Wanting You To Choose

[sara19]

Hi again everyone!
This weekend me and my partner will be scowering thruogh the several fish shops round basildon/ Essex, and of course our regualar great shop. In my 5ft at the moment i have :
2 albino tiger barbs
2 spanner barbs
2 ruby barbs
1 stripped barb (the other died)

As well as other things (written in signature)

i was thinking cherry barbs as they are GORGEOUS!
but id like to know what you guys think? is there some more pretty than these things? or are there more social barbs or friendlier barbs somewhere?

Thanks for your help everyone
Cant wait for the replies

 

[england]

not to be rude, i see fish in the 3foot better suited in the 5 foot, would it not be better to move them around abit, or the 6-7 8foot your after is that for them?

 

[Glenbo1981]

Agreed with Nelly

 

[Curiosity101]

Could do with knowing what your 'stay tiny catfish' are...I'm guessing corydoras and will send you a few pics of common species to see if we can get an ID on them.

As for the barbs...I know I said it before and it is only my person preference but I really would just have 2 types of barbs

Eg. Tiger Barbs + Ruby Barbs
If it were my tank I'd probably have a 2 shoals of the following... 8 x Tigers (albino or green or normal), 8 x Ruby Barbs, 8 x Cherry Barbs or 8 x Gold Barbs

But...to answer your actual question.
Gold Barbs - Shoal very nicely together and are a very vivid yellow, grow to 8cm and are quite peacful.
Cherry Barbs - Peacful as barbs go, grow to 4cm ish.

Tip: General rule with barbs is that they become less nippy the more of them there are. So if you had 2 of something then they may hassle other fish. If you had 8 then they are more likely to just bicker amongst themselves.

Don't know if having lots of mixed barbs gives the same reasult...but thought I'd mention it.

 

[sara19]

*slaps head* the three foot is only temporary *smiles* were getting another 5 or maybe even a 6footer in a month or two, so there small at the moment and are okay i thought, plus i really dont want to stress the 5foot load of tank i get what your saying of course!
sooo ... cherry barb?

 

[sara19]

thanks again for your help C101 Think your the popular one on this site
They all shoal together i noticed and the only ones i see that bicker a little are the rubys together and every now and then the albino tigers look like there kissing eachother a lot haha.
And C101 Want to hear the good news? spoke to my partner were saving up for another big tank so ghost will be moved soon and senegals will have a ratehr big tank to swim in, thought youd like to know your knowledge has helped alot
Thank you

 

[Davo86]

*slaps head* the three foot is only temporary *smiles* were getting another 5 or maybe even a 6footer in a month or two, so there small at the moment and are okay i thought, plus i really dont want to stress the 5foot load of tank i get what your saying of course!
sooo ... cherry barb?

Hi Just wondering??
Why are you keeping barbs in pairs? In low numbers their level of aggression is heightened due to the fact that they are being kept in an unnatural way?
Tigers for example should ideally be kept in groups of 6-8 as this generally irradicates the chances of them ripping up the fins of other fish in their tank

 

[Curiosity101]

Thanks

Though nelly knows alot more than me about the fish you have in the 3footer. I 'think' he's actually kept them? Or I might be making that up...hmm

Good to hear you're going to upgrade them. Like you said they're small at the mo so are 'ok' in the 3footer. But the sooner you can move them accross the better for them. The new tank will look bare for awhile, but it'll give them the best start possible.

Sent you lots of cory pics by the way.

 

[sara19]

yeah i noticed but after i sent the pm to nelly i couldnt reply to you, i think its lepard catfish i have

*slaps head* the three foot is only temporary *smiles* were getting another 5 or maybe even a 6footer in a month or two, so there small at the moment and are okay i thought, plus i really dont want to stress the 5foot load of tank i get what your saying of course!
sooo ... cherry barb?

Hi Just wondering??
Why are you keeping barbs in pairs? In low numbers their level of aggression is heightened due to the fact that they are being kept in an unnatural way?
Tigers for example should ideally be kept in groups of 6-8 as this generally irradicates the chances of them ripping up the fins of other fish in their tank

Thanks for the comment, however, the only thing thats attacked anything in the tanks was when everything was in the 3footer (dont mention it ) and that was the birchirs, long story but when we bought em we got told they were harmless ... and there not haha.
The albino barbs are brilliant, just as a pair there fine it seems, they hand feed and play with my hand all the barbs chase eachotehr but to behonest they must be calm in the new tank as there all together and i havent really seen any biting going out unless its my arm haha.
Thanks again for the comments

 

[Curiosity101]

Corydoras trilineatus? Also known as Three-lined cory or False Julii Cory. They're often sold under the name 'Julii Cory', but apparently more often than not are the Three-Lined variety.

So just as a side note, you'll find the corys are happier in a bigger group. I'd go for something like 8 altogether. And pref all the same species.

By the way, it's a good question, why have you bought the barbs in pairs? Just personal preference?

I really think you'd appreciate how pretty a shoal of only one or two species looks. They're really impressive.... So much better than pairs of different species.
Once again, just my personal opinion.

 

[ZoddyZod]

Hi again everyone!
2 albino tiger barbs
2 spanner barbs
2 ruby barbs
1 stripped barb (the other died)

I've read in several places that albino/green/tiger barbs will all happily 'socialise' as a group as they see each other as the same species. So you could add a few more of these and make your 2 albino and 1 'striped' (tiger?) more comfortable?

Having no actual experience though I'd like someone else to confirm or tell me I'm talking out of my backside???

 

[sara19]

Yes i bought them all from my LFS there really good there, and i would have loved just one shoal of the same, i bet they all get on etc however, they first few months i didnt even know there were a difference between barbs and Cichlids hahahaha!
so the boyfriend bought them and i was like 'oh there a nice colour' and now im learning more its a shame we just rushed into it haha.
Its interesting you mentioned about the catfish thought, we bought one on its own and then a pair, there brilliant to watch, it feels, sometimes, they hover over the bottom of the surface and stare at you and they move there tail very funny, it would be brilliant to get a few more as i think there the mischeivious catfish, like i said i am new to it, maybe il stomp my feet and get a few more albino barbs hehe, there brilliant and there characteristics are different too, for instence one albino has a bright red nose and the other one has more stripes (the strippier one is nik named nibbler because he becks my arm)

 

[Davo86]

for instence one albino has a bright red nose

Males have bright red noses

 

[sara19]

Hi again everyone!
2 albino tiger barbs
2 spanner barbs
2 ruby barbs
1 stripped barb (the other died)

I've read in several places that albino/green/tiger barbs will all happily 'socialise' as a group as they see each other as the same species. So you could add a few more of these and make your 2 albino and 1 'striped' (tiger?) more comfortable?

Having no actual experience though I'd like someone else to confirm or tell me I'm talking out of my backside???

Funny you should say that, thats what my partner said hence why i believe he did it.
but im the same as you il see what others think haha.
We did have two stripped barbs but when we got velvet disease we lost him as well as two blue tiger babs *huffs* one was a large barb and he was a cutie oh and my ghost knife fish died too! i was WELL upset haha, but its all over now ... whew!

for instence one albino has a bright red nose

Males have bright red noses

AWWWW!
So i have one of each sex how cute .. they werent being mean .... thwey were acctually kissing how cute
thanks for letting me know haha

 

[Davo86]

fish don't kiss, its lip locking, a sign of aggression