Central American Cichlids • torpedo barbs and ca cichlids

[rotccapt]

hello i was doing research on possible dither fish for my 300 build. i was reading around and some one suggested torpedo barbs. so i looked them up and they look awesome but a little pricy. before i buy some for my tank, i would like to know, has any one kept this fish with CA cichlids such as GT, Jack dempsy, oscar, salvani.

currently i have a group of 5 giant danios but would love to get a group of 5 to 10 torpedo barbs to fill in the tank.

[bluejack23]

I kept 2 (gifts) in with sevs dempsey firemouth and other barbs. One died right away probably from transporting and the solo one lived for six months then died. Im guessing they died because I kept them solo.

[CinBos]

I'm in the same boat as you. Bout to head to the store after work and replaced my Danios with them. Best looking barbs/danios/tetra that I have found. Definitly need a little more color in my tank. I will be buying 3 today and then 2 more in a couple more days. Just hate to see an $11 fish get torchured by the rest of the fish.

[Steffano2]

hello i was doing research on possible dither fish for my 300 build. i was reading around and some one suggested torpedo barbs. so i looked them up and they look awesome but a little pricy. before i buy some for my tank, i would like to know, has any one kept this fish with CA cichlids such as GT, Jack dempsy, oscar, salvani.

currently i have a group of 5 giant danios but would love to get a group of 5 to 10 torpedo barbs to fill in the tank.

In my experience soon or later the barbs get eaten/picked off in time by the cichlids. I've tried many times with barbs and get the same results. I would hate for you to spend all that money on Denison's Barbs which are pricey for the same end result, unless you go with Tinfoil Barbs which are fast, extremely hardy, and grow large enough not to be swallowed whole. On a side not you are combining South and Central American cichlids in your stock list. Good luck on your dither choice, you may want to look at Gouramis they are pretty tough and are willing to fight back if need be.

[CinBos]

Never heard baout Gouramis being a dither fish. Are they a shaoling/schooling fish? I would be glad to buy a few of those, just not sure how they would hold up. As for tinfoil barbs, dont they get pretty large?

[Steffano2]

Never heard baout Gouramis being a dither fish. Are they a shaoling/schooling fish? I would be glad to buy a few of those, just not sure how they would hold up. As for tinfoil barbs, dont they get pretty large?

Gouramis aren't the norm, but they like to occupy the upper regions of the tank. As for schooling not so much but a group of 5-6 with 1 or 2 males and the rest females works out good, add to many males and you'll have WWIII on your hands. If you stick to the 3 spot family they have enough bark in their bite to hold their own. Google 3-Spot Gouramis and then look at all their color morphs: Gold, Platinum, Lavender, and Opaline, all the same species. I personally like Opaline and Gold.

On a side note I also use Rainbowfish too. Currently in my South and Central american set up I have 2 male New Guinea Red Rainbows and a Pair of Pearl Gouramis, both are getting along swimmingly and accomplish what they are there for, sometimes getting chased by the cichlids, mostly they are left alone just adding another great colorful addition to my tank.