# How big in a 10 gal



## DotFrog (Dec 27, 2011)

How big will these get in a 10 gallon?

Peppered Cory
Cherry barb
Golden Barb

Btw, The place where I got the golden barb didn't have names. The fish is mainly a bright, whitish gold with many black spots going down the upper half. Its fins are tinted red and he swims around the bottom half of the tank.:fish5: Is it a golden barb?:fish5:


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## aquaninja (Sep 6, 2011)

Yes it is a gold barb (_Puntius semifasciolatus_). It will get about 2.8 inches long. At least five gold barbs should be in a group. The peppered cory will get 2.25 inches long and the cherry barb will grow to about 2 inches. At least 5 cherry barbs should be in a group. (Just so you know, you can't have five cherry barbs with five gold barbs and a peppered cory in a 10 gallon, unless you have a filter for a larger tank.


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## DotFrog (Dec 27, 2011)

Actually, I only have 1 golden barb with two cherry barbs who school happily with my other fish. Unless I double filter, that's just about how many fish I should have in my tank. Is the smaller school ok?

Also are golden barbs classified as semi aggressive? He is a little nippy. (not much harm done, though.)


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

They would be happier in a bigger tank with a larger school.


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## Skeeter91 (Dec 28, 2011)

The bigger the school the better....I remember having a barb that lasted me 3 years by itself....poor fish was a always lonely but he always killed his other school partners


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

Keep an eye on them, barbs usually need to be in shoals so that they don't terrorize everything else in the tank (including themselves). I had 2 tiger barbs that had to go back to the store cuz they picked on everyone smaller than them. (which was fine till they became the biggest thing in the tank..)


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## DotFrog (Dec 27, 2011)

My two cherries and golden barb school together, they seem happy exploring the tank and searching for food, they have been together for over 2 months now.


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## MMAsac (Jan 5, 2012)

agreed with above, just keep an eye on them to see how it goes.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Please, please, please research the adult size of any fish before you buy them! 

As everyone has said, each barb species should be in groups of 6+, less usually means more aggression. But, since you said so far that your 3 barbs have gotten along, just do like everyone has said and keep an eye on them.

As for the Khuli's in your signature, re-home them. Khuli's get to be 3-5" long and need a tank that is larger than 10 gallons. Not sure if you have gravel or sand, but they also really need sand so they don't loose their barbels. 

I would also re-home the cory, as they need to be in groups of 6+ as well, and he's really not going to be happy on his own. (Corys also should be on sand so they don't scratch off their barbels.) 

With 3 Kuhlis, 3 barbs and 1 cory, you're over stocking your tank and are going to run into trouble down the road.

I'm not trying to be mean or "bash" your tank at all - I'm speaking from experience. I had a 10g tank when I first started on this forum, and had it over stocked as well. Things were fine for the first while, and I ignored everyone telling me I had too many fish... then it all started to go down hill and I ended up losing most of my fish.


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## DotFrog (Dec 27, 2011)

Thank you holly! I have many questions about that post.
Re- homing the fish. How can I give my fish a bigger home if I have had them for a while and I can't sell them or give them back to the pet store. 
By over stocked do you mean I would be better off with the 20 g filter im getting, or the tank is too small?
My Cory and kuhlies hide together in a tiny cave no bigger than my fist 12 hours a day. I only see them if I'm up at night. And did you say they can scratch off their beautiful whiskers?
Also, I know you know what to do, but I have been attached to black kuhli loaches ever since I knew about fish tanks. I love mine very much, and I've had them rest, and eat on my hand... Basically, do I really for the better of them need to get rid of them?
Thank you.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

A filter for a 20g will help the water quality, but you still need to be doing weekly water changes for sure.

If the gravel isn't rounded (if it has sharp edges) then yes, the Kuhlis and cory can wear their barbels off. If you've had them for a long time like you say, and you haven't seen a problem, then they may be ok. You could always put some sand in for them in one area if you wanted.

It would be best if they could all have a bigger home - even a 20g tank would work for all of them. Maybe think about saving up to buy a 20g tank, in the near future. Then use the 20g filter AND the 10g filter on the 20g tank. More filtration is better.


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## DotFrog (Dec 27, 2011)

Ok, thanks! Actually, I've gone from just my kuhli loaches in a 5.5 gallon, so I upgraded to a 10 gallon (ppl at petsmart told me to do this) I still have the old tank. How much harder is it to take care of a 20 gallon?


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

It's not any harder than taking care of a 10g. Actually, larger tanks are actually easier to care for than smaller ones because water parameter fluctuations don't affect it as fast as they do in a smaller tank. I went from a 10g to a 20g and also have a 36g and I don't find them any harder to care for.


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## SeanM (Jan 3, 2012)

Jumping from a 10g to a 20g is not a big step up in terms of tank maintenance. I think you'd need quite a jump to really notice the extra work (like 10g to a 90g), I went from a 38g to a 65g while keeping my 38g and didn't really notice any significant amounts of extra work. Also, if you do end up buying a 20g tank you are probably better to go with a 20g Long as opposed to a 20g High, as it will give your bottom feeders more floor space and your schooling fish more length to swim. High tanks are only really good for "tall" fish such as Angels or Discus.


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## DotFrog (Dec 27, 2011)

If I get my 5.5 gallon going again would it be too small for the barbs to be in?


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Yep - a 5.5 gallon isn't really good for anything other than a Betta with some snails. 

To keep barbs from becoming aggressive, they should be kept in 6+, but those numbers combined with their size does not allow for them to be kept in a tank that small. They may be fine in the group of 3 that they are in, but they will still be too big to keep in a 5.5 gal.

I agree with SeanM as well - a 20 long would be better than a standard 20, because it gives the fish more horizontal swimming space.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I don't know what book you all have been reading, but Cherry Barbs are far from aggressive. Very active, but no aggression and one of the most peaceful fish in my tanks. I hear Golden Barbs have the same temperament, but I've never kept them. If you were talking Tiger Barbs, Green Barbs maybe, I'd agree with the aggression. All Barbs are not the same.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I agree with jrman - you have two peaceful barb species there. I also agree with the people who suggest more space. 
In nature, most popular aquarium barbs live in a world of steady activity. They are sociable and very intent on figuring out rank within a school. It can get extreme with tiger barbs, for whom a life without competition means beating the stuffing out of all their tankmates. They get bored and try to get everyone in the tank to follow their rules (I bite you, you bite me, we know who bites harder, we get along without biting...). If the other fish aren't barbs, their rules are different, and the tiger barbs don't back off. 
Cherry barbs and goldens could become a little nippy from boredom in a small tank, but I doubt it. They'd be happier with a bigger yard to run in and more group members to socialize with though. 
A lone fish in the wild has lost its 'protection from numbers' its main way of surviving. They can get very tentative and nervous sometimes, since every instinct tells them to prepare to be eaten when they are alone. Most of the time, they settle down, but they are always low-key and not as active.
Doubling the filtration doesn't do much, btw.
I had a bunch of fives I sold because I find small tanks like that twice the work of a 20.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Sorry, not thinking right, and just saw "barb", lol. Ben and Nav' are right - Cherries are more docile, but, they still need more than a 5.5 gal.


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## DotFrog (Dec 27, 2011)

Really? My barbs hardly swim at all! They just rest from plant to plant, just sitting together.


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