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I am starting my first planted tank and it will be a 90 gallon one. I'm planning to get some SAE's to help with anticipated algae. I'd also like to get some Puntius Denisoni (also referred to as Red Line Torpedo Barbs or Denison Barbs). Since the SAE and this Barb are both Cyprinids of similar shape and size, I'm wondering if the Barbs will be relentless antagonists towards the SAE's.

My overall tank setup is planned as of today to be:
Planted tank with 2x65W lighting (no CO2) (tank is 48x18x24)
3 Clown Loaches
4 SAE's
3 Denison Barbs
A shoal of 7-9 Tetras of a type not yet decided
1 Gourami - type not yet decided
1 Bushy-Nose Pleco or a small group of cories

Any other feedback on this mix or on these fish in a planted tank is welcomed. Would appreciate thoughts on what other fish type would be a good substitute for the Denison Barb if I don't go with them

Grateful for your thoughts!

I've kept SAEs and Denisoni Barbs together for years without problems. Both are non-aggressive shoaling fish, and since they look very similar, they tend to form groups together as well.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I keep them in the same tank too. They get along just fine. Some times they might swim with each other. But normally they completely ignore each other. Go for it!

Thank you both for taking time to answer my question. It is good to know that two people have mixed these two fish and had no problems. It may be harder to get Denisoni Barbs than I thought. The one LFS that I've ever seen with them only has one and doesn't think he can get more right away. Short of trying a mail order (which I'm reluctant to do in the cold, Maine winter), I am considering getting that one Denisoni Barb. Has anyone had experience with a singular Denisoni in a community tank?

you won't want just one denison's barb - they are a gorgeous schooling fish, not really happy without buddies. the fish will stress out and die, or live unhappily, pale-coloured and alone. buy it if you can ensure getting more - any shoaler should be kept in a shoal, and looks better in a shoal.

You probably are right about not taking the one Denisoni Barb if I cannot get more. It looks like my only resort would be to mail order some of these barbs. That seems kind of scary to me as the fish have to somehow be kept alive and well while being shipped from somewhere in the southern United States to Maine (which will have temperatures around -10 to +3 C this time of year). Has anyone gone the mail-order fish route and, if so, can you recommend any sites that do well with this? How do they keep fish alive and warm enough for mail-order shipping? Thanks!

IMO, try talking to your LFS first. Just go and strike up a conversation and maybe they can order in some more Denisoni's for you. I find this preferable because then you can see the fish before you buy them. Also, then the LFS can worry about their fish coming from southern US to Maine, while you instead have to worry about the minutes from the LFS to your fish tank. If fish are lost, it's a loss upon the fish store and not you. IMO, even in this day and age with the internet, it's still far better to get your fish from an LFS.

Shipping is usually done overnight, and in these months they will probably include a heat pack to keep the fish warm. I haven't ever done this, only because I feel the price of shipping is prohibitively expensive.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

I've asked to LFS about Denisoni and their contacts do not seem to be able to get any of these beautiful fish right now. I did go ahead and purchase the one Denisoni that was at one LFS. I'll keep looking for more but I figure he'll be happier in my 90 gal. than in the little tank that he was in with two dozen fish. Thanks!

Even though Denison's are expensive, it's well worth saving the cash to get a group. Even the bare minimum shoal of six is preferable to any less if you can manage it.

The sight that brought home to me just how good these fish look in a decent shoal was the big display tank at Maidenhead Aquatics (an aquarium franchise that has a dealership about 30 minutes' cycling time from my home) which housed something like 30 Denisons' Barbs together. They looked really happy in a big shoal like that. Trouble is, to do a shoal of 30 Denisons' justice you'd need a BIG tank, and the capital cost of 30 Denisons' in one go would blow a BIG hole in many people's wallets. They're still around £20 a pair here, so 30 of them ... yikes, £300. I suppose that if I was in the market for buying 30 Denisons' in one go, I could probably haggle for a discount, especially if I was also buying the aquarium to house them in from the same people, but it takes a fair bit of chutzpah to haggle for a bulk purchase reduction on something as sky high desirable as Denisons' Barbs.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Denisonii seem to be getting rare around here again, i have 2 4-5inch fish left and looked into getrting some more but they are wanting £17-£20 each for fish under 2 inch in both the local LFS that have them in stock.