Tiger Barb tank mates

[sharkweek178]

I'm pondering a new tank and considering Tiger Barbs. At least 15 in a 40 gallon, heavily planted. Now I know of their reputation and having at least 15 would be to hopefully curb their aggressiveness a little. But I don't want a single species tank either. So I'm wondering what could work as tank mates. Some of the species I would like to consider.

Corydoras and/or Bristlenose pleco
Black ruby barb
Red tail shark
Zebra danios.

Now I know that there's only so much space in a 40, so I'm certainly not going to have all of those fish together. And some of those species wouldn't go well together at all (like having corys and a red tail shark together is a bad idea). I'm just looking for some ideas on what would be compatible with Tiger Barbs and each other. I'm not even in the planning stages yet. More like the considering stage.

 

[Fishmanic]

Cories and Pleco would work. In my tiger barb tank , I have a small school of black skirt tetras, 2 BN Pleco and just one salt and pepper Cory (survivor). They all get along fine. Just be careful you dont overstock your tank.

 

[BrianK]

I have serpae tetras, platies, and a bristlenose with my tiger barbs.

 

[GaryE]

Tiger barbs always did well with black ruby barbs and rosy barbs here. You want equally brash, loud companion fish. Beware though - they don't stay small, and such a tank isn't always a thing of beauty as they grow.

 

[Byron]

Fifteen should avoid serious aggression. There is clear evidence from scientific studies. A group of 30 in a 30g tank, no other fish, is the minimum recommended. In larger tanks, other species are possible, depending upon the species. Corydoras should fare OK. Upper fish are risky, given the tank size here. I would not combine Black Ruby Barbs with Tiger Barbs in this small a space, I would go with the Black Ruby Barbs for a very similar but (I think) much more striking fish. Female Black Ruby barb are near identical to Tiger Barbs in appearance. But the ruby red head of the males, and their interesting interactions, are well worth having this species.

Forgt the red tail shark. It needs a 4-foot/120 cm length tank, and no other substrate fish (like cories). A beautiful fish, but its temperament eliminates it from most home aquaria.

 

[sharkweek178]

Fifteen should avoid serious aggression. There is clear evidence from scientific studies. A group of 30 in a 30g tank, no other fish, is the minimum recommended. In larger tanks, other species are possible, depending upon the species. Corydoras should fare OK. Upper fish are risky, given the tank size here. I would not combine Black Ruby Barbs with Tiger Barbs in this small a space, I would go with the Black Ruby Barbs for a very similar but (I think) much more striking fish. Female Black Ruby barb are near identical to Tiger Barbs in appearance. But the ruby red head of the males, and their interesting interactions, are well worth having this species.

Forgt the red tail shark. It needs a 4-foot/120 cm length tank, and no other substrate fish (like cories). A beautiful fish, but its temperament eliminates it from most home aquaria.

Question about the black ruby barbs. Where to they swim at in the tank level? I've read they like near the bottom. I'm assuming that's more like neon tetras are mid to bottom swimmers and not like bottom feeders.

 

[Byron]

Question about the black ruby barbs. Where to they swim at in the tank level? I've read they like near the bottom. I'm assuming that's more like neon tetras are mid to bottom swimmers and not like bottom feeders.

Pethia nigrofasciata in its habitat--Endemic to Sri Lanka, in the Kelani and Nilwala river basins. Occurs in quiet still waters such as streams, ponds and pools in the hills, in waters containing aquatic plants or shaded by terrestrial vegetation. Exportation of wild fish is currently prohibited; available fish will be commercially raised--it is benthic (a bottom feeder) eating algae, detritus; accepts most prepared foods, frozen bloodworms, artemia, algae foods, boiled spinach. In the aquarium it tends to swim (actively) mid-level. I had a group of this beautiful species in my 90g tank, and after a few years when I had to downsize I moved them into their own 3-foot 33g which was aquascaped according to the natural habitat. They were peaceful, very active swimmers, but no problem, and prolific spawners; I doubled the group over time.

 

[sharkweek178]

Pethia nigrofasciata in its habitat--Endemic to Sri Lanka, in the Kelani and Nilwala river basins. Occurs in quiet still waters such as streams, ponds and pools in the hills, in waters containing aquatic plants or shaded by terrestrial vegetation. Exportation of wild fish is currently prohibited; available fish will be commercially raised--it is benthic (a bottom feeder) eating algae, detritus; accepts most prepared foods, frozen bloodworms, artemia, algae foods, boiled spinach. In the aquarium it tends to swim (actively) mid-level. I had a group of this beautiful species in my 90g tank, and after a few years when I had to downsize I moved them into their own 3-foot 33g which was aquascaped according to the natural habitat. They were peaceful, very active swimmers, but no problem, and prolific spawners; I doubled the group over time.

I guess what I'm wondering is could they coexist with corys and/or a bristlenose.

 

[Byron]

I guess what I'm wondering is could they coexist with corys and/or a bristlenose.

Yes, no problem at all. My group was initially in the 90g with my loaches Botia kubotai, a hypostamus pleco, and upper fish congo tetras, beckfordi pencilfish, emperor tetras. All of these are on the feisty side, active swimmers, so they got along splendidly.

 

[Fishmanic]

Cories and plecos are mainly bottom swimmers. Tiger Barbs are mainly middle swimmers. Mine get along fine. You should have no issues keeping them.

 

[Ichthys]

Ime Black Rubies stay mainly in the bottom third and don’t shoal tightly. They’re more ‘cichlidy’, moving around amongst the plants and decor. Tigers are more pelagic, liking open water above the decor, and do shoal tightly at times. I wouldn’t keep anything above them, personally, it would just get in their way. And they’ll shoal more if they’re the only barbs. Mixed Barb tanks tend to dissipate the shoaling instinct and they all just mix in together. Tigers on their own have no distractions or obstacles so they play a lot more.

 

[sharkweek178]

Cories and plecos are mainly bottom swimmers. Tiger Barbs are mainly middle swimmers. Mine get along fine. You should have no issues keeping them.

Any issues with food getting to the corys?

 

[Fishmanic]

Any excess flakes will sink to the bottom. If you’re concerned that they don get enough, you could use long tweezers to release some flakes at the bottom near the cories.

 

[Fishmanic]

I feed the plecos an algae wafer for each one about every 3 days. If you have algae in the tank, bushynose plecos will also feed on that.

 

[Byron]

Any issues with food getting to the corys?

Cories cannot be fed flake food, it is too high in protein (most is anyway). They must be fed suitable foods, such as Bug Bites, shrimp pellets, frozen daphnia, frozen or live shrimp. Not flake foods.