tiger barbs too aggressive for my aquarium?

[madmercury]

Hey guys. I have been contemplating getting green tiger barbs for a few weeks now. I really love the way they look, but I'm afraid that if I get them they will bully the rest of my fish. I have a 38 gallon tank with several plants and a few hiding spots for the shyer fish. Right now I have 17 fish, which include 5 black skirt tetras, 5 red serpae tetras, 3 diamond tetras, 1 pearl gourami, and 3 dwarf gouramis. I would like to hear your thoughts on purchasing 5-7 tiger barbs. Do you think these fish are too aggressive for my fish (especially since quite a few of them have long fins)?

[butterbean]

Tiger barbs are bad fin nippers

[Azurescriber]

Yes I think they are too aggressive, especially in those low numbers.

Also, I think that many DGs in that small of a tank is begging for slaughter at some point. I recommend keeping your favorite gourami....the pearl, maybe...and returning the rest.

Then you can make proper schools for the rest of the fish and call it a day.

[ijankrom]

Yeah I've heard larger numbers tend to help with aggressive behavior. I've read Tiger Barbs and Blackskirt Tetras are compatible though.

[Lady Hobbs]

Tiger Barbs should be overstocked actually to prevent their aggression. I would not dream of putting dominate Tigers in that tank with the fish you have. Three gourami's will also not work. I would see if you can take back those 3 gourami's (keeping the pearl) and build up the schools of fish you already have. None of the tetra's are in adaquate schools.

[steeler58]

+ 1 listen to the Lady.

[Rave]

I currently have 6 Tigers, 1 albino 3 green and 2 normal.
I got them over the course of a few months, when I only had 3 they went after every fish in the tank, bigger or smaller. however after adding a couple more (=5) they stopped attacking anything other then themselves.
I would occassionally notice they would nip eachothers fins, but since then, they have never attacked any other fish.
IMO as long as their numbers are 5 or more, they should not harm any other fish, so long as they are not feeder sized.
I've had such success that I even keep a mid sized Discus in the tank with them, its been there about a year or so with no nips or torn scales as of yet.

That being said however. I do not think your tetras would survive more then a few days with the tigers, as they would just look like food to your tigers.


(please dont flame about the discus, if ever I thought it was at risk or stressed I would put it in another tank)