10 gallon barb tank help

[Kyle17]

hello guys im moving my 2 cichlids and a small oscar to my new 120 gallon tank and have the 10 gallon left over, i want to make a barb tank, what are good numbers and species of barbs to put together and co exist healthy and happy. thanks :)

[ScottishFish]

Jeez, your oscar must be loving the 120, a 10G is like solitary confinement for an oscar

I don't think there's a lot of barb species you can keep in a 10G, I can only think of cherry barbs, you might manage 8 cherries in a 10G

[Zander]

Best type of barb to keep in a tank that small would be Cherry Barbs. They aren't aggressive and they stay small. Most barbs don't fit that. There are a handful of medium sized barbs that are a little big for a 10 gallon, like Tiger Barbs. And they get fairly aggressively.

Speaking from experience I would suggest getting the smallest fish possible for a 10 gallon, so that you don't have to upgrade later. 1.5 inches or less preferably. Harlequin Rasboras, Glowlight Tetras, Neon Tetras, or smaller micro-Rasboras or tiny tetras like Ember Tetras if you can find them. Those are the few fish that would allow you to get a good amount of them in such a small tank. One thing I have learned about small tanks is they are boring if they don't have a decent amount of fish in them.

[~firefly~]

I keep cherry barbs and I wouldn't keep them in a 10gallon. They are shy, enjoy larger numbers and heavy planting to feel safe - I'm not sure you could provide them with that and give them enough space in a 10g.

Why don't you consider some of the smaller tetras instead? Or keep a large school of micro rasboras?

You might also consider shrimp which are different and interesting to keep.

[Kyle17]

thanks for the responses, the only reason im running the 10 and not a 29 gallon is that i invested a ton in the set up of the 120 gallon tank, i want to make somthing small for my nephew so when he comes over he can look at it cause he loves fish, what is the life span/ habits and eating habits of neon tetras, and would the be small enough for a school of 10?

[~firefly~]

I should think neons would do fine in it, especially if you plant the tank.

You could also look at harlequin rasboras. Great little fish.

[imma24]

You could easily have 10-12 neons in a 10gal - they are small and colorful - however, you would need to make sure the tank is cycled first because they tend to be sensitive and need good water parameters.

I agree that cherry barbs wouldn't be good for a tank that size - I have several myself and they don't stay as small as neons do.