Tinfoil Barbs

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SteveR

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 1, 2008
1,359
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Scotland
Hi guys, first post, on a truely great site I love reading through the forums and the more pics the better!

Anyone keep tinfoil barbs? I have a 55 (UK GAL) tank with silver sharks (its 1 inch or so short of 5 feet long) I was wondering if anyone else has these fish, or what you keep your tinfoil barbs along with?
I run a good EX1200 cannister and my tank is about 26degrees with air pumped through it with a fast current via a powerhead.

Any pics would be great also if anyone keeps them.
 
Hi :headbang2

Tinfoils are big stocky Barbs you can keep them with semi-aggresssive cichlids, Catfish and other medium / large sized fish.
They like a lot of room as well :)
 
Welcome to MFK! I have one that was a rescue fish that a Realtor gave me that was found abandoned in a house. He lives in my 125 gallon tank with a Jaguar Cichlid, 2 Oscars and an Ornate Bichir. He is currently about 7 inches long and really fat. He eats more than both of my Oscars and pretty much does his own thing. He fights with my Jag over tilapia fillets, and adds an interesting splash of color to my tank.
 
Nice! Every site I go to is moaning about keeping them in 5 or more though which would be too much in my 55 gal. I have 6 silver sharks and a common pleco at the mow.
 
my brother in-law put two in his 55G, and about 8 months later, had to take them back. they can reach 12" or more. they're cool for a while, but you're gunna need a bigger tank if you want to keep them long term:)
 
that's how it starts... next thing you know, every wall in your house has a fish tank on it, or in it :D:D:D

Good luck with the barbs, and welcome:)
 
Thanx for the info there, aquariumjunkie. If anyone else has any pics or info of what they keep this fish with and if its a total cardinal sin to keep just one barb with a shoal of silver sharks etc please post here.
Photos welcome! :-)
 
i have 4 tinfoils in my 210g. this tank is stocked with several agressive cichlids and a silver arowana. tinfoils get BIG, much too big for your 55g. i would suggest this fish be kept in nothing smaller than a 180g. they get big and fat, needs lots of room and eat like pigs.

they are extremely fast swimmers and need plenty of room to move around. and most definately do not keep tinfoils with any shy or slow moving fish as they will probably starve to death. tinfoils are extremely greedy eaters. i always have to throw extra food in there to make sure some of it reaches the bottom of the tank for my bottom feeders and slower moving cichlids.

i think tinfoils do good as dithers in an agressive community tank. good luck
 
i have 2 and the do just fine with my clown knifefish. but i would recomend getting at least 2 so they have a bit of company, aND YES THEY ARE PIGS
 
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