I have a 180x60x60cm tank and I'd like to keep some medium-large shoaling fish. I've considered hampala barbs but I think they'll get way too big, so I wondered if there was anything similar in the way of attractive barbs or similar fish that I could keep in a group of maybe 10-12 in a tank of this size? I did think about rainbows, but I've kept them in the past and wanted something a bit different. Please could you give me some suggestions?
KEVIN FRASER
TROPICAL
NEALE REPLIES: The tank you have in mind is a great size, with a nominal capacity of about 680 litres. While there’s always the option of going with very large numbers of small barbs, such as tiger barbs, there are some excellent medium-sized species out there you might want to consider.
Speaking from personal experience, when I had a tank exactly like yours to fill, I went with Luciosoma setigerum. Sometimes called the Apollo shark, they are almost like danios in shape and colour, with brilliant gold markings on their snout and flanks. But like barbs, they have whiskers, and will occasionally root about on the bottom. Mostly, though, they speed about the top of the tank, greedily downing floating pellets—mine loved Hikari Cichlid Gold—as well as insects and small bits of seafood. Maximum size is said to be 26cm, but mine never reached more than 20cm. They are extremely good jumpers though, so the tank needs to have a secure lid.
While predatory towards tiny fish, these fish make excellent community residents, and are ideal dither fish for use alongside things like catfish or peaceful cichlids. Despite their streamlined shape, they don’t need especially strong currents, but they do need clean, well-oxygenated water.
If you want something that’s more of a traditional barb in shape and behaviour, you can’t really go wrong with the clown barb, Barbodes everetti. It’s a great species with lovely colours in metallic shades of green and pink, and while juveniles can be a little washed out in the bright light of a dealer’s tank, once settled into a well-planted or shady aquarium, these fish show their true colours as they mature. As with most barbs, they appreciate moderate water currents and lots of oxygen, but otherwise aren’t too fussy. They are very peaceful, and a large group will b
