Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 30 gallon tank with mollies,guppies,tetras,rasboras,angles,and TIGER BARBS. this is my problem when I got them I wasnt told how mean they are so I did a lil research and went and bought 2 more for the 2 that I had because I was told that this would make them quit nipping my other fish and chasing them. Did I make a mistake?

oh and this is the funny thing they dont mess with my guppies I read that they cant live together but they try to eat I guess you could say everything else that swims by them. if someone could help clear this up for me that would be wonderfull,

Thanks Alot,
really stressed out

You will need to remove the tiger barbs as soon as you read this. Tiger barbs are considered semi-aggressive by everything I can find on them, however, through personal experience I've ruled them species only. Your mollies, guppies, tetras, and rasboras are considered community and should not be mixed with other temperaments. Angels are also considered semi-aggressive (some of them) while others are considered community. That research would be up to you, but if you need help identifying them just let us know. Once you take the tiger barbs out, things should instantly calm down. Keep us posted on the results.
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Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

I took the tiger barbs out they are in my 10gal breeding tank for the time being I'll probly rehome them. they are neat fish just not the fish for my tank or mates. I took them out because they just wouldnt leave the other fish alone and even thought the 2 I just got wasnt doing anything dosent mean they wont they are still TIGER BARBS what is your opinion on rosey barbs because I have some of them too they seem ok for the most part but I catch them niping every once and a while

Once again, rosy barbs are semi-aggressive species and should not be housed with community fish. It sounds to me like you are growing out of your community tank and want a semi aggressive or aggressive type fish. You will have to have a new tank set up for these more aggressive species. If you want to know the classifications of fish, do not add the fish until you have conducted the proper research. You can find this information on www.liveaquaria.com. They also have a compatibility chart, that should also help you if you are looking for new tankmates for your community tank.
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Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

no the problem is I had the tiger barbs and didnt know they where mean till I got time. then when I set up another tank I got the rosey barbs and the store didnt tell me they where semi-aggessive eather I looked them up on the net yesterday they say there community fish and its fine so it gets really confusing. I think the only way to know is to ask someone that has had them before thats why I come here. you have been great at helping me with my question. you see I started with a 1 gal with about 4 baby guppies in it and now I'm up to a 30 gal I hope I get it right soon because I only like the nice fish I dont like it when they try to eat each other (other words a community tank) the barbs are out but I dont know about the cherry barbs they seem to most bother my angels because they swim to fast

Oh I see. It's just that you don't know. Well you've come to the right place. I love to help people get great pleasure from their fish tanks. I am an aspiring marine biologist you see. So I LOVE fish and do all I can to know about them. So check out the www.liveaquaria.com for temperaments, or you can just ask me here. Cherry barbs are also semi-aggressive, which could be the reason they are picking on your angels. I would take it out too. Then you should have a peaceful, community tank. You probably can take all the barbs back to the pet store for store credit or maybe your money back. Or you can choose to set up a semi aggressive tank as well (I will work with you on that if you want one). Personally I like the more aggressive species because they are more entertaining to me. I've had a semi-aggressive tank, and I liked it more than my guppies... but I think guppies are pretty too.
For reference information on fish, I would strongly recommend starting at a place like www.liveaquaria.com. They rarely steer you wrong. (They say tiger barbs are semi-aggressive). I wish you well in your fishie endeavors.
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Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."