Tiger Barbs are lively fish that enjoy swimming around the central portion of tanks.
Also, since they demand very little care and none of the special features some other kinds of fish require, they end up being a solid choice for beginner aquarists.
However, when it comes to sharing space, a few aspects should be taken into account before deciding which kind of fish will be living with your Tiger Barbs.
Read:
- Optimum Tank Size for Tiger Barbs
- Tiger barbs can live together with Neon Tetras
- Are Tiger barbs and angelfish compatible to live together?
Tiger Barbs Share A Tank With Goldfish, Is It Good Idea?
First of all, there simply isn’t any kind of fish that can live in harmony with all other kinds.
Some kinds shouldn’t even be put together as they may become too stressed and display higher levels of aggressiveness due to enhanced competition.
If you already have the lively, colorful, and hardy Tiger Barbs in your tank, you will be glad to know there is a bunch of other kinds that will live happily with the Barbs.
Note: I have a tiger barb community tanks and some fishes are compatible while some might not, read my tiger barb community tank experience here.
If you’re considering inserting a goldfish amongst Tiger Barbs, THINK TWICE before doing so.
Goldfish are definitely not the best kind of fish to share an aquarium or tank with Tiger Barbs.
This is mainly because Tiger Barbs are incredibly attracted to fins, especially longer ones.
It comes without saying that goldfish have quite long fins and that because of this feature, it will instantly become a target to Tiger Barbs once it is put into the tank.
It is also in the nature of Tiger Barbs to eventually nip on fins or tails, because of competition or even due to hunger.
From my own case, my goldfish tail is badly damaged when I let it live together with other smaller fishes.
Although I do not have evidence that 100% my tiger barbs are the culprit, but I believe the tiger barbs did attack my goldfish from time to time.
There are some other types of fishes living together with my goldfish at that time.
After this incident, I separated them using a divider as shown in the image below:
They are technically still sharing the same water and in the same tank, but the smaller aggressive fishes won’t be able to reach my gold fishes anymore!
Therefore, I would conclude that goldfish are NOT the best companions for Tiger Barbs and these two fish should not be put in the same tank.
As the Tiger Barbs nip the fins of the goldfish, the latter might become stressed and display a change in its behavior.
If left together for a longer period, goldfish can start losing their appetite and end up starving, or they are feeling stressed and hiding at the corner as shown in the image below:
Moreover, even though they aren’t among the most aggressive fish, Tiger Barbs do carry a certain level of boisterousness.
Considering that goldfish are extremely peaceful and calm fish, the simple presence of Tiger Barbs in the same tank might already bear negative consequences.
Related: Calm Guppies should not be in the same tank with Tiger barbs
A mistake many beginner aquarists make is to not take into consideration the particularities of the kinds of fish they put in the aquarium and simply choose them for their colors.
That’s a mistake you want to avoid at all costs. Depending on the combination, some kinds may even come to die due to the stress levels caused by more aggressive or agitated fish.
So, if you already have Tiger Barbs and want to add other kinds to your aquarium, make sure to choose fish of the same, or similar size that don’t have long fins.
The level of competition Tiger Barbs may stretch to when sharing tanks with bigger fish can cause them to die, and you would surely prefer an aquarium where fish can swim and coexist in peace rather than a stressful one.
