New Tank

[laura_sch17]

I am starting a new 10 gallon tank. I am currently cycling the tank with three tiger barbs. I plan to have a semi-aggressive community tank. I need to know some good tank mates for the tiger barbs. If someone could give me some ideas for other fish to put in the tank when it is fully cycled.

[fishboy]

i hate to burst your bubble but you must keep tiger barbs in schools of 6 or more in a tank holding 30+ gallons
Is this your first serious tank?
Do you only want agressive fish?
Are you willing to purchase and feed live/frozen foods for carnivorous fish?
What is the ph and hardness levels of the tank? (this decides what you can get)
Do you have your eye on anything specific? (Ex. Barbs, cichlids, plecos)
Is your tank planted if so want plants do you have?
Do you plan on getting any invertabrates?
What is the temperature?
Do you want alot of small fish, a few bigger fish, or a mixture?
can you return the tiger barbs? (this would be a good idea as they would take up the whole tank)

[maxpayne_lhp]

During cycle, I'd not recommend you to use Tigers, a hardy fish is recommended! Try guppies...
And those 3 tiger barbs can't be kept in there even after the tank is cycled!

[TheOldSalt]

A six-pack of tiger barbs will be okay in a well-maintained 10 gallon tank.
Add some plants and a secondary filter, and they will do even better. After it's all re-cycled and you make a 50% water change, you can probably even add some other things without difficulty, such as other barbs or danios. The catch, though, is maintenance.

Fishboy's questions were VERY good ones. Knowing the answers will make selecting fish a lot easier. Heck, the Tiger Barbs may not even be the best choice depending on the situation, or maybe they're perfect.

[MyraVan]

Originally Posted by TheOldSalt

A six-pack of tiger barbs will be okay in a well-maintained 10 gallon tank.

Really? OK, I don't have tiger barbs, but I do have rosy barbs, and they are fast, efficient swimmers, and I think they would really be cramped in a 10 gallon tank. If the tigers are as good at swimming as the rosies, I don't think they're appropriate for a 10 gallon tank. It's not just filtration abilitiy of the tank that we need to consider, but other things like swimming space as well.

[Damon]

Planted tanks allow you so much more le-way in stocking.

[MyraVan]

Originally Posted by Simpte

Planted tanks allow you so much more le-way in stocking.

So you're saying that tiger barbs would be OK in a heavily planted tank?

I don't get it. If they don't have enough room to swim in an unplanted 10 gallon tank, how are they going to have enough room to swim in a planted 10 gallon tank?

I understand that plants increase the bioload that your tank can handle, but as far as I can see, that just means that you can have more fish than you could without plants. I don't see how it allows you to keep bigger fish than you could without plants, especially if the reason you can't keep the fish in the tank is because it won't have the space it needs to swim.

[Lexus]

I agree that 10G would be cramping the tigers, I had them in a 29G and they were cramped in that!

[TheOldSalt]

Rosys get a lot bigger than tigers, and they swim all over the place. Tigers school a lot more tightly. Rosys in a 10? Not a good idea.

Folks, we've been keeping tiger barbs in 5 and 10 gallon tanks for some 80 years now, and whaddaya know, they even spawn in them with gusto. It may not be an optimal situation, but it works as long as the keeper is diligent about keeping things clean. The tight schooling of tigers, and the fact that they've spent most of their lives in conditions way more cramped than 6 fish in 10 gallons by the time they reach the home aquarium, allows this to work. Tigers are tough as nails anyway, and excellent tank cyclers.

Over the past several months I've noticed a trend around here in which everyone seems to have gotten the idea that all fish need about 10 gallons per inch. 4 White Clouds in a 5 gallon desktop tank? *gasp* The Horror!
Admittedly, in some cases that is very true, but a lot of us have really been going overboard a bit, it seems. It's better to err on the side of caution, of course, so it's not a bad thing. Up until now I've tried to avoid discussions on the subject.

But come on... almost every one of you has overstocked a tank like crazy with no problems. Take a look at Lexus' tank listed in her signature. Look at the pictures of Shaggy's tank. Few would argue that these tanks aren't grossly overloaded, yet they are doing just fine. Why? Because they are well-maintained.
Yes, if these and most other tanks weren't given the proper care, they would collapse in short order. 6 tiger barbs in an untended 10 gallon tank would likewise suffer.

There are several factors involved in computing the swimming space needed for a fish.
One is territoriality.
One is behavior.
One is stupidity.
One is security.
One is metabolism.
One is hardiness.

Five of these can be augmented by plants.

Now, does that mean that any species can be stuffed into any tank just as long as it is well planted? Of course not. Each species has it's own requirements and characteristics, and there is only so much that can be done to get around them.

Myra, I wouldn't dare recommend Rosy Barbs in any number for a 10 gallon tank, despite the thousands of them kept in such tanks worldwide. Tigers, though, are different fish with different characteristics, and they'll be okay with the proper care. I won't say that it's an especially good idea, though, and everyone is right in wondering if I have flipped my lid on this one. Keep up the good work, and don't let me lead you toward thinking that overcrowding is okay.

[osteoporoosi]

10gallon tank is too small for tigers, as noted before. Have you thought of stocking the tank with small tetras, or maybe a honey gourami and a bunch of amano shrimp?

[mlefev]

I have to pipe up here. I had a friend with 6 cardinal tetras, 3 tiger barbs, a couple of loaches, 5 danios and a chineese algae eater in a 10 gal. Now I personally would never cram so many fish in a tank, but hers survived 3-5 years...some a lot longer than expectancy. She also barely ever had to clean it, the chemicals were perfect. I don't know if she just had great conditions on accident, but it can be done.

Now being a beginner I would not want to put that many fish in a tank, I couldn't take care of them properly. But if someone is good at tank maintenance, and the fish aren't 5 hundred feet long at maturity (yes sarcasm here) there is some leeway.

[Lexus]

Gee thanks OLDSALT lol.... should have seen it before! let alone my 29G before I got a 55G or my 10G with 22 fish in it!

[Lydia]

i agree with the old salt

[fishboy]

laura sch17-can you please answer the questions in my first post we can't really help you till we know what we're dealing with

Here are the questions agian

Is this your first serious tank?
Do you only want agressive fish?
Are you willing to purchase and feed live/frozen foods for carnivorous fish?
What is the ph and hardness levels of the tank? (this decides what you can get)
Do you have your eye on anything specific? (Ex. Barbs, cichlids, plecos)
Is your tank planted if so want plants do you have?
Do you plan on getting any invertabrates?
What is the temperature?
Do you want alot of small fish, a few bigger fish, or a mixture?
Can you return the tiger barbs? (this would be a good idea as they would take up the whole tank)

[ALFA WOLF]

Yes pls its hard to awnser when you got no question.