# Tiger Barbs wit cichlids in a 120g



## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

I want to keep a big school of tiger barbs in my tank which will be my sa/ca setup.. Right now i only have a jack dempsey. I want a school of around 15 tiger barbs. Anyone have any other suggestions for cihclids that could be ok for the barbs and dempsey. I was thinking about a bichir and a green terror as tankmates.

Dimensions are 60x18x27
Filtration are Fluval Fx5, Emp 400
Decor will be PFS, driftwood and live plants(java fern, amazon swords)


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## Shifty (Jan 18, 2009)

Great question, I know they are fin-nippers but I am curious also.

I know that I want a dither fish also, but I hear that some fish that can outrun the JDs and other SA/CA cichlids are Giant Danios, but they don't have much color like the barbs...


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## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

Thats why i wanted the barbs. The color on them would look really nice wit the cichlids. Anyone?
Need some help


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## Beo (Jan 26, 2008)

The determining factor is likely to be the ages (and consequent sizes) of the fish concerned. My experience with tiger barbs as dithers is that they work very well in large tanks in large groups _for a while_. In a 5' tank any JD worthy of the name is likely to hunt them down in short(ish) order. I have never yet found a dither fish that works with an adult male JD over the long run and I have tried many things, including Buenos Aires tetras, Black Widow tetras (I believe they are referred to as Black Skirt tetras in North America), Tiger Barbs, Zebra and Giant Danios, Swordtails and Sailfin Mollies. All of them are likely to survive for a short while, until one night the number begins to reduce . . .

If the Tiger Barbs can be introduced to the tank first, there is sufficient cover and they are of reasonable size they may last a while (particularly if the JD is small), but IME non-cichlid dithers for predatory fish like JDs are simply expensive additions to the menu.

I would imagine a Green Terror would have much the same impact over time, though I have only had one for a very brief period. At the time (approx 15 years ago) I had a 7' x 2' x 2' tank which housed a mixed bag of cichlid and non-cichlid tankmates. It included a 5-6" Green Terror and a similarly sized Midas cichlid. I foolishly added 20 large Tiger Barbs to act as dithers - the sight of them schooling and swimming together throughout the tank was great, but they disappeared with increasing frequency after lights out! I took the Green Terror back to the LFS and gave up on the Tiger Barb idea . . .

If it were me I would avoid all Parachromis, Nandopsis and Herichthys type predatory cichlids if you want to maintain a shoal of small-medium sized barbs/tetras or similar. Of course, I can only quote my own experiences and all fish are different. In my own 5' tank which includes a breeding pair of JDs I have four Rainbow cichlids to act as dithers - they are an awesome addition to any small/medium cichlid community because the JDs generally ignore them and they are constantly active and fascinating fish in their own right.

Just my two pence worth . . .


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## PepoLD (Dec 9, 2009)

> If it were me I would avoid all Parachromis, Nandopsis and Herichthys type predatory cichlids if you want to maintain a shoal of small-medium sized barbs/tetras or similar.


id add Viejas and Salvinis.. 

I was trying to do the same, (you can check it on a thread called Salvini odds.) didn't work for me, but then again, i have some of the species that Beo mentioned 

Tiger Barbs were by far the most resistant dithers that I tried.. At some point i thought they would make it, they lasted hours vs most tetras lasted minutes instead



> but IME non-cichlid dithers for predatory fish like JDs are simply expensive additions to the menu.


Totally agree...


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## bgko (Oct 24, 2007)

I currently have a Male JD 10" and Tiger Barbs in a 90 Gallon. The tank had an adult green terror and convict that have passed on. The Barbs have done real well with them for last 4 or 5 years. Occasionally a barb dies but not due to the cichlids, I think they tend to over eat and bloat. I just replace them with larger tiger barbs from my local fish store now. They are bite sized but I guess I have lucked out and my cichlids have shown no interest in them.


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

There's a lot of variables to successful cohabitation between cichlids and dithers.

1) The type of cichlid. Predatory types are obviously more likely to eat smaller dithers than vegetarian cichlids.

