Input: advice from store

So recently I decided to stop having an aggressive cichlids tank and gave away my convicts and fire mouths because I needed something that requires a little less vigilance. I had some tiger barbs and was wondering what interesting fish I could stock with them. My trusty LFS who has never led me astray suggested hatchetfish and angelfish, but only if I have a large school of tigers. I knew that hatchets would be fine with a large school but I was initially hesitant about angels even with a large school of tigers. He insisted it would be fine, so I trusted and got two angels with some hatchets while simultaneously upping my tiger school to 9. Everything has been fine ever since which is why I am so confused. Do tiger barbs just drop their fin nipping habit when there is enough of them? They will swim towards my angels seemingly tempted to nip but the angel will just swim away and the Tigers don't pursue, they just seem to be to lazy to care anymore. Yet the school is very active, swimming all over the tank, the hatchets and angels seem to just hang out in the same place and are unbothered. Is this normal?

 

yes, when they have enough buddies, they no longer feel the need to entertain themselves by being pains in the rear to everyone else in the tank lol.

 

Usually the more tigers you have, the less nipping happens outside of their school. However, as the tigers get more comfortable that could change. Personally I wouldn't keep them together but if it's working for you then that's fine. Though if nipping ever starts, you need to have a plan B just in case because once it starts it will probably end when the angels have been nipped to death.

 

I personally would not take the chance with angel fish. Usually the advice is peaceful fish that don't nip fins and are big enough not to be eaten by the angels when they grow up such as Neon tetras. Cardinals are bigger and don't end up as food. Just my opinion as they are known fin nippers. Alison

 

Ok... So vigilance will still be key. If everything is fine for now, hopefully some sort of homeostasis has been reached and I will continue with a watchful eye.

 

My plan B will be to (put my angels into a breeding net if necessary until I can) take all 9 of the barbs back to the store and get another, more peaceful schooling fish. I have had barbs in one of my tanks now for so long I would rather keep the Angels, which are new to me, and find them more peaceful tank mates. But for now, everything remains ok.

 

Yeah with tiger barbs its best to keep them of schools of 8. They are also not the best for community tanks especially with long fins and peaceful fish. But yeah they are less aggressive when in a larger group. But as other mentioned you should keep an eye out for them. Tiger barbs are listed as semi-aggressive and thus should be place with other semi-aggressive fish however every school is different.