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Thread: Do tiger barbs eat plants?

  1. #1
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    Do tiger barbs eat plants?

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    has anyone kept tiger barbs in their planted tanks before? How was it? I've heard that they nibble leaves

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    They nibble on other fishes too. I haven't seen them decimating any plants so far and I do see them in both planted tanks and planted ponds.

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    My fiancee does. They are fin nippers. All the angelfish, gouramies, etc died as the result of infection from fins that get constantly nibbled on.

    We went on a trip without feeding them 3-4 days. Came back to see the BBA on nana leaves gone, and the tiger barbs have a bright red fins. Never seen them eat plants but BBA since.
    Warm regards,

    Lawrence Lee

    brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
    Philippians 4:8

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    Keep the tigerbarbs in small shoals(6?) and they will not bother the others as they will be too busy entertaining each other. They may nibble on the tender and small leaf plants so you might want to test them with cheaper plants.

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    Tiger barbs do great in planted community tanks!

    I have 6... and they look gorgeous with the bright orange fins... Those who saw them thought so too.

    However, it is important that the tigers are kept in a small school (5 and above). They become fin nippers if they are kept singly or in 2s or 3s... Once a small school is introduced, they keep their 'aggression' and curiosity to themselves and will leave others alone.

    Oh, they leave plants alone... Never seen them eat plants.

    And a point to note... It is difficult to keep tiger barbs recently. Most probably due to the health of the stock. Most seem to be wild caught and succumb to diseases or just die easily. Thus, be prepared to buy more fish to maintain the small school. Once they got past the initial stage, they will do fine and shine.
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

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    tempted to do one
    Thomas, is yours a tiger barbs only tank? any pics?
    ...I love rubies too ...
    Ken

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    Nope. A community tank. They are in my 4ft tank with loads of other barbs and tetras. Eh, were you not among the guys who went my place during lunch time?...
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

    Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Justikanz View Post
    Nope. A community tank. They are in my 4ft tank with loads of other barbs and tetras. Eh, were you not among the guys who went my place during lunch time?...
    nope, didn't join the group then..
    ...I love rubies too ...
    Ken

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    I have kept them with swordtails before. Later the tank was converted to planted tank and some plants (Cabomba caroliniana) may taste better since there is always leaves lying round. Other than that, no major problem with them when I keep them. The tiger barbs that I had were feeder fishes that I saved after I kept feeder swordtails in a 2 ft tank. Mine are actually hardy and not much deaths when I kept them. Maybe I was lucky then. It was like 2 years back when I got them.
    Dickson Goh *** IN SEARCH FOR AN EASY LIFE ***
    Just started blogging my experience in: http://www.dikiaquarium.blogspot.com/

    2 ft planted tank, 2 ft low maintenance planted tank & planted shallow tank left now

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    I'm tempted to re-do my 5fter and chuck in about 60 tiger barbs. Its ok right?
    Last edited by Justikanz; 13th Oct 2006 at 14:42.

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    Wow... 60 seems to be a big number. These fishies grow quite big leh... The guys in my tank are about 2 inches long and being almost diamond shaped, the are about that high too.

    Would suggest you try 20 first and see if you like the effect. Too many and they might not school well.
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

    Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...

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    Woah 2 inches is pretty big but they're so small in the lfs about a bit bigger than the rummy noses
    Last edited by Justikanz; 16th Oct 2006 at 10:00.

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    There are quite a few species of fish commonly referred to as "tiger barbs."

    Systomus/Puntius partipentazona is a Thai species that has been introduced to Malaysia/Singapore and is commonly sold as feeders. This species doesn't get as large as Puntius tetrazona and the body is much less deep. P. tetrazona is native to Sumatra and Borneo (and likely west Malaysia as well).

    There are also the rare "tiger barbs, P. hexazona and P. pentazona (some think these are the same), which are much smaller, have a distinct red/purplish tinge to their bodies and come from more specialised habitats like freshwater and peat swamps.

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    My 20 tiger barbs have just owned one of my rummy nose last night. I put the 20 tiger barbs in the tank for less than 3 hours and when i come back, i see a dead rummy nose on the floor with it's head unattached to tis body

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    Quote Originally Posted by ahkarboy View Post
    Woah 2 inches is pretty big but they're so small in the lfs about a bit bigger than the rummy noses
    they can get rather big given swimming space. I had some of them in a pond 9x15 metres and when I finally managed to catch some during pond cleaning, they are the size of my palm!
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

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    choy they must have looked great at that size, ive only ever seen them at the 2-3inch size,
    i'd love to see them fit in the palm of my hand, across the span of my palm it measures 4ins.

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    mick they look monstrous when placed in a normal fish tank. I never knew they were so huge simply because the pond was very big. The other inhabitants of the pond are about 20 10-inch tinfoil barbs, 2 1ft+ giant gourami and an 18-inch red tail cat. They all look small when in the pond

    unfortunately that pond is in my office, which is a protected place so no visits and no pictures. I have a picture of the monster tiger barb though, will put it up.

    actually they're probably 3+ inches, I said they're the size of my palm, not my hand!
    Last edited by Justikanz; 19th Nov 2006 at 23:24.
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

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    yes please choy, can't wait to see it.

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    choy where's the picture?.
    iwant to see it bud.

    mick

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    i also want..

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