tank population

Question
I have a 46 gallon tonk that has recently finished cycling, I have been going back and forth on what fish to put in the tank and have decided on a school of tiger barb and a peppermint pleco. In the tank now are 6 harlequin Rasbora that may have not been the best choice. I was planning on putting 12 tiger barbs of differant color variations and trading in the rasbora as I don't think they can coexhist. I do like the harlequin rasbora and was wondering if I got 8 tiger barbs if the Rasbora could maybe stay or should I just trade them in when picking up my new fish?

Answer
Hi James,

All the tiger barbs do school with each other, so getting different color variants should not make a difference here. Eight tiger barbs sounds good. I would try them out in there and see, just add them slowly - maybe four at a time, letting a week go by in between. New tanks can be touchy, so you have to add the fish load slowly. The last addition should be the peppermint pleco, since fancy plecos need an established tank. Keep on researching, http://www.plecofanatics.com is a fantastic site to start with! They have lots of articles there.

I honestly think that the harlequin rasboras would be fine. They can be fast if they need to be, and while it's true they prefer quiet tankmates, I don't think the barbs will be particularly attracted to them...long, flowing fins are what really bring out their nipping behavior. Harlequin rasboras show their best in a big school, and you have the space for another half dozen. Leave them in there and see what happens. If they do well, add some more - they feel most confident in a school, and in a long tank like yours, a school is really neat! Add some floating plastic (or live) plants or get some tall plants that reach the top of the tank. This will give them places to retreat to if necessary, and floating plants, especially live ones (particularly fast growing ones which absorb nitrate - hornwort and Indian fern being what comes to mind for me) help shade the tank, all the while performing a valuable service - reducing nitrate!

I hope that helps, take care.
Nicole

P.S. If you can find them, look for black ruby barbs. They interact well with tiger barbs and the colors would complement the rasboras!