2) The type of dithers. I've found the best ones are the ones that stay near the top of the tank. Also the size of the dithers does matter. The larger the dithers, the better.

3) The size of the tank. Obviously, if you give the dithers enough room to avoid the cichlid, it won't get the chance to try to kill the dithers. Also, the behavior of an aggressive species changes a bit, with a larger tank.

4) Numbers....the fewer the number of dithers versus the greater the number of cichlids---and your chances go down. Also, with many dither species, the behavior changes when a certain number is kept. They almost become "one larger fish" if you get enough of them.

5) Individual fish temperament. This is easy to overlook. Some cichlids will tolerate certain tankmates, but not others. I've owned a number of cichlids over the years, and I can honestly say that each one is different. I've only ever had one cichlid that I truly had to isolate.

Here is an example of numbers 2 & 5 in play. 
I removed my male BB from my 125g due to aggression issues. He was killing other cichlids, and tormenting my 2 larger Synodontus catfish and pleco. 
I moved the BB to a 75g with 12 giant danios (8 normal and 4 albino) a smaller pleco and an upside down Synodontus catfish. My BB killed off all of the albino danios, but for the most part ignores the other tankmates. He spends his day rearranging the gravel, and trying to attack my kids whenever thy walk by the tank.


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## PepoLD (Dec 9, 2009)

can you post some pics of that BB???  
id love to see him


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## Shifty (Jan 18, 2009)

So what kind of #'s are we talking for the barbs? 5, 10, 15, 20?


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## jeaninel (Nov 1, 2009)

This is just my opinion, but I think it's much harder to introduce dithers after the cichlids have already taken up residence in the tank. Depending how big your JD is he may see the addition of dithers as just a snack. I've got Tiger Barbs with a female Salvini and a Carpintis but the Tiger Barbs were the first fish in the tank. The Sal was added about a month later and she was young, only about 1-1/2". The Carpintis was the last to be added. They've done well together for quite awhile. However, now that the sal has grown a bit (she's now about 3") she is starting to show more aggression towards the barbs. And I believe she made her first kill last night as there was a dead barb this morning. So it's only a matter of time before the cichlids start picking them off. The Tiger barbs look great in the tank and they are fun to watch because they're so active. But at night when they are sleeping is when they are most vulnerable.


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## MonteSS (Dec 8, 2008)

Tiger barbs are good dithers. I use Black Ruby Barbs and like them too. They are less aggressive.

A Nicaraguense goes well with a JD. Female Salvini too

...Bill


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## Markoi (May 8, 2010)

Sorry for the long reply back, busy over the week. Anyway i havent actually setup the tank yet. The jack dempsey is in my 55g until i setup the tank. He is around 1-2 inches now and eating like a pig.

Based on what you guys have said i think ill add the barbs first. Also ill add a salvini and a nicarag. cichlid as tankmates.

So:
Salvini x1
JD x1
Nic cichlid x1
Tiger barbs x15

I might also add some bushynose plecos in there but idk for sure.
Anything wrong with this?


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## MonteSS (Dec 8, 2008)

Sounds good. You can add a Con/HRP too since you have no breeding pairs. And gwowing them up together since small helps alor IME.

...Bill


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## Jcclark (Oct 22, 2020)

Well. About 2 years ago I got a tank. I cycled this tank. I added minnows. Most lived through the cycling. ( I know. This is harsh for some.) however the tank is great, well cycled. Strong! This was 2 years ago. I got a pair of jack demsey's. 5 tiger barbs, a ram cichlid, 2 gouramis, 5 yellow lab cichlids. This was a beautiful 100 gal tank. Everyone was happy. Until.... the one male Jack Dampsey became a teenager. Then an adult. In 2 years he has eaten everything besides the female JD and the one gourami. He is a jerk, a beautiful jerk, but definitely a jerk. I will literally have just him and the female in a 100 gal tank in about a week or so. He has eaten every fish. So try not to put any other fish in with a JD.


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