The tiger barb is a lively, playful, schooling species that should be kept in groups of seven or more. It may become aggressive if kept in too small a group, and may harass slow-moving fishes and peck at the fins of gouramis and angelfish.

When kept with members of its own species, most tiger barbs are active swimmers that participate in chasing games and mock combat among themselves. If kept as a lone individual, it tends to lose its sense of security and often stays in a corner of the tank or hides behind plants or other tank decor. Because the tiger barb is extremely susceptible to ich, good water quality and frequent partial water changes are a must.

The tiger barb should be housed in a tank with a fine gravel substrate. The tank should contain rocks and driftwood in the center to provide hiding places. Plants should be clustered on the sides and in the back of the tank, leaving plenty of room in the center of the tank for swimming.

Like most barbs, the tiger barb is considered omnivorous and will eat just about anything that fits into its mouth. Feed it a varied diet that consists of vegetable-based flake, freeze-dried and frozen foods, supplemented with small live foods, such as bloodworms, glass worms, brine shrimp, Tubifex worms and Daphnia. If a small amount of vegetable matter is not provided (i.e., parboiled lettuce, zucchini), it will nibble on any live plants in the aquarium.

The tiger barb is easy to spawn. Although there may be differences among the sexes, it is best to purchase a group of seven or more and let them pair up. The tiger barb perform a "spawning run" as part of its courtship ritual, and so it must have a tank that is sufficiently large to allow it to gather enough speed for its runs (i.e., 20 gallons or larger). Also, provide it with spawning sites, such as clumps of plants.

The Tiger Barb should be kept in groups of 8 and is compatible with the Bala Shark, Black Skirt Tetra, Bosemani Rainbow, Clown Loach, Dwarf Neon Rainbow, GloFish, Kissing Gourami, Kribensis, Kuhli Loach, Leopard Pleco L114, Molly, Pearl Gourami, Peppermint Pleco L030, Platy, Pleco (Common), Rainbow Shark, Red Tailed Shark, Rosy Barb, Sunshine Pleco L014, Swordtail, Three Spot Gourami, Tinfoil Barb, Upsidedown Catfish, Zebra Danio.

So You Want To Be A Tropical Fish Hobbyist?

What does it take to be a tropical fish hobbyist? Do you need to have a large, elaborate fish tank filled with exotic tropical fish? Do you need to know every species of tropical fish alive? Do you need to know how to properly maintain a fresh as well as salt water tropical fish tank? The answer to all of those questions is yes as well as no. You don't need to know any of the above to be a tropical fish hobbyist. That's because tropical fish hobbyists vary just as tropical fish vary. Some hobbyists keep fish tanks, some keep photos of tropical fish around their houses, some have them stuffed around their houses and there are many more besides that.

Tropical Fish Are Beautiful

The main ingredient that all tropical fish hobbyists have in common is their love for tropical fish. They think they are beautiful. And it's true. Tropical fish are colorful, they're exotic, they're unlike most other fish you'll see and if you keep them in a perfectly maintained tank there is nothing else like it. You have to decide how you want to appreciate the fish as a tropical fish hobbyist. If you want to keep a tropical fish tank, you need to know how to build and maintain one. If you want to keep photos, that's a little easier way to be a tropical fish hobbyist; and if you want to stuff them and hang them on your walls, that's also a way to appreciate them but you'll need to find a taxidermist to do the work for you.

Keeping A Tank

Realize that keeping a fish tank is a great way to be a tropical fish hobbyist. However, it can be very expensive and time consuming. There are many tropical fish stores around that will help you with everything you need. You'll need a tank, you'll need the right kind of water, you'll need instruments to test the water to make sure the fish will thrive in it, you'll need food and, of course, you'll need fish. Make sure you know, as a tropical fish hobbyist, which fish can coexist and which ones live in fresh water and which in salt. There are so many different types of tropical fish species that you'll likely spend a lot of time learning about them as a tropical fish hobbyist.

