Blue rams and tiger barbs?

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Lucky

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I'm considering future stock for a tank and was looking into tiger barbs and blue rams. I've seen some places say the mix is fine and others say it's a bad idea, so I figured I'd ask my favorite fish people - yes or no?
 
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SnakeIce

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I wouldn't. Tiger barbs get to be larger than the rams and with their aggression level being perhaps higher than rams it wouldn't generally be recommended. However with a large enough tank with the right kinds of structure for hiding places for the rams it could be doable. I still might keep an eye on things and have another tank option for one or the other if there is a problem.
 

Lucky

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Thanks for the reply!
I have a 55, and I think I could probably pull it off but I don't want to push it. I also was just at my LFS to see what they had in stock and overheard a lady say she was looking to replace a pleco her barbs just killed... Yikes!
Guess I'll knock them off the list. Oh well


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ROYWS3

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If you have enough of them, they GENERALLY leave other things alone. They are more interested in each other that other fish when the school is large enough. Like SnakeIce said, if the tank is large enough and well scaped and you got a large enough school ( you could easily do 20+ in a 55) - you should be okay. They'd stay mid and upper level and the rams would stay lower level
 

RisiganL.

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As ROYWS3 mentioned, it really does have to do about the size of the tank and how big the school is. If you have anything under a 40g, I wouldn't recommend it. Tiger barbs are notoriously nippy (when not in a large enough school) and rams are pretty delicate.
 

tanker

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Rams are slow, the Tigers are fast eatters. The Rams may live and even defend themselves, but will slowly starve over a few months.
 

henningc

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Put that under the, "Oh well bad idea," category and go elsewhere. Rams are cichlids in name only if given an appropriate environment. Try tiger is a stream and pool set up, that is a sight to behold.
 

Allison75

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Rams are slow, the Tigers are fast eatters. The Rams may live and even defend themselves, but will slowly starve over a few months.
Hi, I know this is an old thread, but this is what brought me here, I thought I had done all the correct research into tank mates for tiger barbs, I have 6 tiger barbs and a blue ram and a flame red dwarf gourami in the same tank, I've figured out how to resolve the eating issue, I do two sittings, the barbs scoff the first lot without the blue ram or dwarf gourami getting a look in, about 5 mins later I do the second feed, and the barbs are stuffed and lost interest so now the blue ram and gourami get to eat, its working for me, thankfully! So maybe if someone has already bought a blue ram thinking, cichlid... Its fine... Maybe worth a shot ?
 

Allison75

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It's iffy - why risk it ?
I had read that they were fine together when I put them together, and it's working out fine, if there does seem to be any issues, I have a smaller tank I can use for the blue ram, I'm constantly watching them ?
 
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