# question about tankmates



## japan4racing (Feb 18, 2009)

my girlfreind and i recently bought a 38 gallon aquarium. we currently have 2 tiger barbs, 2 cown loachs, and 1 rainbow shark. the barbs are about 1.5" each the loachs are about 2.5" and the shark is about 2.5". i understand the loach and shark grow pretty large and was wondering how long it takes for them to out grow our current tank. we plan on buying 4 more tiger barbs in a couple weeks as well as a pleco. can we fit more fish in this tank? would it be a good idea to try anyother species? if need be we can get rid of fish to make room for others...we are just looking for suggestions for tank mates for our barbs, loachs and the shark


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## gelauck (Feb 18, 2009)

the loaches will definitely outgrow the tank...though i am not sure how long it will take. i think the shark will be fine in that tank for quite a while, if not indefinitely, although ive heard 50 gallons+ is ideal. make sure it has several hiding spots, a hollow log or cave. tiger barbs need to be kept in groups of 6+ so definitely buy a few more. i would not suggest a pleco, because it is just one more fish that will outgrow the tank, and also depending on how long youve had the tank, you _may_ not yet have enough algae to require an algae eater. plecos get _very_ large. you probably dont want clown loaches or plecos unless you have a tank of 75 gallons+. i am definitely not an expert however, but i think many people would agree.


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## gelauck (Feb 18, 2009)

certain types of plecos would be ok


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## saddison (Jan 9, 2009)

if you get a rubberlip, bristlenose or bulldog pleco, you will be fine. they grow to a max of 6"
there are MANY different types of plecos.. go online and do research to find one that fits your tank size~


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## japan4racing (Feb 18, 2009)

we had seen the many different types..i guess i should have stated which we wanted...we dont know for sure the exact one but we just want it to be a smaller one that gets along with our current fish. it will be a week or 2 before i get one IF i get one..the tank has only been up and running for about 2 weeks. the 5 fish we have in it have only been in for about a week. aside from 4 more barbs and possibly a small pleco...is there anything that may be compatable with the fish i have already?


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## Doedogg (Jun 21, 2008)

I would just up the school of barbs to 10-12, they really are a fun active fish to watch.


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## gelauck (Feb 18, 2009)

you could put in a few corys, there are alot of different varieties. you could also mix in a few albino tiger barbs and a few green tiger barbs....i have tigers and albino tigers and they school together and dont bother the other fish. you could throw in some danios as well. i have all those fish together now and they are all happy.


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## gelauck (Feb 18, 2009)

if you dont want a large group of tiger barbs you should get rid of them while you only have 2...that is the situation with my tank. i have 6 and should probably add a few more but im also considering getting rid of them so i can add more variety. tiger barbs can limit your choices because if they are not happy they can harass your other fish to death, and the way to keep them happy is to have a lot of them. they can be fun to watch though because they set up a pecking order. many people really like them.


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## japan4racing (Feb 18, 2009)

well my girlfriend is set on the barbs so they cant go the loachs might could go though...i think we will try some danios and 4 or 5 more barbs. thanks for the help guys!


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## gelauck (Feb 18, 2009)

if you happen to live within an hour of boston, ma you can have all 6 of my tiger barbs for free.


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## japan4racing (Feb 18, 2009)

i live in middle ga so guess that cant happen! too bad too...oh well thanks for the offer


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## BCRXcel (Feb 18, 2009)

japan4racing said:


> well my girlfriend is set on the barbs so they cant go the loachs might could go though...i think we will try some danios and 4 or 5 more barbs. thanks for the help guys!


I have 4 Danios in my tank right now, they are really active and fun to watch, the more the better, the way they weave in and out of their school is so entertaining, I was actually going to suggest danios but I read your comment. My danios are not too big and will not get bigger then 3 inches in a 55 gallon, another thing I added to the danios was a turquoise and a red rainbow and these guys actually school together with the danios and are brilliantly colored.


