newbie and advice

[ZombieSoldier77]

Hello All!

After about a 20 year "break" from having a tank, I've recently decided to get a 38 gallon.  I've been doing lots of research as to what kinds of fish get along and I'm finding it really varies.  One website will say X and Y do not get along, another will say that same X and Y will. 

So, this is what I've come up with and I'd love any advice (or links to other sites as well).

1 Red-Tailed Shark
4 Tiger Barbs
2 Green Tiger Barbs
2 Cherry Barbs
2 Black Mollies
2 Dwarf Kribs

I'd love to get an Angel fish or Neon Tetras but like I said, depending on who you talk/read too, it varies.

Also, how much time daily, weekly and monthly do I need to keep my tank running/looking good? On average how much time are people putting into to maintain your tank?

Thanks in advance for any advice, can't wait to get my set-up running!!

Cheers,
Dave

[Bees]

Hi Dave,

I recently got my tank set up again after a long hiatus so we're kind of in the same boat.   There are many different opinions regarding tank maintenance and how much time you need to spend working on things.  Reading through older posts and the sticky posts on these forums will be a big help.  You should initially focus on the nitrogen cycle if you are setting up a completely new tank as that will save you a lot of heartache regarding your initial fishies' health.

Regarding your fish choices, the most dangerous specimens you have chosen are the tiger barbs.  They are pretty aggressive but kept in a large enough school they should spend that aggression on each other and leave their neighbours alone.  A school of 6 is probably the minimum.

Cherry barbs and mollies will get along with pretty much everybody.  I would be surprised if you had any problem with them.

The dwarf Kribs will generally leave everyone alone unless they spawn in which case they will get VERY territorial and you may have to move them into their own tank.  Something you'll have to watch.

Neons are sometimes fin nippers but you don't have any fish with long fins so they should be great.
Angels are generally too slow to cause trouble but they will eat anything small and can sometimes be jerks, depends on their individual personality really.

Hope that helps.

[Fishnut]

1 Red-Tailed Shark
4 Tiger Barbs
2 Green Tiger Barbs
2 Cherry Barbs
2 Black Mollies
2 Dwarf Kribs

Is there a reason you have settled on the tiger barbs?  I find they really reduce the variety of fish that you can have in a tank.  Keep in mind that the shark will also be a big fish.  They grow up to 6 inches!

I'd love to get an Angel fish or Neon Tetras but like I said, depending on who you talk/read too, it varies.

Also, how much time daily, weekly and monthly do I need to keep my tank running/looking good? On average how much time are people putting into to maintain your tank?

Thanks in advance for any advice, can't wait to get my set-up running!!

Cheers,
Dave

Yes, the most dangerous fish you have on that list is the Tiger Barbs...and I suggest you get a few more rather than the mollies or the cherry barbs if you really like the tiger barbs.  Tiger Barbs are one of the worst fin nippers.  They even turn on their own school members if one of the fish shows weakness.  The Red-Tailed Shark will be ok with them, but I wouldn't add the mollies or the cherry barbs in the tank with them.  Neither fish are fast enough to out-run a tiger barb and aren't agressive enough to stand up to them.  The dwarf Kribs might.

Is there a reason you have settled on the tiger barbs?  I find they really reduce the variety of fish that someone can have in a tank.  Keep in mind that the shark will also be a big fish.  They grow up to 6 inches!

With the Tiger Barbs, neons and angels are completely out of the question.  Yes angels can be aggressive but they are also slow swimmers by comparison and they have long fins.  To a tiger barb, an angel fish has "eat me" tattooed all over it's fins and tail.  Neons are one of the slowest, peaceful fish out there, which will also be prey to the tiger barbs.  I'm sorry Bees, I've never heard of neons being fin nippers, nor have I ever had any that are fin nippers.

I'm lazy with my tanks, but I under-stock them and I have lots of plants plus filters that are rated for more gallons than the tank holds.  GENERALLY, you will need to do a weekly 20% water change.  When you're ready, don't add all the fish you want at once.  Choose the most tolerant species on your final list and add only 3 of them.  In a week or so, add a few more, etc, etc.  Along the way you'll want to continually test your water and UNDERFEED your fish.  The tank has to go through the Nitrogen Cycle before you add any significant number of fish...or any sensitive fish!  There are tones of posts on the site about that and I highly recommend you read about it and understand it before you even walk into a pet shop.

