Rainbow Fish Tank Buddies

fishtankearl82

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Jan 16, 2006
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This is my first post on Aquaria Central, and I wanted to first say this is the best fish msg board around. The wealth of Information is great. Well on to by problem, I'm working on setting up a new 90 gal tank and I know I want to have about 5 - 6 Boesemani Rainbow Fish but I'm not sure what to put with them. I was thinking some cory cats and my wife likes Tiger Barbs, but I'm not so sure about Barbs I would hate it if they harassed the Boes'. So have at it, any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
RoanArt is the local rainbow expert, and she can corroborate or refute, but I think I remember her saying her boes were pretty tough and didn't let any other fish push them around. Personally I would avoid the tiger barbs though--why chance it? The cories would be a good idea for some activity on the bottom though.
 
Skip the tiger barbs. Why not try some tetra or rasbora species. I also have hatchet fish in with boesmani and they work well since they occupy the top portion of the tank that the rainbows don't (and madagascan rainbows, lovely fish, I suggest them if you can find them). Cories, as usual, make a great addition to a rainbowfish tank.

Of course, I can tell you that with enough boesmani tetras in the tank, flaring and displaying, the other fish become obsolete:D

Welcome to aquaria central:)
 
I have clown loaches in with my boesemani rainbows. they are funny together. the boes will try tio steal the loaches sinking pellets...the clowns will try to school with the boes.
I'm moving them over to a 75 soon. In a 90 they'd be great. the pearl gouramis pretty much stay out of everyone's way. I'm going to leave them in the 55.
 
6 Bosemani's would be the way to go. They are shoaling fish and like to be in a group of 6 or more.

I have an angelfish , pearl gourami, clown loaches and a pearl gourami with my angels. Please, if you like Gourami's, only use the Pearl; Gourami's are very agressive and will chase the Rainbow's (happened to me with the Blue Gourami). Pearl Gourami is the most docile of the Gourami's and will do well with the Rainbow's.

As everyone else pointed out, Roan is the Rainbow expert and she would be able to give you better and more detailed advice.
 
Welcome to AC, Fishtankearl82 :)

I agree with what every here has posted about tiger barbs. If anything they would just cause problems. Not very model citizens. They also occupy the same area of the water column that rainbows do and with their personalities they would get in the bows faces.

I agree also, about the gouramis. I've had bad experiences mixing blue "three spot" gouramis and rainbows. Two of my females got into a row and the blue gourami decided to join them. He tore one of my females up pretty badly and I lost her to fungus. I won't put anything but maybe one dwarf gourami in with my fish.

As for recommendations, I would add in a few more Boesemani. Go at least 8 of them. Try, if you can, to keep it two females to every male, or at bare minimum, one female per male.

Clowns. Clown loaches. Yah! They do GREAT with bows. They don't bother each other and both chefkeith (I think his are in with his boesemanis) and nursie and I have clowns with ours. They get big and need to be in groups of three.

Corycats, kuhlii loaches -- all are fine with bows.

As for other schooling fish, what I would suggest is that you just load up with boesemani for now. See how they do. You may not *want* any other schooling fish in their way. They're pretty active. You can decide later if you want to increase the school or add different fish.

If you do decide to add others -- platys (don't school as a rule, but my male likes to school with the rainbows), rasboras, rummy nose tetras, anything like that. Althought I've had no problem with small tetras like neons or glo-lites -- I've had them with all my bows -- I've read that some people have them get eaten, so exercise caution with smaller fish.

Roan
 
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