tiger barbs / kissing gouramis... thought this would be ok?

[Swifterz]

i have 6 tiger barbs in my 55 gallon tank. last night i got two small pink kissing gouramis. they are about 3" long. turns out i really, really like these guys a lot more than i thought i would.

i have heard that some of these kissing gouramis can be aggressive and chase smaller fish, and i know first hand how nippy tiger barbs can be. i read a little bit and talked with some people here, and elsewhere, and it seemed like the consensus was they would be ok together. most people said the barbs might try to pick on them, but that the gouramis are also semi aggressive and wouldn't allow it for very long.

well, maybe my gouramis are wimps or something. i don't know but when i first got them in the tank yesterday, the started happily swimming around and my barbs didn't bother them for the first couple of minutes. i was excited about this cause i really like the gouramis a lot more than i expected i would.

i walked away from the tank for a few minutes and when i came back they were getting "bullied" by these two barbs of mine that are particularly mean. i watched for a few minutes and it was constant. it doesn't even seem like the gouramis are getting hurt by this, they just get nipped and swim away rather slowly, only to have the barbs give chase and nip again. this behavior was repeated for as long as i was looking last night.

i moved some decor around but it didn't make a difference. this morning when i got up and took a look it was still going on. i'm guessing it went on all night long. now i'm stuck with a decision to make. i really, really like my tiger barbs inspite of their behavior. but i also like the pink gouramis a lot more than i thouoght i would.

is it possible that there is something i can do to alleviate this behavior? add a few more barbs? add 1 more gourami? either or both?

thing is, i need to figure out what i think is going to work and be pretty confident that it will be successful or i won't be able to return the gouramis if i should decide to do so. i only have 7 days. and it's not going to fly with the store that i bought two gouramis last night, and if i were to go back today and get another, then try to bring them all back saying they aren't working out with my barbs...

[Oscar_freak12321]

If you can, try finding the tiger barbs that are being the most aggressive and take them out. Then go out and buy some different tiger barbs. This should help a little bit with the aggression problems. If you really really want to keep both, buy a divider and put the gouramis on one side and the barbs on the other. With a tank like a 55, this setup usually works pretty well.

[Red]

I would never suggest pink kissing gouramis, get very big and mean, and need lots of territory. And right now when I look at your sig, you don't have enough for the fish are in there. There were be countless fighting, and attacking, between the gouramis and the tiger barbs, or between the rainbow shark and the gouramis.

You should add nothing more, but reduce the tank. The only way you are going to get rid of it, is to get rid of fish. Now from previous threads, you won't take this and just avoid my whole responce, but its the truth.

You should return them and just save the money for a larger tank.
Take it or leave it, its the truth.

[Swifterz]

If you can, try finding the tiger barbs that are being the most aggressive and take them out. Then go out and buy some different tiger barbs. This should help a little bit with the aggression problems. If you really really want to keep both, buy a divider and put the gouramis on one side and the barbs on the other. With a tank like a 55, this setup usually works pretty well.

i have thought about fishing out the mean barbs. but replacing them could get me fish with the same demeanor. and i have to pay for them. i had 8 at one point and the aggression level was still about the same.

dividng the tank would work except i have other fish in there that need a lot more room so that wouldn't work.

[Oscar_freak12321]

Hmmm...then I would get rid of the rainbow shark and balas to clear up some room, because that is a crowded tank you have, and I would expect a lot of aggression to be seen if you don't get rid of either the kissing gouramis or the rainbow and bala sharks.

[Swifterz]

I would never suggest pink kissing gouramis, get very big and mean, and need lots of territory. And right now when I look at your sig, you don't have enough for the fish are in there. There were be countless fighting, and attacking, between the gouramis and the tiger barbs, or between the rainbow shark and the gouramis.

You should add nothing more, but reduce the tank. The only way you are going to get rid of it, is to get rid of fish. Now from previous threads, you won't take this and just avoid my whole responce, but its the truth.

You should return them and just save the money for a larger tank.
Take it or leave it, its the truth.

no i'm listening to what you say. seriously. i've removed 8 fish from the tank... 4 tetras, 2 iridescent sharks and 2 platys. i in turn added the two gouramis. this is at least a start.

[Swifterz]

there has been no interaction at all between the gouramis and the sharks. nor has there been any iteraction between the barbs and the sharks.

but i think after hearing you all talk about it the decision is clear. i do like the gouramis but i really like my barbs, so i will just return the two gouramis today. thanks for the help everyone.

[Red]

Your taking away fish, just to add more? Its like taking 3 steps foward only to step back 2 times. You could keep the gouramis, if you get rid of the balas. The thing is the gouramis will eventually die of stress, because every where they go they are getting attacked.

EDIT: What are you going to do with the balas when they get big ( sorry if already answered before)
And I am glad you are returning them, you could IMO pick up 2-3 more tigerbarbs.

[Swifterz]

Your taking away fish, just to add more? Its like taking 3 steps foward only to step back 2 times. You could keep the gouramis, if you get rid of the balas. The thing is the gouramis will eventually die of stress, because every where they go they are getting attacked.

that's why i just said i'm going to take back the gouramis.

and yes i removed 8 fish and added 2. you probably remember how big my ID sharks were, and how big they were going to get. my tetras were all 1.5" as were my platys.

then adding two 3" gouramis, i still reduced greatly the # of fish and the bioload on the tank. in being told that the gouramis and barbs woudl mix, i was obviously misinformed, or just have a bad mix of personalities in my fish.

thing is, i didn't just trust a LFS or some random person when trying to find out if they were compatible. i asked here, i searched online, i talked with people at the store. the general consensus was that it would work out. unfortunately it did not, and i'm correcting it. believe it or not, i am listening to what people say here, at least the majority of it. and i do appreciate your help/info.

