Tiger Barbs?

[Fisherman0]

Will tiger barbs eat neon or cardinal tetras? If I do get tiger barbs is there anything in specific that I will need to look out for or have? Thanks.

 

[KkAaNnEe]

They wont eat them, they may or may not nip at them, what size tank and how many are you thinking of?

 

[Fisherman0]

80 litre tank and i'm not sure... just wondered what they were like with other fish and what they were like to keep...? Thanks

 

[fluttermoth]

I've kept them successfully with neons in the past.

To be honest, 80l is a bit small for tigers though; they get very chunky when they get to full size.

 

[Fisherman0]

Oh right, are they best kept in groups then? Thanks

 

[dbanner]

Yes tiger barbs need to be in groups. 6 or more, but saying that, the more the better to ease their aggression (stop them nipping as much) but as previously mentioned they will need more than 80 litres

 

[KkAaNnEe]

What are the dimensions of the tank in question?

 

[Fisherman0]

It is 30 inches long, 12 inches deep and 15 inches height. The tank was sold to me as 80 litres of somebody, but I have just measured it and I think them measurments make it 90 litres? Thanks

 

[KkAaNnEe]

Yes it would make 90 litres, and with the shape, you could have 6 in there I would say, i have seen people keep them successfully in 90l tanks.

 

[Fisherman0]

That's great news! Thanks so much, will hopefully put pictures up when I get them

 

[onidrase]

Just keep in mind that getting tiger barbs will thereby seriously limit the things you can stock in their tank. Anything with long fins, or moves somewhat slowly, or, well, pretty much anything, will be prone to getting nipped and bullied by tiger barbs. It is not uncommon for mine to even go after my cichlids.

 

[dbanner]

Every extra litre helps 90 is better than 80

 

[KISSfn]

My Tigers get along great with all their tankmates. Some people get aggressive Tigers, while others get docile Tigers. Anything is possible.

 

[littlegreentiger]

I kept Tiger Barb and Cardinal Tetra together last year in a small tank (before I knew better re: size tank for the barbs). The Tigers ignored the Cardinals. Tigers must get their reputation from somewhere though, so I think much is down to the individual's temperament and how they then integrate in a group.

I feel I've been lucky with mine. They fight with each other sometimes, less so these days, but there's no visible damage to any fins. It seems more like strength testing each other with lip-locking rather than actually nipping at each other, and they haven't bothered other fish either in their original tank or new (ish) bigger home.

I would have thought as long as there were enough Tigers that they're distracted by each other and enough Cardinals that they feel safe from what they may perceive as a threat, even though it may not actually be the case, then you should be okay.