Barbs / Clown loaches, not so sure

Drekkyk

Drekkyk

AC Members
Feb 3, 2006
116
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Westland, MI
Today I went out for my B'day and was going to add some more fish to my tank. I was hoping to find 4 clown loaches, but none of the LFS had any. So I figured I'd increase my Tiger Barb population. I added 10 more Tigers for a total of 20. As soon as they made their way into my tank, they were swarmed by the local residents. All is calmed down since, but they really established the pecking order quickly.

Ok...to the point...

First, I'm thinking max 10 more Barbs for the tank. I can't believe how adding 10 to my exisiting 10 would fill out the tank. I don't think my tank could handle much more then 30, but it is a cool sight....

Second, I'm worried about adding the 4 loaches I was planning on. If they recieve the same welcome the tigers did, I'm unsure that they would survive. I plan on rearrangeing the tank first, and hopefully that will help. Should I go ahead and try the 4 so they can school, or should I try one and see how it fares before I subject 4 to the cruelty of the Barbs?

Although the barbs school OK, 2-3 groups of 3 are always off doing other things on their own. I would love to add 1-3 larger fish that could deal with their torment to keep a tighter group. If you have any ideas, please share. I know that I have asked this before, but the dynamics of the school seem to have changed as the school increased to 20.

Sorry for the length, thanks for the opinions! :read:
 
I dont really know about the compatibility of tigers with clowns but if I were going to do it, I would try to buy clowns that were 3-4 inches instead of the little 1 inch usually found at pet stores. You might raise them in a seperate tank for a few months until they get bigger. You could even add a few tigers at a time to that tank so the clowns are used to tigers around. Rearranaging the tank when you add them wouldn't hurt, and be sure to give the loaches a cave or something to get into to rest/hide or feel protected. Buying several as you mentioned would probably help too.
 
I have clown loaches with tiger barbs in my 150G.

They will school together sometimes. They are very compatible together.

If you buy the clown loaches, I suggest you feed your fish and turn off the lights before releasing the fish into your tank. That will give the clown loaches plenty of time to acclimate.
 
I would get all 3 or 4 clowns at once, that way, if the barbs do give them a hard time they have the extra fish to spread the aggression out on... Also, make sure they have a few good hiding spots scattered around the tank so they can take cover. Also, Glostiks idea about feeding, to distract and turning out the lights should help.
 
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