To full?
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I've heard different stories on overcrowding...
Lot's of people say 1 inch of fish per gallon of water.... by that standard I'm way over crowded.... I have a 55 gallon tank and 31 fish (or at least I will have that many shortly, I have to replace a few that were struck by ick)
I have talked to many people on the subject and it seems that as long as you hae the right mix of fish (some top feeders, some bottom, and some mid) you can have a lot more than 1 inch of fish per gallon of water... the key there though is that you ned to have enough filtration.
Personally I try to have 1 inch of fish per gallon of filtration. For instance I have a regent powerfilter good for a 60 Gal tank plus a Penguin 330 good for a 70 Gallon tank. that gives me 130 gallons worth of filtration (at least that's how it works in my mind) I am considering upgrading my regent to a Millenium 3000 whic is supposed ot be rated for 100 gallon tank
but I have
4 guppies
5 plattys
5 mollies
1 betta
that are all top feeders
5 sword tails that are mid fish
4 albino rainbow sharks
4 rainbow sharks
3 pictus catfish,
2 golden algea eaters,
2 chinease algea eaters.
Also of importance is to provide plenty of hiding spaces when you have a large number of fish in the tank.
My fish are all healthy and happy (at least the ones who survived the ick)
Lot's of people say 1 inch of fish per gallon of water.... by that standard I'm way over crowded.... I have a 55 gallon tank and 31 fish (or at least I will have that many shortly, I have to replace a few that were struck by ick)
I have talked to many people on the subject and it seems that as long as you hae the right mix of fish (some top feeders, some bottom, and some mid) you can have a lot more than 1 inch of fish per gallon of water... the key there though is that you ned to have enough filtration.
Personally I try to have 1 inch of fish per gallon of filtration. For instance I have a regent powerfilter good for a 60 Gal tank plus a Penguin 330 good for a 70 Gallon tank. that gives me 130 gallons worth of filtration (at least that's how it works in my mind) I am considering upgrading my regent to a Millenium 3000 whic is supposed ot be rated for 100 gallon tank
but I have
4 guppies
5 plattys
5 mollies
1 betta
that are all top feeders
5 sword tails that are mid fish
4 albino rainbow sharks
4 rainbow sharks
3 pictus catfish,
2 golden algea eaters,
2 chinease algea eaters.
Also of importance is to provide plenty of hiding spaces when you have a large number of fish in the tank.
My fish are all healthy and happy (at least the ones who survived the ick)
It's usually pretty easy to tell
the standerds will look like most other fishes fins maybe a tad longer. While the Vails the tail fin is long enough to start drooping. I think most of the difference is in the tail fin.
However, it is often hard to tell with baby angels because all their features are bigger just like in all baby animals. So get really close to the glass and look, that should help.
the standerds will look like most other fishes fins maybe a tad longer. While the Vails the tail fin is long enough to start drooping. I think most of the difference is in the tail fin.
However, it is often hard to tell with baby angels because all their features are bigger just like in all baby animals. So get really close to the glass and look, that should help.
I keep Tiger Barbs so I have done a fair share of research on this subject. Yes, the greens and albinos are less agressive that way that the regulars, but they are still really active and will harrass smaller fish and slower moving fish. I personally wouldn't risk putting Angelfish or Bettas or anything with flowing fins in the tank with them. The reason what you read says to keep them in a group of 6 or so is because they will spend their time picking/pecking on one another instead of their tankmates. Tiger Barbs shoal they don't school, with means they will swim along with each other but some will break from the group momentarily to do their own thing during which time they MIGHT swim up and taste test the nearest good looking thing (Angelfish in your case). If you have your heart set on having both Angelfish and TigerBarbs, then you should get the greens but definately introduce the Angelfish first. The only times I have trouble out of my Tiger Barbs are when I introduce new fish to the aquarium. They will pick on them very briefly then go back picking on each other. IMO if the Angelfish are there first they will have had time to get a feel for their new home so when you add the tiger barbs they will know where to go should something go wrong. A heavily planted tank (real or not) and some hiding places won't hurt. And you might want to think about having a backup plan (ie somewhere to move the Angelfish quick) just in case. Let us know what you decide to do. I love Tiger Barbs but they can be obnoxious little suckers.
thats good advise from u 2 i think then i might do this. get the tank going with some bottom feeders the shark and sucker, then add the penguins leave that for a while add 2 angles leave for about 3 weeks then add 3 green tiger barbs and three normal ones. ill have another tank set up just in case. would it be better to add 3 green tigers leave them for a week then add three normal ones or vis versa (3 normal then 3 green) or is better to put the 6 in at the same time? by the way the tank will be planted heavily and im sure the fish will find plently of hiding places.
