# What about Yellow Labs and Tiger Barbs...



## Mikelodeon (Aug 6, 2008)

I am just wondering if I could have my Yellow Labs and Tiger Barbs together...
I think they have almost the same temperament (not to bad), they need the same temperature and both are so fast ! and equal agressive... just my impression.

What do you think about this? I am just saying .

Thanx


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

All depends on the tank size, but I have mixed them together successfully before.


----------



## Tex915 (Nov 20, 2008)

*** got 2 yellow labs and 2 barbs in a tank toegther, one of the barbs is now missing scales on his side.


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Tex915 said:


> I've got 2 yellow labs and 2 barbs in a tank toegther, one of the barbs is now missing scales on his side.


Often just keeping two tiger barbs alone that will happen, they need to be kept in schools.


----------



## Tex915 (Nov 20, 2008)

so should I add more barbs, and if so, how many?


----------



## Mikelodeon (Aug 6, 2008)

I've had Tiger Barbs before... you need to keep them in schools of 5 or more.

If you have just two one of them is going to beat the other one, having a school is supposed to decrease that behavior. Maybe that behavior is because you have just two.

So you are keeping Cichlids and Tiger Barbs... have you seen some mess between them? are your Tigers juveniles or adults? I am afraid cause the cichlids are bigger, but Tigers are so fast and they can be very agressive too.


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Mikelodeon said:


> I've had Tiger Barbs before... you need to keep them in schools of 5 or more.
> 
> If you have just two one of them is going to beat the other one, having a school is supposed to decrease that behavior. Maybe that behavior is because you have just two.
> 
> So you are keeping Cichlids and Tiger Barbs... have you seen some mess between them? are your Tigers juveniles or adults? I am afraid cause the cichlids are bigger, but Tigers are so fast and they can be very agressive too.


How big is your tank? Dimensions and volume. How big are your cichlids? Check out my tanks, to see Labs and Tiger Barbs mixed in a 29 gallon.


----------



## Tex915 (Nov 20, 2008)

Mikelodeon said:


> I've had Tiger Barbs before... you need to keep them in schools of 5 or more.
> 
> If you have just two one of them is going to beat the other one, having a school is supposed to decrease that behavior. Maybe that behavior is because you have just two.
> 
> So you are keeping Cichlids and Tiger Barbs... have you seen some mess between them? are your Tigers juveniles or adults? I am afraid cause the cichlids are bigger, but Tigers are so fast and they can be very agressive too.


My barbs are juvies, compared to others I have owned in the past. They do mess with eachother a bit, but my cichlids don't touch them. MY GT is far too slow to catch either of them. Although, I was thinking, maybe at night when the fish are normally at the bottom of the tank (sleeping?) my GT might be going after them..

My tank is small, only for a time being. It's a 20 gallon, and I'm buying a new tank on Wed. There is plenty of room for the fish to swim around since they are all so small, but I know they wont be small for long. I'm going to look on CL for a tank, but I don't think I can go bigger than 30 gal.

One more question- Why do many sites say you only need two gallon of tank per every inch of fish? So by that my friends 5 inch oscar should fit in a 10 gallon tank? :-?

I would never do that, but still I am curious.


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Tex915 said:


> One more question- Why do many sites say you only need two gallon of tank per every inch of fish? So by that my friends 5 inch oscar should fit in a 10 gallon tank? :-?
> 
> I would never do that, but still I am curious.


This rule of thumb is often applicable for tropical fish, but obviously not for larger fish, or cichlids whose needs are more defined by size or territorial requirements.


----------