If you let us know what your favourite fish is...the one you must have in this tank...we can help you choose what to mix with it.

Cheers

[dan2x38]

I have a Tiger tank with 12 in it and a nice sized Rainbow Shark. Small peaceful fish can't hang with Tigers and red tail or rainbow sharks. Also like mentioned Angels can be testy but if there is lots of plants & decor to break up line of site then likely be fine with some fast moving tetras but not with Tigers or Sharks.

Why not some small tetras like cardinals with an angel. How about a clean up crew with a bristle nose and some cories maybe some shrimps like amanos. Could even add some nerite snails like zebras or onions.

For sure do research on cycling tanks understanding the nitrogen cycle is the key to a healthy tank with happy fish.

[Glyce]

I have three tiger barbs along with a bunch of community fish, been together for almost a year and so far so good. I was told about their aggressiveness but I did it anyway.  I have a mix of Tiger barb, Odessa Barb, Bala Sharks (they get huge but are nice), Scissortail Rasboras, flying fox and a pleco, no nipped fins or bad behavior other than chasing themselves.  They are in a large enough tank tho so maybe that plays a factor.
As far as maintenance, as was said in Fishnut's post in general a 20 perc. water change every week, not overfeeding will reduce build-up in your rocks.  I vaccuum the bottom once every two weeks, seems to keep things in check. 

[ZombieSoldier77]

Thanks for the responses...

I still need to figure out what I want.  I knew that Tiger Barbs were fin nippers and need to be in a larger group, but during some research I read that they all the barbs (cherry, green and tiger) would all school together giving me an ok number to tone down the aggressiveness.  I just really like the look of the Tigers, but I might not get them so my selection of fish is greater...

I'd really like to have a Red-Tailed Shark and Neon Tetras, but I don't think they mix.  I'm also kinda partial to the Black Mollies and Cherry Barbs.  It's really hard decide!

Thanks again for the suggestions...

[chima_p]

Haha!  MTS, this is where it all starts! 

[Fishnut]

I will caution you that keeping mollies restricts you more than keeping tiger barbs.  Mollies are actually brackish water fish (brackish meaning half way between fresh and salt water).  Yes, they can be kept in less salty water and a lot of people do keep them that way, but they never live as long or remain as healthy as they do in brackish water.

If you really like the shark and the tiger barbs, go with it .  Get about 15 - 20 Tiger Barbs total (adding them slowly until the tank is cycled), your shark and some other compatible fish.  Having the ability to have variety is great, but if it means sacrificing the fish that you really want, then perhaps you don't need variety.  I've seen larger tanks set up with a large (30+) school of tiger barbs with plants and just a few fish that get along with them.  It looked FANTASTIC!!  It was a mix of different tiger barbs so the variety was there...green tiger barbs (which can look bluish when the light hits them a certain way), regular tiger barbs and albino tiger barbs.  The albinos add a really nice dash of orange to the tank when they get bigger.

If you're looking for the colour that the cherry barbs and neons provide, try a few rosey barbs.  The males are bright red (especially if there is a female around).  They're fast moving fish and I'm sure they'll go nicely with the shark and tiger barbs.  Odessa barbs also have a nice patch of red on them...the males anyways.  I don't have too much experience with these though, so I'm not 100% sure if they're one of the peaceful barbs or the fin nippers.  Danios are generally fast moving fish that can add a nice alternative fish to the tank.

If I were you, here's what I would do:

Put a couple of bits of driftwood in the tank, add a natural but darker colour of gravel, then plant the tank with some low maintenance plants like an amazon sword and a bunch of cryptocorynes.  As for the fish, I would keep a total of 8 tiger barbs, 5 green tiger barbs and 5 albino tiger barbs, 3 rosey barbs, 1 red-tailed shark, 2 chinese algae eaters, 4 cory catfish, and 1 interesting pleco that doesn't get bigger than 4"...OMG, I've got to stop thinking about it before I set up a barb tank!!  

See, there is still a lot that you can do with tiger barbs.  In addition to my list, most danios and the smaller loaches are also a possibility.  It's only a 30 gallon tank anyways, so the number of fish you can have is limited in that respect.  IMO, tiger barbs are easy to care for and if you have a nice sized school of them in a planted tank with some driftwood, it will look MUCH more tranquil than a huge mix of a ton of different fish.