cabfish

Hi all

My 50gal tank is stocked with 9 barbs and 4 bristlenose - I would like something to swim around the top region of the tank. The barbs used to share the tank with a couple of mollies and left them totally alone. Now I am looking at Dwarf Blue Gouramis, maybe 4, and possibly a Red Tailed Shark, just 1. 1 book I read suggested the gouramis will be fine but another suggested keeping just barbs in the tank. The LFS either will sell me anything or suggest nothing depending on who is serving!! Any suggestions or tails of caution on this combination?

Again, thanks to the forum for the help!

CB

COBettaCouple

Well, the gourami have those long feelers and a lot of barbs can find them awfully tempting to nip at. You'll also want to consider the basic rule of 1" of adult size per gallon for the fish (probably 1/2" per gallon for the BNs) to ensure a healthy bioload. What kind of barbs are they?

cabfish

Thanks - 4 Tiger and 5 Moss barbs. They basically hang together as 1 group, aren't aggressive to eachother or the bristlenose. The mollies we also left alone but they occupied the tank before the barbs moved in... At 50gal of tank I think there is plenty of room for 3~4 more fish going by the calculations on this site and in books - but those long feelers also had me wondering whether things might not work out between them too? Perhaps caution is required and I should think again!

Neville

tetras will look great with barbs, they r schooling fish too.

COBettaCouple

I'd probably bring both of the barb schools up to 6 or maybe 7 each, it tends to put them on better behavior and bring out schooling activity more.

Barbrella

Yes, a school of large, fast tetras - maybe Black Skirts - would look great! Nothing slow moving or with large finnage. That's way too tempting for tiger barbs and many tetras.

jeme

A red tail shark should be fine with your barbs- really good, actually. Just don't get a really itty bitty one.

Black skirts or serpae tetras should be able to hold their own just fine with tiger barbs.

If you've already got mollies that are doing well, you could get a couple more in different colors instead of the tetras.

Julie