can rosy barbs school with other barbs?
 

I have two rosy barbs (given to me with the tank) and they are starting to show signs of stress (color fading). I'm going to add more this weekend, maybe 4-5.

One time when I was in a LFS, they had other barbs, I don't remember which, but not rosy barbs. I hate to drive all over town on a wild goose chase, so if I can't find rosy barbs at the bigger, better LFS, is/are there other barbs they will happily school with? I'd love to add some color to the tank and would love to add other fishies down the line.

Right now there are only 3 tank inhabitants: 2 rosy barbs and one zebra danio. It's a 29 gal. well-established, cycled tank.

Thanks.

Hmm, it's probably best to get more rosy barbs, as they are some of the more docile type, and other barbs might pick on them.

Any good LFS will order fish for you :)

docile is good, so more rosy barbs it will be!

(And more otos, too, and more zebra danios...)

Thanks. :D

Have fun! Zebra danios are pretty dumb, they'll probably school with anything that looks vaguely like them :P And be prepared for them to breed!

rut roh...hadn't thought of the breeding aspect, for any of these guys. I guess I've been lucky so far.

If I just let nature just take it's course, will I be overrun? Will they eat each others eggs/young?

Sheesh...more to learn.

I think it mostly depends on what you've got in the tank. My danios live with a couple of snails and some cories as well as a female kribensis and a dwarf gourami, and they've definitely spawned a bunch of times but nothing has ever come of it.

Thanks. I won't stress. If need be and any survive, there's always Craigslist or freecycle.

My rosey barbs only stay with the other rosey barbs. I also have checkboard barbs and they totally ingnore the roseys and the rosey ignore them!