Tiger barbs
<Ananda here, answering the freshwater fish questions...>
Hi I have three tiger barbs in my tank at the moment and hope to get three more at the weekend. I have been told they can be semi aggressive (although they look like pussycats in the tank)
<Appearance can be deceiving, especially with these fish.>
Also I have two mollies which I had hoped to put in this tank.
<Their fins and tails will look like tasty treats to the tiger barbs, who will be unable to resist nipping them.>
Some people say its ok as long as I have a least six barbs. Others say its a no no. What is your opinion.
<While multiple barbs may reduce some inter-species aggression, they will remain fin-nippers. Please read the good information here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/BarbsDaniosRasborasArt.htm.>
I was hoping to free the present tank with the mollies to keep for any fry. Confused with all the conflicting advice. I have got attached to the mollies and I would hate for them to die at the same time I rather like the barbs as well.
<Hmmm... "attached to" vs. "rather like"... sounds like you prefer the mollies. They are one of my favorite fish species, too, for their beautiful coloration and finnage. I would keep them separate. Mollies rarely eat their fry, so raising them in the same tank as the parents is usually possible.>   
Totally confused. Margaret
<Hope this helps ease the confusion. --Ananda>

Tiger barbs and Otocinclus
I just brought home 3 Otocinclus and 1 twig catfish for my 29 gallon tank containing 4 tiger barbs.  The tigers are ganging up on the Otos and chasing them all over the tank.  I am worried that the stress will kill them!  They have not spotted the twig cat yet but I have just read that the twig cat is easily harassed.  These are the fish that were recommended by the aquarium store (Old Orchard Aquarium in Skokie, Illinois) knowing that I have the
barbs.  I was going to buy a clown Pleco having read up on them.  The guy in the store said they were not good algae eaters and to get the twig cat instead.  I am ticked!  I don't want these fish to suffer but what if the store won't take them back tomorrow?
<Hello, Tiger Barbs sure can be terrors.  If you provide plenty of cover and dark hiding places they should be ok.  Live plants are great.  If the tiger barbs do not ease up on them after a while you may want to consider removing the Otocinclus.  Please be sure that there is enough food to go around for the Otos and the twig catfish.  Have you checked out the article below, good stuff.  Best Regards,  Gage
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/otocinclusart.htm>

Rosy Barbs and Tiger Barbs Oh My!
I am new to fishkeeping and I have questions about the tiger barbs. I have started with 4 tigers to cycle the tank and I discovered that I like them.
<A very nice fish, a little nippy at times, but pretty.>
At the instruction of my dealer I have 3 rosy barbs in my quarantine tank waiting to go in the main tank
<Be still my beating heart! You have a quarantine tank for your freshwater display. God bless you sir! You will surely be rewarded!>
instead of buying 2 or 3 more tigers as most books suggest.
<I would be happy as long as you have three or more.>
He says its because I have only a 29 gallon tank and there won't be enough room for other fish if the schools are too big.
<A fair point.>
He also says that since they are in the same family the Rosies and the tigers will not harm each other.
<I would prefer to put it as they will be able to put up with each other's abuse.>
I am a little skeptical. Is 4 ok for a school of tigers?
<Sure>
Is 3 ok for Rosie's?
<Yes, these are a little less prone to school, at least not as tightly as the Tiger Barbs.>
Is it boring to have just 2 or 3 schools swimming around?
<You will be able to fit more than these seven fish in your tank.>
I don't want the tank to look too "busy". Also, what other fish do you suggest adding for variety? Stephen
<Giant Danios are another of my favorites. Various Gouramis would work, too. -Steven Pro>

