I am thinking about getting some Tiger Barbs in a very vague way. I always enjoy watching them when I'm at the pet store but I don't know if I have space for a larger enough tank.
If I do it will be a spieces tank rather than a community, i.e. just tiger barbs.
I have read some conflicting stuff about how many to keep as a minimum though from three (if in a species tank) to eight.
Also how much space do they need per barb?

I wouldnt go per barb but more swimming space.
A 3 foot tank is going to be needed to show them at their best and you could as a species tank get 15 of them, maybe more, depending on filtration.

Well I definately don't have room for a 3 foot tank so I guess I will just have to watch them at the pet store instead. I thought it might be something like that as they are pretty active fish.

What size tank were you thinking of, maybe we can find an alternative

I put 4 in a 10 gallon tank, the most i can get for that size. One died, the smallest, i think that it wasn't getting enough food because the other 3 were much bigger than him/her. So if I do go buy another I will make sure it is the same size as the others, no apparent reason for it to have died, the water specs are great. I just make sure that I keep up to the water changes. Oh and another thing I went out of town for 4 days and my son was feeding them. I found a whole bunch of food on the bottom of the tank. Maybe that is why it died. I swished around the gravel a little since the food was on top of the gravel and scooped it out with a net and didn't feed them for 2 days. The other 3 are doing fine. I had left him a specific amount of food he was to feed them but he thought thye needed more I guess. Next time I will use tops from empty food containers that I have and put each day of food in each. Other than that they are doing great.

It is a good idea to make up little, individual daily food packets when going away and leaving others to care for fish. Then hide the big containers of food

A gravel vac is a great way to keep your gravel clean. These are inexpensive and readily available.

sorry to hear about your barb love goldfish, glad the other three are doing OK.

I don't really know what size tank I could get but it is space that is the problem so it would probably be a taller tank, maybe one of those hexagon type ones? which I don't think will be suitable for tiger barbs as they like to swim so much. It's a pity cos I do really like tiger barbs. Maybe when I get my own apartment and have more space. At the moment I share a house with 4 other girls so my fish have to be in my bedroom with me.

What sort of fish would be happy in the taller hexagon-style tanks?

I have my 10 gallon on top of my kitchen counter in the corner, it doesn't take much room at all. Its just all the other tanks I have that take space 55 gallon, 20,30, 45. So I have ran out of space myself. I will need to put my 2 10 gallons I want to get for bettas or tetras in my bedroom on a wooden shelf I have in there empty.

Angelfish would do good in one of those hex. tanks

OK, so I've had a little look on the net for tanks that would fit in the small space I have available for one and I am looking at ones around 7-8 US gallons (so too small for angelfish) What could I keep happily in a tank of that size (rmembering that is a tall hex type)

Anything that stays an inch would be fine. Endlers but only males, dwarf cory, pygmy rasboras, or some shrimp. How about 4 male endlers and a couple of shrimp?

Been looking around a bit more at the idea of angelfish now (maybe I shouldn;t have named this thread tiger barbs eh?). I read that they need a tank 20 inches tall minimum but I am having trouble finding out minimum gallonage. Also, all the info I have looked up is about breeding pairs, but if I were to get angelfish I don.t want them to breed. Is it OK to have one angelfish or do they need to be in pairs? And if I were to have one what other fish could I keep that he won't think of as food?

Dont put an angelfish in that small a tank. It needs around 15 gallons to swim in. They are fast growing fish and will become the size of a dinner plate in a couple of years.
Being cichlids they can become aggressive to any fish in the same tank especially if its too small.

Oh, I wasn't planning to put one in that small a tank, I just wanted to know what size they needed to see if I could accomadate one. thanks

so 15 gallons at 20 inches minimum height, on its own, would that be OK?

Yes, and if you get the smaller fish first it shouldnt see the tank as its own. Dont get neons or other 1 inch fish as the angel will eat them as it gets bigger. You could try danios and pencilfish.
For a 15 uk gallon tank one angelfish, 6 danio or similar sized fish, 2 or 3 pencilfish and a couple of corydoras for the bottom. Or instead of the danios, 4 or 5 black phantom or red phantom tetras.
Make sure its well planted and the filter isnt too strong for the angel and it will look nice.
Go for sand if you can as well, the fish love it.

Dont get black widow tetras as they attack the fins of the angel

OK, I'm probably getting a bit annoying now, but its better I ask as I go along rather than get my heart set on one type of fish that aren't suitable for my tank.

Angelfish are out again. I had a look around at tanks and I just cannot accomadate one large enough.
I have seen a tank that fits pretty well in the space I have. Its just over 8 US gallons. What could I have in this sort of tank? It is a high type but wider than a hexagon tank. It is 16" high, 16" long and 8" wide, roughly.
So what fish could I have in this sort of tank?

note: I don't like ghost shrimp (they give me the creeps) and I'm not a big fan of corys.

Ok, how about some fish that dont get beyond an inch or so. You could get a group of glo lights which have the orange bar running down the side, 6 of them and maye 4 pencilfish. Pencilfish will go all over the tank and i found them interesting to watch in a planted tank. Further down the line you could get a couple of otocinclus for the algae.

If you go to your local pet store and have a look at the tetras you can get an idea of what you like.

Thanks Sandy. I'm not a massive fan of tetras as I find it difficult to see their personality, but I know with such a small tank I have very limited options. Would it be possible to have anything larger (but fewer obviously) maybe balloon mollies? I saw some of those today and they are pretty cool, don't know what size tank they need though. I like dwarf gouramis too but I'm guessing my tank yould be too small?

Will have to check out the pencilfish as I have only seen pictures of them so far.

Thanks for all the suggestions btw, I know I must seem quite contrary, but there is just so much choice and I find it difficult to trust stores on stocking advice after being given bad advice before.

Its your tank and you have to find the fish that you like.
As its so small you arent going to get much in the way of anything bigger. You could maybe get a dwarf gourami male such as the powder blue are lovely fish.
Mollies are too active a fish for that size of tank.
How about male Endlers?

I think I am pretty sold on the idea of a male dwarf gourami. I've looked up a lot of info on them and a lot of places say 5gal is OK for one so he just be alright in my 8g+.

I was wondering if anything could go in with him though.. I found a forum with suggestions for a 10 gal tank that were as follows:

1 male honey gourami, 6 spotted rasboras, 4 pygmy cories
OR
3 sparkling gouramies, 4 myers' hatchetfish, 4 endler's livebearers.
OR
4 pygmy cories, 3 sparkling gouramies, 2 female honey gouramies

Obviously my tank would be under 10 gal, but if I swapped the honey gourami (which I understand need a bit more space) for the dwarf gourami, could I also have maybe three male endlers and three pygmy cories? or three male endlers and three spotted rasboras?
Or if that is too much, maybe just three of one type mentioned above.

Thanks for all your help so far by the way.

(and just so you know Sandy, the betta is coming first, the tropical tank probably won't be for another couple of months)

oh, just remembered, If i could have any of the combinations mentioned above, which fish would be best to start of the tank with? (will cycle it first though).

I think the top option sounds the best with the dwarf gourami, but it depends on what your pet shop stocks really.