Setting up a 3ft community tank

[Wilsta]

I have a list of fish that I'd like to share with you and let me know what you think.
- 10 tiger barbs
- 1 Red tail black shark
- 4 clown loach
- 2 bristlenose catfish
- 1 pictus catfish
- 2 coolie loach

My question is this what else could/would/should get?

 

[aquarius]

how big is the tank?

 

[Wilsta]

the tank is 3ft in length (dont know in gallons)

 

[Moe]

It looks like you have 10 different bottom dwellers there. I'd try to even the tank out. Even the tiger barbs prefer the bottom half of the tank. It's hard to think of fish compatible with tiger barbs, I've had really bad luck with them. I had 6 - nipped everything in the tank. They are also very sensitive to nitrite so they need a well cycled tank. Also mine were sensitive to light. They would hide a lot when the lights were on. I've read the same complaint quiet a fiew times. Oh and they eat plants. So if you want a nice planted tank don't get them. They did get along fine with my red tail black shark though. If you want a nice community tank I'd reconsider the tigers. If you really love them then I'd consider an all barb tank, you could get regular, green and albino tiger barbs, ruby barbs, cherry barbs and red glass barbs. I think hatchet fish could probably go in there also for a top dweller.

 

[Opcn]

You should concider covering the top of your tank with duck weed. It grows fast(so as to resist being eaten to nothingness) and blocks alot of the light from reaching your fich

Opcn

 

[Paradise_Gourami]

I would recomend getting a opaline and/or a paradise gourami their both beautifull types of fish but i would not recomendd gettting more than one male because they might fight or harras each other.

 

[revengeishere]

Cool, sounds like we haver the same community tank!

Here is whats in my 75 gallon(4 ft long):

13 tiger barbs
1 RTBS(died a couple days ago, eaten by my cat )
4 pearl gouramis
2 red claw crabs
2 bamboo shrimps
2 clams

I have a heavlly planted tank, and they dont eat my plants, at all. I got nips from time to time(pearls) but they dont do it now.

Its easy to find mates for tiger barbs, actually, and they dont get scared when my lights are on. Any semi aggresive fish, thats not to finny(e.g. gouramis, other barbs, danios, cichlid-as dither fish- , other fast moving fish that wont get bullied around, althought if you have more tiger barbs, there is less chance of nipping.

I did have a pictus cat in there, But I moved it in my 100 gallon, and they did just find.

here is a pic, btw. This was taken 2 months ago(the tank was just recently taken down, and repalnted). I now have 10 more kinds of plants added, mostly red leafs. Ive also since rearrange the plants.

But this shows that my tiger barbs are doing just well even with bright light.

http/f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tcr2299/v...ank.jpg&.view=t

 

[Morrgan]

If you could give the width and the height of the tank as well, someone here could calculate the volume for you. Until we know the volume, we can't help you with how many fish to get.

Note that two fish on your list grow quite huge, too big for any 3ft tank. The pictus catfish can reach (as far as I know) about 10 inches. I'm not sure, but it might want some company too. The clown loaches usually reach 6-7 inches in the aquarium and are very lively swimmers, so for a group of 4 I'd suggest a minimum of 100gal or so.

Instead of those, you could increase the number of kuhlii loaches. They are shoalers too. The more the merrier. (Heh, that's the second time I've used that phrase today...)

 

[CFC]

Pictus cats grow to around 6" usually and do better if kept in a small group, they dont exactly shoal but become a lot more active when there is a few of them. They will also eat the khulie loaches which will just look like yummy worms to them.

As mentioned clown loaches get too big for a 3 ft tank but will be ok for a few years as they grow very slowly.

With the tiger barbs you pays your money and takes your chance, sometimes they will be ok other times they can be the fish from hell, ask the moderator who had a piranha killed by a shoal of tigers!

 

[Wilsta]

Pictus cats grow to around 6" usually and do better if kept in a small group, they dont exactly shoal but become a lot more active when there is a few of them. They will also eat the khulie loaches which will just look like yummy worms to them.

As mentioned clown loaches get too big for a 3 ft tank but will be ok for a few years as they grow very slowly.

With the tiger barbs you pays your money and takes your chance, sometimes they will be ok other times they can be the fish from hell, ask the moderator who had a piranha killed by a shoal of tigers!

With the tiger barbs you pays your money and takes your chance, sometimes they will be ok other times they can be the fish from hell, ask the moderator who had a piranha killed by a shoal of tigers!!

are you serious???

I think i have decided against a pictus cat anyway... they do usually eat smaller fish... if not feed properly...

New list (tiger theme)
10 Tiger barbs
4 clown loachs
4 Kuhli loachs

What about some tetra or rasboras?

Neons
Rummy-nose
Bleeding hearts

 

[sharkbait]

Clown loaches are great fun, however I just lost my four due to them getting ich whilst I was on hols. they simply didn't respond to treatment and got so ill they developed fin rot as well. It was pretty awful.
Do an internet search on them if your going to keep them as they need a bit more care than your average fish IMHO

I'd like to get some more but won't until I'm certain my tank is Ok for them.

 

[Wilsta]

Clown loaches are great fun, however I just lost my four due to them getting ich whilst I was on hols. they simply didn't respond to treatment and got so ill they developed fin rot as well. It was pretty awful.
Do an internet search on them if your going to keep them as they need a bit more care than your average fish IMHO

I'd like to get some more but won't until I'm certain my tank is Ok for them.

Sorry to hear that sharkbait...

Do clown loaches grow fast or do they develop slowly because i wouldnt want them to out grow all the other fish... i do know they get large but i just curious to know how fast does anyone know? they dont grow as fast as oscars do they? plus i have never kept them before i also like the look of the zebra loach. Has anyone ever kept Zebra loachs?

 

[Paradise_Gourami]

good tetras you can get are black and/or gold skirt tetras. they do good in groups and are gracfull as they move. You should not have troubles with them because they are peacefull and dont bother any other fish.

 

[Wilsta]

I am not quite sure what black/ gold skirt tetras are do they have any other common names ???

Has anyone owned any tetras with barbs before especially tiger barbs???

 

[Lateral Line]

What they call "x skirt tetras", where x is a colour, are what for years were called Black Widows, Gymnocorymbus ternetzi. They've been line bred into a number of different colour forms now, and even some with grossly extended finnage, you'd obviously want to avoid them.

With 10 tetrazona, you'll probably be okay with short finned active tetras.