Title: Rosy Barbs
Description: Advice on tank mates
shadowfax1300 - July 11, 2007 08:05 AM (GMT)
Hello,
I have a 30 gal tank with 5 rosy barbs and 3 bleeding heart tetras. I would like to add one more species but i can't for the life of me decide what. It is a show tank so I have to pay some attention to color. The room its in it mostly soft pink and the plants in general are sort of greenish reddish. I was thinking possibly another species of tetra, but they are all fairly shy and one reason I love my rosy barbs so much is because of how bold and active they are. I also like gouramis, and used to have some but I'm worried the rosys will nip their long fins. Of course I'm sure there are tons of other fish out there that would work that I haven't even thought of! Anyway, I would love some suggestions and/or advice!
Thanks!
Robyn - July 11, 2007 05:53 PM (GMT)
Both of your fish species can be nippy and are less so in larger groups. They would enjoy more of their own kind but you can certainly add some other species of fish. I do think gouramis might get bitten if added. There are many options. Here are some ideas.
How about some corydoras catfish for the bottom of the tank. They come in many species and colors (none pink though).
There are many species of small tetras as you say. Some are more shy than others. The smaller, faster ones could avoid being bitten by the other fish, perhaps. There are also some barbs that might be ok in that group, maybe even the red cherry barbs. I've not combined too many fish with my rosy barbs. I've had white cloud mountain minnows, otocinclus, Siamese algae eater, and panda cories with them before. The last three species did show some fin damage though which may have been from the rosy barbs.
There are a lot of fish with various reds in them, too many to list. I hope you find a species pleasing to your eye that also is compatible with the existing fish.
shadowfax1300 - July 11, 2007 06:43 PM (GMT)
Ok, thank you very much! I'll look into your suggestions!
shadowfax1300 - July 12, 2007 04:07 AM (GMT)
I was wondering, how full is my tank? If I add two more bleeding hearts and two more rosy barbs how much room will I have left? I know the general rule is one inch of fish per gallon but I find it very hard to estimate how many inches of fish i have in my tank.
Robyn - July 12, 2007 05:41 PM (GMT)
I have a 50 gallon tank with 37 rosy barbs (and 3 other fish)! Those came from just one pair. So, the equivalent in a 30 gallon tank would be 22 rosy barbs. I would try to keep less than 20 fish in there. Most of my rosy barbs are about 2 inches long but it is crowded in there.
With 7 rosy barbs and 5 bleeding hearts, you could probably still add half a dozen other fish (under 3" max length).