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## gelauck (Feb 18, 2009)

as it turns out, you would not want my tiger barbs....they developed ich today. i have alot to learn about aquariums and i have already learned a couple lessons. once you get your tank established, if you are going to add any additional fish, it is wise to quarantine them in a separate tank for a few days, like a cheap 10 gallon. i have been battling ich for weeks now and i finally thought i had it under control but it is back. this started because i purchased a sick serpae tetra from petco. it is long since died but i am still feeling the effects. be careful where you buy your fish and think about a quarantine tank....if i had done that initially it would have saved me weeks of frustration.


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## japan4racing (Feb 18, 2009)

when you put them in a quarantine tank what do you do???? just put them there and watch or do you put them there and medicate?


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## gelauck (Feb 18, 2009)

i am still new at this, but i think all you want to do is have a small tank that any fish you buy goes in for a few days before you add it to your main tank. it is just an extra precaution because when you buy a fish at the store it could be sick but not showing any symptoms yet. i would never medicate as a precaution...the medication itself can kill the fish potentially. it should be a cycled tank though, otherwise the fish will possibly die anyway. i am learning all this stuff the hard way.


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## japan4racing (Feb 18, 2009)

ok thats good info..i will remember that! thanks! im going probably sunday to get 4 more barbs maybe some danios and possibly a small pleco if i can find them...i just hope i can find one that doesnt get huge


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## aspects (Feb 22, 2009)

gelauck said:


> the loaches will definitely outgrow the tank...though i am not sure how long it will take.


they will be fine for a while. loaches grow very slowly, this is one of the reasons they are so expensive at larger sizes. it will take them around a year to reach the 6" mark


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## japan4racing (Feb 18, 2009)

well, how big do clown loachs actually get...petsmart says 4-6" some places on the net say 12". if 6" is there full size i can handle that but if they are gonna be 12" they may have to go


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## aspects (Feb 22, 2009)

ive seen them as big as 12" but they say they can grow to 16". but like i said. they grow very slow. and after they hit the 6" mark, it seems they grow even slower. id say keep them as long as your tankspace will allow, and if you dont upgrade to a bigger tank by then, see about selling them off. at 6" they will get you $20+/ea


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## gelauck (Feb 18, 2009)

loaches get very thick when they get large, and they also prefer to be in groups of their own, although they do like and school with tiger barbs when they are smaller(i know that from experience)...however, mine got sick and died very small. they can live to be 30 years or more, the part i read said 2x the age of a small dog. 

i went to a new fish store last night and it was heaven; i spent a lot of time looking and asking questions and the people there are amazing. 
i actually talked about clown loaches with them and asked about them outgrowing tanks...they agreed with 'aspects' and said it takes a long time, and even then, you can sell them back to a store...so you could very likely keep them for quite a while and then consider upping your tank or selling it....you should check into whether or not keeping just one is a good idea, though...but just to see them when they are grown, check out some of the photos on this page here: Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) — Loaches Online

my 46 gallon is doing well now, but there is still ick in the 10 gallon...but not for much longer.

i bought an additional 5 zebra danios for my 46 gallon tank and now have 8 altogether.

the 46 gallon has: 

8 zebra danios 
2 serpae tetra
2 emerald corys
1 julii cory (i will add more corys later)
1 rainbow shark


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## HeatherM (Feb 5, 2009)

The purpose of a quarantine tank is to be treated for an array of things.

Internal / External Parasites / Ich 

Most people start their quarantine by treating with salt / heat to kill off Ich then they watch for External Parasites and take care of Internals by feeding medicated foods. A good quarantine is ran for up to 8 weeks with 6 being the minimum.


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## gelauck (Feb 18, 2009)

oh, one other interesting thing that i learned last night....it has to do with why it is important to buy from good dealers, and also to do with why it is a good idea to quarantine them for a few days. apparently alot of the fish in the stores CAN be swimming in water that contains antibiotics etc in it and when you take it home and introduce it to a new environment, it's immune system may be temporarily compromised by stress and also the lack of that medicine.


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## japan4racing (Feb 18, 2009)

i ended up getting some zebra danios and some albino tiger barbs..im thinking when the loach's get too large i will just try to sell them or give them away


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