Rosy Barbs and Tiger Barbs Oh My! II
Hey Steven, thanks for replying so fast!
<No sweat, you caught me at a good time.>
Do you think fish look better in larger schools?
<I think schooling fish should be kept in schools. Depending on the size of the tank, a large, tight school of fish is impressive to me.>
About the quarantine tank: My dealer is reputable. Their tanks look great and the Rosies looked healthy all 4 times I visited the store in the past month. How long do they need to be in my quarantine tank?
<Two weeks in perfect condition minimum for QT to be effective.>
I see that you find various Gouramis compatible with tigers. Most books say the same, but the stores all say not to do it. Why?
<You would have to ask them.>
I would love to have one. Is it the blue and gold Gouramis (Trichogaster trichopterus) that are tough enough to deal with the barbs?
<These are the most common ones and the ones I use often.>
Thanks! Stephen
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Tiger Barbs and plants, oh my!
Hey guys and gals!
<Howdy!>
I am happy to say that I accidentally stumbled across this site while searching for some information on freshwater fish.  This is one of the best places I have found information that I need for my new money sink, err, hobby. :D
<We’re happy you found us too! Terribly sorry for the delay in replying.>
Anyways, to the problem at hand.  I need your advice concerning a school of 5 Tiger barbs (Puntius tetrazona) I have in my tank.  It is a 20 gallon (24"x12"x18") utilizing a Whisper 20 (with a Triad retrofit kit), water heater, and a basic hood with lighting.  The living contents of the tank consist of 5 Tiger Barbs (on the small side - ranging in size from just under an inch to just over an inch), 2 Leopard Corys (Corydoras julii), an assortment of live plants, and some of those useful bacteria that help do the nitrogen cycle thing. The tank is 6-7 weeks old.  I had plastic plants in the tank until two days ago when I changed them out for live plants.  (I was having a problem getting the nitrogen cycle closed.  (It's a long story - don't think it has anything to do with the problem I am having with the barbs, but if you think it does I will be more than happy to give the details.)  I have to say that the fish seem happier.  The down side is that the barbs appear to have become more aggressive in the process.
<Interesting>
The Corys are coping by hiding in the plants and coming out when food is available or when the barbs seem to be lazing about.  However the plants have no where to go.  The barbs appear to be nipping at my red wendtii (Cryptocoryne wendtii), biting off small chunks and generally terrorizing the foliage.  The behavior stops once they are fed.  I started thinking that the problem could be controlled by ensuring they are fed enough.  However, the other part of "fed enough" is overfeeding which would result in a variety of different issues in the tank. My question is this: what should I do with the barbs?  I would rather not get rid of them - I am responsible for them after all.  I do not think getting rid of the plants is a good idea either.  Would feeding enough be counter balanced with the plants in the tank?  Would adding some other type of fish help regulate their behavior?  Are the plants tough enough to handle the abuse?  Are there any other options available to me?
<Overfeeding is still going to cause lots of problems, even in a heavily planted tank. I would suggest removing all of the fish from the tank, rearrange the plants & decorations, and then add the fish back in. Put the Corys in first and let them be alone in the tank for an hour or two, then add the Tiger Barbs back. This will mess up their territory and putting the Corys in first will give them a short time to adjust to the new arrangements before the Barbs are added back. If they do still nip at your plants I wouldn’t worry about it too much, they most likely won’t do enough damage to matter. If the plants start looking pretty poor then you’ll have to either remove the plants or the Tigers but I doubt this will happen. You might also put in a soft plant that you don’t care if they eat. Anacharis works well for this as it’s inexpensive and soft/tasty enough that most fish will chew on it some. Maybe then they’d leave your others alone. Not positive on this but it might be worth a try.>
My future plans for the tank are to add a Cory to bring the total to 3.  I am also contemplating adding a school of Rosy Barbs (Puntius conchonius) in several months (assuming there is "room" in the tank) as well as some sort of algae eating critters if the need arose.
<Rosies may not be a good choice here. They tend to be very non-aggressive and would get picked on by the Tigers. Your tank isn’t going to hold too many more fish, maybe 2-3 more plus a small Pleco at the most so if you’re set on adding more you’d probably be best to go with more Tigers, maybe of the Albino or Green varieties. These will school with your current ones but would give you a bit of a color variation.>
In closing I would like to thank you guys again for having a fabulous website.  I look forward to your advice. --Ted
<Thank you! Ronni>

