Tiger barbs.. Gulp! Advice and comments appreciated

[BAINBRIDGE]

Hi fishkeepers

I appreciate that there are other options out there, but these are the fish I kept returning to look at so I've taken the plunge

I've spent a month learning what I can and doing prep:

I've rehomed my small community fish and at the moment I just have catfish in my main tank:

1 male BN plec
2 Panda Cory
6 Bronze Cory

I've bought 13 tiger barbs from LFS (MH) which have been in the quarantine tank for 2 weeks so far and they're doing well. The bronze Corys are juveniles and only about half the size of the fully grown pandas, though they're growing quickly.

I've bought more silk plants to put around the perimeter of the tank, leaving a big free swimming area in the middle for the tiger barbs with lots of cover around the edges.

I've added more hidey holes for the Corys.

So that's what I've done so far. The plan is to keep feeding up the little Corys while the tigers are in quarantine, and then in a few weeks time add the tigers to the main tank and hope that they don't pick on the peaceful little corys!

I'm as prepared as I can be:

There's a good (odd) number of tigers, so hopefully their aggression will be dispersed among themselves.

By the time the tigers go in the main tank they will have been together for a good 5-6 weeks, so the pecking order will hopefully be well established.

I'll be adding the tigers to the existing fish in the main tank, so hopefully the tigers will view the catfish part of their new environment rather than imposters.

The tigers will have a big free swimming area, though there's lots of tall plants around the edge that they can explore around too.

There's lots of cover for the Corys.

Is there anything else I can do to help?

Maybe a special prayer or ritual before I put them in the main tank?

Any advice or suggestions will be appreciated

[plankton]

You could be ok, but do make sure food gets to the bottom for the corys and BN. Feeding time is the time there's more likely to be problems.
Just keep your eye on them.
I would always look at having loaches with barbs myself...

[Martinspuddle]

Is there anything else I can do to help?

Maybe a special prayer or ritual before I put them in the main tank?

Any advice or suggestions will be appreciated

You must do a naked dance, wearing a silly hat around some Welsh hill sheep in your garden. This has to be done in the pouring rain and there must be video evidence of this ritual posted on this forum. Only then will there be harmony in your aquarium!

P.M. @Gingerlove05 for sheep hire.

Seriously, you should be fine with that size group but what size is your aquarium?

[BAINBRIDGE]

You could be ok, but do make sure food gets to the bottom for the corys and BN. Feeding time is the time there's more likely to be problems.
Just keep your eye on them.
I would always look at having loaches with barbs myself...

Yes it's amazing how quickly the tigers eat every last scrap of food. I might try some flake or daphnia to occupy the tigers and then add some sinking food for the Corys.

I would get loaches but my OH loves Corys so I added to their number (juvenile pandas didn't survive ) and I heard somewhere that it's best not to mix loaches with Corys because of their spikes.

When adding the tigers, would it be best to do this after they've had a good feed so they're not hangry?

[BAINBRIDGE]

Is there anything else I can do to help?

Maybe a special prayer or ritual before I put them in the main tank?

Any advice or suggestions will be appreciated

You must do a naked dance, wearing a silly hat around some Welsh hill sheep in your garden. This has to be done in the pouring rain and there must be video evidence of this ritual posted on this forum. Only then will there be harmony in your aquarium!

P.M. @Gingerlove05 for sheep hire.

Seriously, you should be fine with that size group but what size is your aquarium?

Thanks, I'll do this to appease the aquarium gods

It's a corner tank so only about 3ft wide, but quite tall. A longer tank would've been ideal, but there's plenty of free swimming space so hopefully they'll be happy.

[Martinspuddle]

You may have too, larger tank that is.

When I kept Puntigrus tetrazona I found the males get to 2.5" inches and the females can get to nearly three inches in length.

[plankton]

It was probably me that said about the loaches not being kept with corys.
I did it once, never again - all accidental problems at feeding time.

[black ghost]

You may have too, larger tank that is.

When I kept Puntigrus tetrazona I found the males get to 2.5" inches and the females can get to nearly three inches in length.

Were these wild caught or do you mean the domestic hybrids?

[Martinspuddle]

You may have too, larger tank that is.

When I kept Puntigrus tetrazona I found the males get to 2.5" inches and the females can get to nearly three inches in length.

Were these wild caught or do you mean the domestic hybrids?

Domestically bred wild type. Don't believe all you read about fish adult sizes, 2" inches for an adult Tiger Barb I found to be wrong.

[black ghost]

You may have too, larger tank that is.

When I kept Puntigrus tetrazona I found the males get to 2.5" inches and the females can get to nearly three inches in length.

Were these wild caught or do you mean the domestic hybrids?

Domestically bred wild type. Don't believe all you read about fish adult sizes, 2" inches for an adult Tiger Barb I found to be wrong.

I don’t, but there aren’t any “domestically bred wild types”. All domestic tiger barbs are hybrids. P. tetrazona is not in the hobby.