Filament barbs

[esoxlucius]

I'm toying with the idea of adding a shoal of filament barbs to my 180g com tank. The more I see videos on you tube of them the more I want them. The colours on the males are amazing, even on a par with some of the rainbowfish species imo.

When I first started researching them I read that they are fine with plants, so that was a big bonus because I have lots of plants in my 180. Then I watched one you tube clip where a guy said they destroy plants, even imitation ones!

Also, I did a bit of digging on the forum and one post I came across was from a guy who had a dozen filament barbs for sale. Regrettably he could no longer keep them because they destroyed all his plants!

Can anybody add anything to what i've discovered already? I do have a 360g unplanted tank full of big non predators which could house them but I was really hoping to put them in my planted tank.

Also, what's the difference between the Dawkinsia filamentosa and the Puntius filamentous?

 

[Rocksor]

I thought the name difference was just a reclassification.

https://www.fws.gov/fisheries/ANS/erss/uncertainrisk/ERSS-Dawkinsia-filamentosa-final-June2019.pdf

 

[kno4te]

I'm toying with the idea of adding a shoal of filament barbs to my 180g com tank. The more I see videos on you tube of them the more I want them. The colours on the males are amazing, even on a par with some of the rainbowfish species imo.

When I first started researching them I read that they are fine with plants, so that was a big bonus because I have lots of plants in my 180. Then I watched one you tube clip where a guy said they destroy plants, even imitation ones!

Also, I did a bit of digging on the forum and one post I came across was from a guy who had a dozen filament barbs for sale. Regrettably he could no longer keep them because they destroyed all his plants!

Can anybody add anything to what i've discovered already? I do have a 360g unplanted tank full of big non predators which could house them but I was really hoping to put them in my planted tank.

Also, what's the difference between the Dawkinsia filamentosa and the Puntius filamentous?

Had a group of 6. Would be very bothersome to other same sized and mannered fish. Destroyed my plants as well.

 

[DrownedFishonFire]

Curently have 10x Dawkinsia arulius from wetspot

Their personality is way more outgoing/busy busy fish and they will eat anything, will beat other fish to the food first. Have to consider your community fish are some of them too slow to get to the food? Theyre bullies in some ways too robust for many nice community fish to handle them. Right now they are only at 2-1.5" and i had to remove them from the tank the 2" clown loaches were in and put them in a tank by themselves as they were arguing with the clown loaches picking on them if the clown wanted to school with the barbs, one of the barbs nearby would shoo the clown loach away. Jeez. What a bunch of bullies. Congo tetras, roseline barbs, and panda barbs were the other inhabitants besides the loaches in that 75g tank. They were qt along with clouded archerfish and they were ok together until feeding time. Didnt give clouded archerfish a chance to feed. Hence both going separate ways when QT ended.

Theyre not so smart tho! When it was time to move them into their own tank after having them in there for a week it was very obvious they were just too busybodies for everyone else in that tank including the always dancing clown loaches: all i had to do was drop a net. Every single other species hid or stayed at the other end of the tank. NOT those barbs they had to chill next to the net! A short work later they got evicted. That particular tank calmed pretty much down and harmony is restored. Other fish are more relaxed and chill.

I put this group up for grabs at a local cichlid club classifieds if I dont get what I paid for them will definitely keep them and grow them out and see how they turn out personalitywise when they get bigger like you mentioned the colors are striking, even if not same species I have that you are interested in. Still too nice to look at full grown. Even in a tank by themselves they school so tightly in a 55g tank and is constantly on the go.

 

[esoxlucius]

Seems like these little dudes would cause havoc in my peaceful 180g, with the fish and my plants!

But I do have a 360g with no plants and some big boys in there. So I might still give these little gems a try.

Thanks guys.