Tiger barb
I have a tiger barb that wont live with any other tankmates. I had 4 in a 15 gallon and he ate or killed the others.....I tried to put some more in but he killed them too. Also now he hides all day and all night unless I feed him pls help me find a way to make him not so scared and frightened or having killing urges....thanks Sean
<<Dear Sean. How often do you do water changes? How long has this tank been running with fish in it? Is it cycling? You need to keep tiger barbs in groups of 4 to 6 fish. You should take a sample of your tank water to your Local Fish Store, and have them test it for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. These are toxins that can kill your fish in a new tank. Please have your water tested, and then email me the results. -Gwen
PS please try to type more legibly on your next email. I had a hard time understanding you this time. Thanks :) >>

Re: Tiger Barb, incomp.
>I have a tiger barb that wont live with any other tankmates. I had 4 in a 15 gallon and he ate or killed the others.....I tried to put some more in
>but he killed them too. Also now he hides all day and all night unless I feed him pls help me find a way to make him not so scared and frightened or
>having killing urges....thanks Sean
><<Dear Sean. How often do you do water changes? How long has this tank been running with fish in it? Is it cycling? You need to keep tiger barbs in
>groups of 4 to 6 fish. You should take a sample of your tank water to your Local Fish Store, and have them test it for ammonia, nitrites, and
>nitrates. These are toxins that can kill your fish in a new tank. Please have your water tested, and then email me the results. -Gwen
>PS please try to type more legibly on your next email. I had a hard time understanding you this time. Thanks :) >>
Re: Tiger Barb I took it to PetCo and they said every thing was stable in it my nitrates and nitrites are at 0. (sorry about the bad typing.) Anyways, the tank is cycling and I did have him with 3 other tiger barbs but as I said in the other email he killed them or ate them.....I talked to the guy who worked at PetCo and he said try to get some more tiger barbs that are bigger than him. I didn't really trust him....well I would like to now how to get rid of this behavior of hiding and attacking tankmates...thank you, Sean
<<Hello again, you are welcome :) I am very happy you got your water tested. I do agree with the Petco guy, you should add more tiger barbs, larger than the one you have left. They need to be kept in groups. One thing you can do is ask your pet store guy if they will take back your "killer" tiger barb. Tell them you want to buy  4 or 5, but you don't want the one you have now. Perhaps they will let you exchange him when you buy the new ones. Some stores will do this, some won't, but you won't know unless you ask them.
Good luck :) -Gwen

Nipping Tigers
I have just introduced my fish to my first tank (126ltrs) setup. It has been maturing for 2 months (ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, Nitrate 40ppm, very hard water with pH of 8.4). 4 days ago I introduced 12 very small tiger barbs, 6 striped and 6 green. All has been fine until today when I came home and found one of the striped barbs dead and missing a piece of tail and another stripped one alive but missing its whole tail. Is this likely to be due to 'fin nipping' or could it be some sort of fast-acting infection that it rotting the tails or something? Before deciding on Tiger barbs I had read that they had a reputation for fin nipping but didn't think it might amount to this. Does it?
If it is fin nipping I have seen on the FAQ pages that I should be keeping them in odd numbers, so I will do that, but would it also be better to increase the size of the group? How many tiger barbs would a tank of 126ltrs cope with? I was thinking of introducing some angel fish at some point in the future (when I gain some confidence as an aquarist), but I wonder if that it wise if it is aggression that has caused the above problems. I would welcome your experienced views. Paddy
< Probably the tiger barbs are establishing a pecking order and a few nipped fins are normal until they get things sorted out. The major damage is being caused by a bacterial infection initiated by the nipped fins. I would clean the filter and do a 30% water change to reduce the nitrates to under 25 ppm. Vacuum the gravel and treat with Nitrofuranace. Watch for ammonia spikes because the antibiotics may affect the good bacteria that reduce the ammonia and nitrites to nitrates.-Chuck>