In my opinion you should either get 6 regular, 6 green, or 6 albino. I think that mixing them up is a bad idea because they won't shoal like they should. They will just separate and hang out by themselves. This is my opinion because I have done this before and it didn't work out. I might have been the exception rather than the norm but anyone I talk to who has tiger barbs agrees. Does anyone else have an opinion about this? And about adding them....I think it is best if you can add as many as possible at one time without overloading your aquarium. What kind of filter(s) are you running? IMO if your tank is mature and you buy juvenile tiger barbs it would be safe to add at least 4, preferably 5, and then wait a week or so. But if you see them giving your Angelfishes trouble and you don't want to move your Angelfishes I would buy 1 or 2 more quickly as long as you haven't had deaths etc.
When I started keeping fish the internet was unheard of (I was able to connect at age 16 on a 2600 modem that didn't allow graphics) so I didn't have access to the plethera of information that is available today. The first lfs in my town was run by a man who would sell you the "proverbial" guppy and an oscar and tell you they would be best friends in a 10 gal tank so I learned the hard way.
When I started keeping fish the internet was unheard of (I was able to connect at age 16 on a 2600 modem that didn't allow graphics) so I didn't have access to the plethera of information that is available today. The first lfs in my town was run by a man who would sell you the "proverbial" guppy and an oscar and tell you they would be best friends in a 10 gal tank so I learned the hard way.
IMO= in my opinion. I say this when I think something will be okay to do even though you might read something different. Some places say to add fish gradually 2 or 3 at a time but I have found out thru experience that as long as your tank is stabilized you can add more fish at once, especially if they are small.
By juvenile I mean young. Some fish places sell tiger barbs that are fully grown, 3-4" and plump like they will grow to be. I like to introduce my fish to their new home when they are young so they will "grow up" with me. Kinda corny I know. My tiger barbs were smaller than a quarter when I got them. Just always remember to take into consideration how big your fish will eventually be even though it might take years.
And also let me contradict something I said earlier. I talked to a friend of mine this afternoon who specializes in Tiger Barbs and he reminded me that SOMETIMES greens will shoal with regulars but usually only if the group is big. He has 20 reg, 15 green,and 10 albino and he says occasionally greens will join the regulars but that they prefer their own company. Albinos definately need their own group. It has never worked for me but I have only had the setup he has in my dreams. I am thinking about adding a group of albinos to my 29 gal but I am not sure if my bioload could handle it. Just wanted to point that out since you want a mixed company. I would say go ahead and try it if you wanted to as long as your lfs would exchange the greens for regs (or vice versa) if it didn't work out but I hate to risk your beautiful Angels.
3 weeks sounds like a long enough time to wait since you will have been gradually adding all the other fish first. It is always a good idea to let the good bacteria develop so it can accomodate the extra fish. Good luck with them. I fell in love with TigerBarbs early on but sometimes it can be hit and miss with what you can keep them with.
By juvenile I mean young. Some fish places sell tiger barbs that are fully grown, 3-4" and plump like they will grow to be. I like to introduce my fish to their new home when they are young so they will "grow up" with me. Kinda corny I know. My tiger barbs were smaller than a quarter when I got them. Just always remember to take into consideration how big your fish will eventually be even though it might take years.
And also let me contradict something I said earlier. I talked to a friend of mine this afternoon who specializes in Tiger Barbs and he reminded me that SOMETIMES greens will shoal with regulars but usually only if the group is big. He has 20 reg, 15 green,and 10 albino and he says occasionally greens will join the regulars but that they prefer their own company. Albinos definately need their own group. It has never worked for me but I have only had the setup he has in my dreams. I am thinking about adding a group of albinos to my 29 gal but I am not sure if my bioload could handle it. Just wanted to point that out since you want a mixed company. I would say go ahead and try it if you wanted to as long as your lfs would exchange the greens for regs (or vice versa) if it didn't work out but I hate to risk your beautiful Angels.
3 weeks sounds like a long enough time to wait since you will have been gradually adding all the other fish first. It is always a good idea to let the good bacteria develop so it can accomodate the extra fish. Good luck with them. I fell in love with TigerBarbs early on but sometimes it can be hit and miss with what you can keep them with.
ok then illget 6 normals after 3 weeks of the angles are in, have the other waiting just in case. make sure i can swap the 6 normals for 6 greens just in case they are nippy. will it be better to get small angles and small tigers or big tigers and big angles or small angles and big tigers or big angles and small tigers?