Some species of fish should never be put in tanks with too many or too few companions.
Just like other relevant conditions required by fish, such as the water temperature, pH, food, and decorative or essential elements in the background or bottom, the number of specimens sharing a tank is also extremely important.
More lively fish will normally require more company as they can grow tired of the same space if left alone.
Other fish, due to higher their level of aggressiveness, live better on their own.
The perfect number of fish also depends on the size of the tank you intend to use.
Number For A School Of Tiger Barbs
As we know, fish the size of the Tiger Barb, for instance, normally require a 30-gallon tank to properly address their swimming needs.
But, how many Tiger Barbs should I put in a 30-gallon tank?
When it comes to Tiger Barbs, it does actually have that much to do with the size of the tank rather than with the specific characteristics of this kind of fish.
Despite the low maintenance nature of Tiger Barbs, which don’t normally require any special water temperature, pH, or any other particular aspect, they do live better when in schools as shown in the image below.
The exact number of specimens in the school, however, should directly depend on the size of the tank.
So, if you get yourself a 30-gallon tank, don’t overcrowd it with too many Tiger Barbs.
Keep it to between 10 to 12 fish and they should spend their lifespan as happily as they can.
Similarly, if you have a 60-gallon tank, you can have 20 – 24 tiger barbs living happily in that tank.
Too few of them might make these little guys feel lonely and miss a bit of movement in the tank.
Or they just sitting at the bottom of tank as shown in the image below:
Should there be less than three or four Tiger Barbs in the same tank, a change in their behavior will become clear as they tend to stay hidden for longer periods.
Also, Tiger Barbs with too few companions tend to bother other fish more frequently as they lack partners to entertain themselves.
Too many of them, however, can make them antsy and cause them to nibble other fish’ fins more than they normally already do.
If you have other kinds of fish in the same tank as your Tiger Barbs, then you have one more reason to give them plenty of space.
For example, there are too much tiger barbs in one tank as shown in the image below:
They do not have enough space to swim freely.
Tiger Barbs, when under stress, tend to become more aggressive and can even end up eating other smaller fish in the tank.
If you are putting neon tetra together with a large group of tiger barbs, those tetra might end up being eaten.
If you want to put more than 12 Tiger Barbs in a tank, make sure they still have enough room to swim around as they spend most of their days doing that.
Also, Tiger Barbs enjoy having plenty of hiding spots, so if you increase the number of specimens, make sure they have more hiding spots as well as image below:
So, if you want to get yourself Tiger Barbs, make sure you don’t get less than six and, if you want more than twelve, make sure the fish-to-tank size ratio is on point.