Being a tropical fish hobbyist, however, can be a very rewarding experience. Not only are tropical fish beautiful but they'll provide you with happiness and a sense of peace, no matter how you decide to appreciate them.

Source - http://www.linkroll.com/tropical-fish/so-you-want-to-be-a-tropical-fish-hobbyist.php

Bala Shark

The Bala Shark originally came from Southeast Asia around Indonesia. They are also known as the Tri Color Shark and they have a silver body with clear fins edged in black. Bala Sharks are a mild mannered and very active fish that need to be kept in numbers of at least 6. They look lovely in schools too. Because of their size and their need to school, an aquarium of more than 75 gallons should be used and it should have lots of open space. They eat flake foods, algae and just about anything you give them. These fish are extremely difficult to breed, as evidenced by a total lack of information on the subject.

Bala Shark is compatible with the Altum Angelfish, Angelfish, Betta (Siamese Fighting), Bosemani Rainbow, Cherry Barb, Clown Loach, Croaking Gourami, Dwarf Gourami, Dwarf Neon Rainbow, Flying Fox, Giant Gourami, GloFish, Iridescent Shark, Kissing Gourami, Oscar Cichlid, Otto Catfish, Pearl Gourami, Pleco (Common), Rainbow Shark, Red Tailed Shark, Siamese Algae Eater, Silver Dollar, Sparkling Gourami, Three Spot Gourami, Tiger Barb, Tinfoil Barb, Zebra Danio.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Balantiocheilos
Species: B. melanopterus

Cleaning a fish tank

Cleaning a fish tank is an important part of owning an aquarium. Your fish need a clean environment to live if you want them to stay healthy and happy. Excess food and fish feces build up over time, which eventually turn into harmful ammonia, so it’s important to keep your tank clean not only for its appearance, but for the health of your fish.

Getting on a good fish tank cleaning schedule will help you avoid algae build up and make it easier to clean the tank each time that you do. You can do a routine clean up in about a half an hour. Cleaning your tank on a weekly basis is the best way to stay on top of the grime and keep your fish healthy.

Many people mistakenly believe that you have to drain the whole tank and replace the water each time you clean the take. Actually, completely cleaning an aquarium can be harmful to the fish. As the fish live in the tank, good bacteria that cuts down on disease starts to grow in the tank. When a tank is cleaned from top to bottom, you remove these good bacteria, putting your fish in harm’s way.

You need to regularly replace 10 to 50 percent of the water that is in the tank on a regular basis. Most people do 25 percent. This way you’ll be able to add fresh water without completely removing the good bacteria. If there are algae on the sides of the tank you can use a scrubber but don’t remove all of the algae because it is natural to their environment and very healthy for them.

Make sure to check the filter for debris, but don’t replace it each time you clean. Good bacteria build up in the filter as well so you’ll only want to replace it when you absolutely have to. Just use a clean bucket full of chlorine-free water and rub your hands across the filter several times to get the bulk sludge and slime off, that’s it!

When decorative items become stained you can remove them from the tank and soak them in a 10 percent bleach solution for 15 minutes, use a brush and be sure to rinse them thoroughly before replacing them! If you do not rinse them thoroughly you could easily kill all of your fish!

Finally, replace the filter, the decorative items and add new water, remembering to use some type of water treatment solution to remove all chlorine. It’s also a good idea to add a little conditioning salt to prevent diseases.

What is Finned Friends??

As an Aquarium Hobbyist, I was unhappy with the quality of awareness, products and services around me. I personally wanted to change that. Taking the same into consideration, I have put in my efforts to start offering my guidance and services to all interested in this hobby.

‘Finned Friends’ is an endeavor which deals in setting up and maintenance of show aquariums for corporate as well as domestic use. The services include:

Installation and maintenance
Transformation and enhancement
Sourcing of best quality products
Consultation


Contact - 
Sameer Gudhate
B/302, Ramrang Apts,
Opp. Shiv Mandir,
Patharli,
Dombivli (East) 421201.


Mobile No - 09819597645.