Green Barbs/tiger Barbs

[RushingChamp28]

I have kept all of these fish before, and i understand that tiger barbs and the related color morphs can be nippy toward other fish unless kept in groups of 5-6 at least, but i was wondering if rather than keep these fish in a larger shoal i could keep them in groups of 4? (aka 4 tiger & 4 green)

Will the different varieties keep each other in check the same way? I have kept these fish in groups together before but i am mainly concerned for my two 3.5+" Hoplo catfish (Hoplosternum thoracatum) which are NOT harassed by the T-barbs, Filamentosa, Tinfoils or Black Ruby Barbs they are with now, but might be by the Puntius tetrazona varieties.

Basically, does 4 green + 4 tiger barbs = 8 tiger barbs when it comes to keeping them from being too aggressive toward other fish?

Thank you,
-Evan

 

[Jallen]

I have kept all of these fish before, and i understand that tiger barbs and the related color morphs can be nippy toward other fish unless kept in groups of 5-6 at least, but i was wondering if rather than keep these fish in a larger shoal i could keep them in groups of 4? (aka 4 tiger & 4 green)

Will the different varieties keep each other in check the same way? I have kept these fish in groups together before but i am mainly concerned for my two 3.5+" Hoplo catfish (Hoplosternum thoracatum) which are NOT harassed by the T-barbs, Filamentosa, Tinfoils or Black Ruby Barbs they are with now, but might be by the Puntius tetrazona varieties.

Basically, does 4 green + 4 tiger barbs = 8 tiger barbs when it comes to keeping them from being too aggressive toward other fish?

Thank you,
-Evan

If by green barbs you mean green tiger barbs ( http/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/t..._tiger_barb.jpg ) then the tiger barbs will treat them like tiger barbs.

 

[Lateral Line]

Basically yes, 4 + 4 = 8 in this case. I don't think TB's would bother Hoplo's anyway. Bottom dwellers tend to be more or less ignored by TB's.

 

[Jallen]

Basically yes, 4 + 4 = 8 in this case. I don't think TB's would bother Hoplo's anyway. Bottom dwellers tend to be more or less ignored by TB's.

Yup. My Tigerbarbs (and green tiger barbs) completely ignore my corys and kuhlis.

 

[RushingChamp28]

Thanks. I figured in a larger group they would be ok, but at one point i had a single surviving green tiger (the rest died of old age) and it was extremely abusive to the bottom dwellers. Thank you for the input.

 

[Lateral Line]

had a single ..... it was extremely abusive to the bottom dwellers

Shoaling fish kept singly or in very small groups often show atypical behaviour ranging from introverted hiding away to Outright terrorising of the tank. It is stress.

 

[RushingChamp28]

Thanks everyone. Just looking to make sure several smaller groups of the tiger barb color morphs would not display overly aggressive behavior to the more passive fish in the tank. Normally I would get large groups of all of them but, sadly, my tank space is not unlimited.

 

[Lateral Line]

my tank space is not unlimited

Sad fact of life.