[Red]

Sorry we are one off, posting at the same time, read my edit:hmm3grin2orange:

[Swifterz]

EDIT: What are you going to do with the balas when they get big ( sorry if already answered before)
And I am glad you are returning them, you could IMO pick up 2-3 more tigerbarbs.

that is EXACTLY what i'm going to do. that's what i intended to do when i went to the store last night... to come home with 3 more tiger barbs. i had been looking at the gouramis and reading about the possibility and the guy talked me into it.

as for the bala sharks, if/when they get much larger, ideally i am going to get them into a bigger tank. i recently discovered that a 75 gallon tank would work if i get the right one because it's the same lenght, just taller and deeper.

it should be crystal clear to you and everyone else by now that i LOVE my bala sharks. i am going to take very good care of them. if for some reason (because of space, money or whatever else) i can't accommodate them with a larger tank, i will have to find them a home elsewhere. will i want to do this? absolutely not. but i will be so fond of them that i will want them to have plenty of room and a happy home. ideally thought i can just upgrade in a couple of years when they get too big for this tank. i will do the right thing though i assure you. i am new at this but i'm not irresponsible and i care about the fish.

[Swifterz]

well i got home and was going to take the gouramis back. however, my wife loves them. she usually doesn't care anything about my fish and thinks it's just an "expensive hobby" that she wishes i wasn't into. i actually got them in the bag ready to go back and she talked me into putting them back in there. i was shocked to find out she actually cared so much.

i watched the fish interact for a while and some tiger barbs started harassing my largest bala shark. i hadn't noticed them doing it all before, but it continued and continued. so i ended up just taking the tiger barbs out. i do love tiger barbs but i hate the fact that they harass everything in there.

i had given the iridescent sharks back to my friend a couple days ago, and yesterday i finally got the tetras and platys out, and also gave the tiger barbs all to my friend who has a 32 gallon tank. so all that's in my tank right now is...

3 Bala Sharks
1 Rainbow Shark
2 Pink Gouramis

it is 100% peaceful at last. i'm thinking about getting a 10 gallon tank, putting in a piece of driftwood and having only tiger barbs in it. this would allow me to still keep them but they wouldn't be able to harass any other fish.

[iZinedane]

actually a 10g isnt that big for tigerbarbs as they are kept in shoals
i would recommend 20 or 30g

[Swifterz]

actually a 10g isnt that big for tigerbarbs as they are kept in shoals
i would recommend 20 or 30g

i was thinking like 6 barbs. i might not end up doing it anyway, at least not for a while.

[iZinedane]

i was thinking like 6 barbs. i might not end up doing it anyway, at least not for a while.

a 10g would not be big enough to fit 6 tiger barbs
i recommend a 20g if your keeping 6
Goodluck!
and ThankGod you returned those ID sharks! :hmm3grin2orange:

[Swifterz]

a 10g would not be big enough to fit 6 tiger barbs
i recommend a 20g if your keeping 6
Goodluck!
and ThankGod you returned those ID sharks! :hmm3grin2orange:

yeah i'm glad. now that they are out of there my bala sharks patrol the tank like i had hoped... like the way the ID sharks did before.

i really like the gouramis too. mine are so peaceful. i've not seen any aggression whatsoever out of them, towards eachother or towards any of the other fish.

[jaysee]

i was thinking like 6 barbs. i might not end up doing it anyway, at least not for a while.

Tiger barbs, if you get them SMALL, in a 10 will work for maybe a couple months. The problem is there is no where for the other fish to go when the dominant male/female go on their regular rampages. You'll end up with 4 or 5 fish just floating around, hiding behind the heater, the thermometer, the filter, and whatever else they can use for cover, while 1 or 2 fish control the tank.

[HorrorShowRot]

Hehe.. I have seen the tiger barbs pick on my gourami... And my gourami is VIOLENT. I have never seen this but my gourami actually pinned one of the tigers up against the glass O.o I have to admit it was the funniest thing I saw guess he snapped.

[Swifterz]

i'm not in a hurry to get a tiger barb tank. i just might at some point in the future. if i do it i would probably try to get a 20 gallon long tank.

i hate not having them, but i really had no other choice. i wasn't going to have them picking on all my other fish. it was getting to the point where they would mess with everything i have ever put them with. they even bothered fish that were fast moving and didn't have long or flowing fins. they picked at everything i ever had them with, except for the rainbow shark.

if i wanted to add some more gouramis, what's a good number? even number? odd number? doesn't matter? i have freed up a lot of space now. or i might go with another peaceful community fish.

[Red]

No more gouramis, do you know how big they get? You should add nothing to the tank. NOTHING. Give yourself about 6 months, and your going to be to scared to go near the tank or turn on the lights, because the balas are going to start hitting the glass of skittish, and the gouramis are going to be big, and start trying to take over the tank. You have just lowered the stock of a very overstocked tank.

Your ten gallon is overstocked as in IZ said. 10gal is not big enough for even four barbs. The reason tigerbarbs are attacking is because there is not a enough territory in the tank for them, and there trying to find it. It is why your balas and gouramis are feeling the after effect.

[Swifterz]

No more gouramis, do you know how big they get? You should add nothing to the tank. NOTHING. Give yourself about 6 months, and your going to be to scared to go near the tank or turn on the lights, because the balas are going to start hitting the glass of skittish, and the gouramis are going to be big, and start trying to take over the tank. You have just lowered the stock of a very overstocked tank.

Your ten gallon is overstocked as in IZ said. 10gal is not big enough for even four barbs. The reason tigerbarbs are attacking is because there is not a enough territory in the tank for them, and there trying to find it. It is why your balas and gouramis are feeling the after effect.

i don't have a 10 gallon tank. i only have the one tank right now.