So I'm Getting Rosy Barbs...

[severina]

but the only place where they look nice and colorful are at Walmart...which scares the crap out of me. Has anyone bought them online? If so where and how'd they look/how healthy were they and such?

 

[lozzles]

i got mine at my lfs they look stunning but take chunks out of my fish and endlessly chase each other so tell me how they turn out! are mine rebel fish?

 

[Lateral Line]

A colourful active fish is more likely to be a healthy fish then a shy retiring drab example of the same species. Rosy Barbs are not aggresive if kept correctly, i.e. a group of at least 4 fish, ideally more, with either a preponderance of females, or a single sex group. Even not followed, they are not a bad fish to keep. Perople have a habit of seeing the word "barb" and assume all "barb's" must be vicious like Tiger Barbs - so sad, many beautiful and totally inoffensive fish are ignored due to the bad press associated with a small group from hundreds of species.

 

[lozzles]

sadly its not a preconception of 'barb' they really do bully my gouramis im sure they would be fine with other fish as my gouramis are the only ones they pick on

 

[nmonks]

Hello Lateral Line & lozzles,

In my opinion, you're both right.

On the one hand, it is true that many people shy away from barbs assuming that they are fin-nippers. This simply isn't true. Some, like gelius barbs and five-banded barbs are completely reliable, even a little on the shy side. However, there certainly are barbs that do behave in a way inappropriate to the community tank ideal.

Rosy barbs should be kept in a large group. I'd actually say at least 8 specimens -- a good idea with any schooling fish, whether barb, neon, or rainbowfish. With barbs especially, this seems to be the magic number of sorting out aggression.

Another thing: they're subtropical fish, not tropical fish. Seriously consider creating a tank around that fact. There are lots of subtropical fish that would make excellent companions. Corydoras barbatus, hillstream loaches, white-cheeked gobies, black-banded sunfish, green barbs, variatus platies, and paradise fish, to name just a few. I've been thinking about something like this myself. Lots of large cobblestones, some Egeria or Ceratophyllum planted in one corner, and a nice big filter with a spray bar to create a strong, even current. A wonderful mountain stream aquarium!

Cheers,

Neale

 

[lozzles]

well theres peace in my tank ive taken back the rosy barbs who i will miss as they were beautiful fish, thats interesting to know about their temperature requirements. they also have high oxygen requirements when i was attempting to establish if they were the bullies i moved them to my quarantine tank upstairs with a sponge filter they obviously werent comfortable. hopefully they will now go in a larger tank in a shoal with slightly more boistrous fish
sorry to nick your post just felt this was relevant!