Puffers, Cichlids & Tiger Barbs? Will they get along alright together?
by Aquaboy on Sunday, May 9th, 2010 | 5 Comments
Hi everyone, thank you for clicking on my question.
I’d like to buy some African Cichlids, Green Spotted Puffers and Tiger Barbs. If I put 4 of each together in a 29 gal tank, will they all get along okay?
Yes, I plan on adding some aquarium salt so everyone’s happy. Please don’t respond with water parameter issues. I just want to know about their behavioral co-existance. Can they get along?
Thanks for your advice.
green spotted puffers are brackish/marine fish
so no…
marine salt is NOT the same as aquarium salt… even if it was the puffer would need more than enough to kill the cichlids and barbs
parameter issues aside
4 (random) african cichlids, 4 GSPs, and 4 Tiger Barbs would quickly just kill each other
That would be a war zone.
The Barbs and Cichlids have no need for salt. The GSP needs near marine conditions.
The GSP is the most aggressive of those three and need to be in species tanks, not with other fish.
What kind of African Cichlid? There are hundreds. If you mean Mbuna’s, these are also best in species tanks.
As for the Tiger Barb, they need to be in shoals of 6 or more or they’ll nip everybody else.
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/puf-nigr.htm
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/cichlids.htm
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/cichlids.htm
this will tell ya how they all react with other fish good luck
NO, Puffers should be in a species specific aquairum because they like to take a bite out of everything. This includes your other fish, fake plants, etc. Great fish though they just need to be with other Puffers and nothing else. Tiger Barbs are fin nippers. They do this less if they are in a school of at least 7 though they are fin nippers and will rip many fish to shreds. Cichilds; that’s like saying I’m thinking of getting a mamal, how do I take care of it. Saying African cichlids doesn’t help this at all. Some African Cichlids need very hard water to survive, others need very soft water to survive and others are everywhere in between. Some african cichlids are strict egg eaters, others only eat scales of other fish, others will gladly eat anything and live a happy long life in your aquarium. Others will eat all of your tiger barbs. You have to be a lot more specific when you say cichlid if you want any good advice.
omg puffers must be alone cichlids only get a long with other cichlids and tiger barbs may be the hunter or the hunted.