Ohh boy i love these questions!!!
(BRACE FOR IMPACT)
Barbs, like tiger barbs and mossy barbs, are known fin nippers and should not be housed with generally inactive fish like neons and glowlights, and should not be housed with fish that own finnage like guppies and swordtail. Subsitutes would be rosy barbs or cherry barbs. Cherries are probably the best route to go down as they are friendly, active but not too boisterous, and grow to a max of 2.5" They are also very pretty especially males who achieve a deep cherry red coloration when in breeding condition.
Some tetras, like neons, glo-lights, diamonds, phantoms, and more are harmless and friendly to their live bearer tank mates. Other are like the tiger barbs, such as the serpae, red-eye, or black widow tetras may give tankmates a hard time.
If you insist on housing Tiger Barbs, Serpae Tetras, or other fishlisted in this post under "caution" house in shoals of 6+ so they interact with each other rather than the other tankmates.
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cherry barbs are big softies. Keep 'em in groups as little as a pair (male/female). Danios can be pushy and they can take a good nip at unsupecting tetras and gupies. Celestial Pearl Danios work perfectly. They are less than an inch long (.75") but are relatively new to the hobby. They're everything you need for a starter aquarium (hardy, beautiful, easy to care for, etc.) but they are pricey. sometimes $6.00 a fish!
