

Red tail sharks are MEAN in my opinion. I have tiger barbs with tetras. The only time I see them go after ottos is when they are very small and they mistake it for something they can fit in their mouth. They figure it out and leave them alone. Ottos are better for the bioload, but a BN would work too.

 

[jasonfishaddict]

A friend of mine had Australian rainbows and Bala sharks in a 55g. Then he put in some Tiger barbs and they killed one of the sharks and all of the rainbows. Red tail sharks are "mean" but they can hold their own against tigers which are also "mean". You may even consider a small cichlid or two.

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[Glabe]

In my old 29g, once the school of tiger barbs "turned to the dark side," it was game over for the tank. The only thing that could safely be added were more tiger barbs. The opaline gourami and 2 black neon tetras who had been in there since the beginning were safe, but the LF BN began getting his fins trimmed starting about a year after setup.