Future Fish For A Tank

Has anyone kept harlequins with cherry barbs, and how did they get on?

Almost certain that I've read a post from Richard, talking favourably of these two species together.

I think it's best to have a potential shortlist but not narrow this down to very definite decisions just yet - you could use the CC for 3 potential tank stocking options, but you might find when you go for a look around that one particular species leaps out (not literally! ) as being for you, in which case that may make the decision for you as to which other fish to opt for ie which of the potential tank stocking options "wins". As previously mentioned, I completely fell for the harlequin rasboras despite intending to go for ember tetras.

As an aside, I completely understand the rationale for opting for fish from the same part of the world. However, in my case, my South American and Asian fish seem to get on well together and are often dispersed around the tank with one species beside another - they seem to be faring better together and seem more comfortable with one another than the two South American fish species I had before (pygmy cories with x-ray tetras, although I think the problem in that instance was the size difference).

I've not had any problems with my panda cory, but I haven't had them for long.
Kuhli loaches are nice looking, but for the amount of stock allowance they take, and for quite a shy species that enjoys burrowing and hiding, I think your other options would make for a more visually stimulating tank.

While we were out this morning I called in at shop we had to pass to buy ammonia and nitrite testers. This is not normally a shop where I buy fish, but while I was there I had a look to see what they had to give me some ideas. It proved to be very uninspirational.

There were two tanks of note, one above the other, but not for the species of fish. The lower one had electric blue rams and a couple of varieties of three spot gourami. The rams were covered in whitespot. The upper tank had tetras of some sort; a silvery grey with black spot near the tail, and a white species that was either very young silver dollars or discus tetras. There was no label on this tank. But the silver dollar/discus tetras were covered in whitespot. The gouramis and grey with black spots were all clear.
However, these fish were all on sale  No sign about being under treatment. Poor unsuspecting customers 

Hmmmmmmm. That could well be quite a big decision. Obviously my response would be to have an Asian tank and a South American tank, and even then it would still be a tough choice to narrow down each list.

There are three related species - Trigonostigma heteromorpha aka harlequins; T. hengeli aka copper rasbora, hengel's rabora, porkchop rasbora; and T. espei aka espe's rasbora, lambchop rasbora. You find all three on Seriously Fish if you search for trigonostigma. Just to add more naming confusion, T. espei are in the fish profiles on here as slender harlequins.

There is also a colour morph of harlequin called purple harlequins. These have orange faces and the rest dark purple. These are the same species as harlequins so in theory should shoal with them. The other two are different species.

I was quite surprised to find they had fish they called copper rasbora, T. espei. Last time I asked them they looked at their list and said copper rasboras were T hengeli.

I've had purple harlies, they're a very attractive fish and I'd get them again if I could find them.

Great link Donna, cheers for that! I bet they look great in the flesh/fins... lol 

Those were the fish I saw, though they were so small it was hard to tell if they had a darker triangle like the fish in the link.


Thank you to whoever it was that changed the title - the new one is better.

I can't take credit but have been performing more subtle tidying and spelling correction in recent days...

The problem is the price. There's one on Ebay at the moment for £60 

I promised my husband I won't get anything expensive......

Given there is a while to go yet before I can get any fish, the chances are I'll draw up a list and go to the shop only to find they haven't any. Or like my visit on Monday, only one or two of each species. I suppose that's the problem with Mondays, everyone else has been in buying fish over the weekend.

Current thinking is either harlequins/purple harlequins, glowlight danios and either peacock gudgeons or whatever stiphodons they have in; or golden pencilfish, an as yet undecided tetra and panda cories. And around 15 of each mid water shoaling species, 10 cories.