Pentazona Barbs

[peediedj67]

thinking of getting them for my new tanks (once cycled) , lfs owner says he wouldnt recoomended them and to get cherry barbs, but as fishkeepings trial and error he says they maybe fine, anyone got any experience of keeping them??

 

[mishmash]

thinking of getting them for my new tanks (once cycled) , lfs owner says he wouldnt recoomended them and to get cherry barbs, but as fishkeepings trial and error he says they maybe fine, anyone got any experience of keeping them??

I have heard they are quite exacting in their requirement and also that when they first arrive in the country there can be large losses from transit as they are delicate. I would be careful therefore at how soon you take them from your LFS once they arrive. I would consider adding only once your tank and filter are very mature. But they are stunning fish. Slightly less pernickety are Puntius Rhomboocellatus take a look at them, as they can be lovely too (though I am told they wont be available till March time because of the 'season', by my LFS).

 

[peediedj67]

Puntius Rhomboocellatus

what are they??

 

[peediedj67]

looked them up they do look nice but lfs havent got them

 

[StandbySetting]

I kept them a few years ago, a nice fish but they're very skittish in bright lighting.

 

[mishmash]

I kept them a few years ago, a nice fish but they're very skittish in bright lighting.

I think it all depends how much cover they have too. If its a bright tank with no cover, most fish will be skittish. Plenty of plants and they would be happier.

 

[itonlyrains]

Has anyone kept Pentazona Barbs in hard water with pH over 7? I'd like to try but it states they need soft water with pH under 7...

 

[StandbySetting]

My pH was 7.6 and they did fine.

 

[mishmash]

Has anyone kept Pentazona Barbs in hard water with pH over 7? I'd like to try but it states they need soft water with pH under 7...

They are in my LFS at 7.4 according to the owner and fine. Just always remember to acclimatise them when you introduce them. It depends on what they have been kept in before but they will usually adjust.

 

[itonlyrains]

Ok, sounds good. Whats the minimum number of them I can keep, so they are happy?

 

[mishmash]

Ok, sounds good. Whats the minimum number of them I can keep, so they are happy?

Remind me what size your tank is ? I always try and go for odd numbers and with fish that shoal I personally think that less than 7 would not work, but 11+ is better. Its down to what else you intend to keep though, and what your filters can handle, and the dimensions of the tank

 

[itonlyrains]

Wow, that's more that I intended to keep. My stocking in 150L (amount of water, 180L size-wise) is pretty low, but I wanted to keep as many different types as possible, so would not take more than 4-5 of each...

 

[mishmash]

Wow, that's more that I intended to keep. My stocking in 150L (amount of water, 180L size-wise) is pretty low, but I wanted to keep as many different types as possible, so would not take more than 4-5 of each...

I will be honest with you. A few favourite species in reasonable numbers looks a LOT better than a few of this and a few of that (IMHO). Otherwise fish tend to get lost. Also when they are in small numbers they rarely show shoaling behaviour. There is nothing wrong in having a whole bunch of different fish if thats what you want, but just don't expect them to necessarily behave like you expect. I just found the fewer I had of any fish the less likely they would stick together.

Its not just the volume of water that affects how much or what you can keep too. A tall thin tank might hold more water than a wide shorter one, but you would be able to keep more in the wider shorter one all things being equal as there would be a much larger water surface for gaseous exchange of respired CO2 and atmospheric oxygen. Another thing is also some fish like to "swim" so do better with a longer aquarium. What you could do is pick one or two species that you want as your "showpieces" and have a few more of them than the rest, but with the rest have more species but fewer numbers. That way you could end up with the best of both worlds.

Oh, and remember to take into account the eventual size of your chosen fish or else you will have a tank of fish that have outgrown their home. Of course, thats a good excuse to go bigger next year......

 

[itonlyrains]

Hm... May be I should go with larger numbers then and just complete my set up with it. Currently I have 6 platies, 3 guppies, 4 otos and 2 perl gouramis. A large (10+) school would probably be the last fish I can add without trying to overstock (I'm sure I can fit more especially as it's planted tank, but don't want to ride my luck there). I'm thinking either pentazona barbs or some kind of rasboras. Any recommendations?

 

[mishmash]

Hm... May be I should go with larger numbers then and just complete my set up with it. Currently I have 6 platies, 3 guppies, 4 otos and 2 perl gouramis. A large (10+) school would probably be the last fish I can add without trying to overstock (I'm sure I can fit more especially as it's planted tank, but don't want to ride my luck there). I'm thinking either pentazona barbs or some kind of rasboras. Any recommendations?

I would go with the Pentazona's. I like the idea of the gouramies....they add a different interest because of size. Ottos are great. You could add a few more of those to keep the algae at bay too, another three should not affect the overall tank. The platies and guppies are also small fish. Not my cuppa to be honest nowadays, but I can still see beauty in guppies, though I think they look best in large numbers in a species tank. I would be tempted to swap the platies and guppies out if it were my tank, but you must like em or you would not have bought them. Any pics of what you have at the moment?