I have a 10 gallon tank with 5 Tiger Barbs that I am "keeping for a week or two" for my daughter.....They Have Been Here About SIX MONTHS! She doesn't even look at them when she visits!! I think they are MINE! I am wondering if I can put in a cory or two to help police the bottom of the tank! The Tigers don't like anything that reaches the bottom apparently & no matter how careful I am a little food makes it to the gravel. I was thinking a little cory might be just the thing! What do ya'll think?

Also the gravel is maybe 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep.....does it NEED to be that deep? For my goldies I have gravel but I do not keep it deep. I think it is easier to keep clean.

Well 10 gallons is a little small for 5 tiger barbs. If you can, I would look into getting them a 15 gallon or 20 long.
For bottom dwellers, a emerald cat would be good or some similar sized cory. Just provide a cave for him.
As for the gravel, you can take some out if you would like. Its up to you.

my tigerbarbs always look for food on the bottom, it was barebottom at first but now i've switched to sand. 5 should b fine in a 10 gallon with a weekly 50% waterchange. My very first fish Stripe spends most of his day digging around in the sand looking for food lol, I have to have a divider in the tank though cause any fish he's ever been with got killed by him with about 2 days, and the other 2 on the other side have to b seperated too, one in a breeding trap cause at first when I got him he was extremely sick but now he's aggressive, I let him out sometimes though. I just might adopt my friend's neglected fish soon if she lets me, maybe then they'd b nicer together.

What are you feeding your tigers? I give mine this food twice a day and never see a crumb on the bottom of the tank.

I think you will be fine with the five in a 10 gallon, but like Shamu said just keep on top of the water parameters. I have 8 in a 20 gallon tall, and they are doing beautifully.

I decided they just don't like the gel food as much. I am now feeding them Aquadine Crisps & Tetamin Flakes. They seem to like it.

They are funny though. Kind of a spastic little group! LOL!! Mine seem to like to get in a little group & then constantly switch places!!!

Try some freeze dried food, they provide a better diet. Tiger barbs are strong swimmer and thus need a larger tank as in 15g minimum. If you where to get a 15g or so you could add about 3 cory's and that would make a good cleanup crew. Corys need to be in groups of atleast 3 with 5-6 being ideal.

I have Tiger Barbs they love Brine Shrimp,Daphnia and bloodworms. Mine feed from the top of the tank but generally I find they will feed at any level.

Tigers Barbs are aggressive to other fish and will nip there fins especially those with flowing tails like guppies and the like. My Barbs are kept alone for that reason

I find that the tiger barbs are best kept in a large-ish tank (about 20 gallons) in shoals of at least eight, that way they can establish their 'pecking order' amongst themselves and it will minimize fighting. 20 gallons will also give them plenty of room to swim and play, and since they do not get very big you will not have to worry about upgrades unless you just want to.

no kidding! One of mine has tons of nicknames from everybody including "killer Stripe" "piranha" "the crazy evil one" lol. I just call him Stripey . He's quite tame, he eats from my hand and comes to the front when I come by. Sadly I have to keep all 3 fish in the 10 gallon seperate, as soon as more than 1 r together its a fight to the death. Stripe has already killed like 5 fish.

Hey folks,

Just reading through these replies and I think some of them might have answered my question!

I have 4 tiger barbs who are currently living in an 8 gallon tank whilst I'm looking for a bigger one... doing weekly water changes etc etc.

Since I got them, the biggest one has become the 'bully'. S/he is brightly coloured and patrols the front of the tank. The other 3 are paler and hide away in the decorations, and if they come out, s/he chases them back. One is the 'runt' and has got bitten badly (chewed and split fins ) the other 2 just keep a low-ish profile and show up at feeding time.

Today I had enough and netted Mr(s) Bully and isolated him/her in a plastic bag in the tank. Result = the other 3 fish brighten their colours, swim around and come and say hello! One of them even started teasing the bully now that s/he couldn't retaliate. However, this is hardly a long term solution.

What can I do to make things better?
(a) get rid of bully
(b) 1-2 more fish (not really room at the moment tho)
© wait, save pennies, then get bigger tank and 3-4 more fish
(d) this is just what tiger barbs do - live with it

C is definetely the best choice. Much more long term