Got Some Tiger Barbs...

[Rice_slayer]

Hey, i just got 5 tiger barbs for my 10gallon fish tank. They look cool and all but they dont move too much. They are all hiding together at the bottom either in a corner or behind the plants. Is this normal behavior for new fish?

Heres a pic to show what i mean, they are on the bottom right by the big plant.

 

[netcode]

getting accustomed to their new surroundings for sure. but how long have they been in the water? if its been a long time then maybe it has to do with water quality.

What are your water stats? temp too .

also just a side note.. if you want add a few more tigers like 4-5 more you have the space, that is if your not adding anything else.

 

[Rice_slayer]

i was thinking of getting some danios. They have been in this tank for about 2 and a half hours. I dont know what you mean by water stats but i put a capful of decholizer stuff and the temp is 76.

 

[netcode]

i was thinking of getting some danios. They have been in this tank for about 2 and a half hours. I dont know what you mean by water stats but i put a capful of decholizer stuff and the temp is 76.

By water stats i mean ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels and pH..etc.

I assume this is a new tank.
If so how long have you had your tank with filter up and running?
Did you just put in the dechlorinator?

Chlorine in water will kill your fish, you always have to add a product that will remove the chlorines from your water. If you just put it in and haven't really had your tank up and running for a few days or more then your fish were prolly suffering from the moment they entered the water due to the chlorines. On a good note though, if you put the stuff in then they will prolly make it. When doing water changes(which should be done weekly) remember to put a product in the water that will remove the chlorines.

My advice would be check out the beginners section of the forum. They have very helpful information pinned at the top of the forum that is always good to read.

Also another question is did you cycle your tank? If you don't know what cycling is then I would suggest you hold off on getting more fish until you have your water quality settled and safe.​

 

[CytheFish]

Hey, i just got 5 tiger barbs for my 10gallon fish tank. They look cool and all but they dont move too much. They are all hiding together at the bottom either in a corner or behind the plants. Is this normal behavior for new fish?

Heres a pic to show what i mean, they are on the bottom right by the big plant.

Too many fish in a 10G. At 2.5-3in each at full growth your tank is already over stocked. Please check out the beginners section and do some more reading, there is a ton of great info out there. Good luck!

 

[Rice_slayer]

Overstocked?!?!?! They have WAYYYY too much room in there, you can barely seem them in the pic . Anyways they must have been just adjusting to the new area, because they are all swimming around happily now. I might get a few cherry barbs in a week or two if these guys do good.

 

[Rice_slayer]

ic, so if was to get anymore fish i would get tiger barbs again. They all seem VERY happy today, i got up to my surprise of them swimming around and weaving through the plants and racing down the front of the tank LOL. Anyways, i fed them and they went mental, i think they were just adjusting to the new enviroment.

 

[netcode]

ic, so if was to get anymore fish i would get tiger barbs again. They all seem VERY happy today, i got up to my surprise of them swimming around and weaving through the plants and racing down the front of the tank LOL. Anyways, i fed them and they went mental, i think they were just adjusting to the new enviroment.

they always go mental when you feed them. they will eat any amount of food. my suggestion is to stick your hand right into the water with the food and kinda throw it around, that way it will insure others are getting some food.

 

[Bignose]

ic, so if was to get anymore fish i would get tiger barbs again.

No, the point people have been trying to tell you is that at this point you really should not put in any more fish. Your tank is just too small.

The general rule is 1 inch of fish per gallon. You have 5 tiger barbs, 3 inches a piece when they are adult, and you have a 10 gallon tank.

5x3 = 15 > 10

I know the tank looks empty, but this is more for the health of your fish and for your ease of keeping the tank.

With lots of fish in there, if your fish happen to get a disease, it will spread very quickly. Lots of fish means lots of fish waste, and if your filter is only rated for a 10 gallon tank, it will be unable to filter the water effectively. You will have to do much more frequent water changes in order to keep the water clean for them.

Finally, and probably, most importantly, too many fish in too small a space will probably be stressful for the fish. Stress leads to weakened immune system. Weakened immune system means that the fish are more susceptible to disease, and then we're back to my first point, with lots of fish in there the disease will spread rapidly.

I am going to assume that you are new to the hobby, so please don't think me condescending when I say: Once you learn more about fishkeeping you can learn how to bend these rules. But, just starting out, that 1 inch per gallon rule is meant to keep your fish healthy. If you want to get more tiger barbs, you really, really, really need to get a bigger tank.

The question about water stats was very pertinent. Do you have tests for ammonia, nitrites? Do you know why having those tests are important? Do you understand cycling? If you don't, please don't feel bad, everyone was a beginner at one point, and the people on this forum are usually exceptionally helpful at making sure you understand almost any question you might have, so please ask away!

 

[Araxen]

Ever heard of the phrase "doesn't play well with others"? That could be applied to tiger barbs. They should be in a species only tank, otherwise serious fin nippings will occur. They're small right now, so you're thinking your tank's not overstocked. But, keep in mind that they will reach 3 inches on adulthood. Plus they're active fish (once they've settled in), 10 gallons is just too small for them.

If you keep Tiger Barbs in a big enough school they won't even bother the other fish in the thank. 8+ or more Tiger Barbs and I wouldn't worry about them attacking other fish. They'll be way too busy trying to determine who is the head cheese than to bother with the other fish. I've never had any problems with Tiger Barbs nipping at other fish as long as you provide them a big enough school they are fine, imo.

10 gallons is way too small for a proper school of Tiger Barbs though. They get up to 2 - 3 inches in size and will need 20-30 gallons at least.

 

[Rafael Dilone]

Well I have to say I have had a lot of fishes in a 10 gallon and never had any problem. But I had to work very hard to keep good water stats. All my fishes were happy and very healthie in the 10 gallon. When you overstock you must take caution becuase you will have to probably work harder to have a healthie tank unlike if you where not overstock.

 

[And_Hef]

Ever heard of the phrase "doesn't play well with others"? That could be applied to tiger barbs. They should be in a species only tank, otherwise serious fin nippings will occur. They're small right now, so you're thinking your tank's not overstocked. But, keep in mind that they will reach 3 inches on adulthood. Plus they're active fish (once they've settled in), 10 gallons is just too small for them.

If you keep Tiger Barbs in a big enough school they won't even bother the other fish in the thank. 8+ or more Tiger Barbs and I wouldn't worry about them attacking other fish. They'll be way too busy trying to determine who is the head cheese than to bother with the other fish. I've never had any problems with Tiger Barbs nipping at other fish as long as you provide them a big enough school they are fine, imo.

10 gallons is way too small for a proper school of Tiger Barbs though. They get up to 2 - 3 inches in size and will need 20-30 gallons at least.

My 12 tigers never bothered any of the other fish. I had them for a year and most of them reached 2"-2.5" in my 55 gallon tank. They played a lot (chasing each other and occasionally sneaking up on the tetras).