Request Help
Tank size: 45G long tank (48l x 12w x 18h)
Test kits not readily available here where I live. The tank is relatively new, only about 6 weeks, with initially about half the water from an established tank and half RO water. This doesn't seem to be important though as the problem seems to be behavioral
tank temp: don't have a thermometer either, suffice to say these are tropical fish, and I live in the tropics lol
Volume and Frequency of water changes: 10% weekly
Tank inhabitants: mostly barbs with a few gouramis, 2 otos and a juvenile plec, all doing quite well, just the one green TB it seems.
Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): I started out with 4 fully grown regular TBs. The green tiger barb in question was part of the first batch of 4 who joined the original 4. It was also the biggest I could find in the LFS, therefore closest to the size of the regular TBs, had a few problems with nips on the smaller, juvenile ones at first, but this one schooled with the regular TBs right away. There are now 16 assorted barbs in the tank, but the one in trouble is still the oldest (of the newer fish) and still the one who most swims with the regular TBs.
At first I thought it was mating with one of the regular TBs, actually chasing him then when it catches up it stays put while the regualr TB goes alongside it and kinda curves into it with one brief, final betta-like clasp before releasing the green TB. The green TB also sometimes slowly goes belly up like a female betta after an embrace, and eventually corrects itself with a few flaps of the fins, but this happens too often and at random times, and after a while they were no longer embracing but the regular TB started nipping at the scales of the green TB
so at first I quarantined it for a couple of weeks until it seemed better (more lively, eating more, and definitely never went belly up while in the quarantine tank) and itching to get back (TBs don't seem to do well alone) but then it just goes back to chasing the same regular TB until its got new nips and starts going belly up again! They start out with embraces again, but inevitably end up with the regular TB biting the scales of the green TB and the green TB just stays there nose down and shaking its fins and takes it with no effort to hide behind any of the plants of driftwood! At random intervals when its in one spot with no one bothering it it just slowly goes belly up then suddenly corrects itself (or is forced to since its always near the regular TB which starts chasing it):
What's wrong with it? Do I have to quarantine it longer? It reached a point where it didn't seem very happy in the qt in the end was always on the glass wanting to get out. The qt is cycled, it has had fish in it constantly since the 1st of March (lately two bettas have been living in it, took it out during the green TB's quarantine and now they're back doing quite well, was gonna start breeding them) and has a few plants (amazon swords) and good aeration (UGF+pump w/ capacity of 9500cc/min) although it is really small at 5G, shouldn't this be enough for a single barb in quarantine? The 35G I was gonna use as a hospital tank, I just woke up one morning to see a huge crack in it with the water down to 1 inch.
I know there are a lot of horror stories about barbs everywhere on the net but I was doing quite well except for this one poor fishie. I really have no idea why its acting this way, someone suggested maybe its just one of those weak specimens due to over- and in-breeding of TBs in general?
Tank size: 45G long tank (48l x 12w x 18h)
Test kits not readily available here where I live. The tank is relatively new, only about 6 weeks, with initially about half the water from an established tank and half RO water. This doesn't seem to be important though as the problem seems to be behavioral
tank temp: don't have a thermometer either, suffice to say these are tropical fish, and I live in the tropics lol
Volume and Frequency of water changes: 10% weekly
Tank inhabitants: mostly barbs with a few gouramis, 2 otos and a juvenile plec, all doing quite well, just the one green TB it seems.
Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): I started out with 4 fully grown regular TBs. The green tiger barb in question was part of the first batch of 4 who joined the original 4. It was also the biggest I could find in the LFS, therefore closest to the size of the regular TBs, had a few problems with nips on the smaller, juvenile ones at first, but this one schooled with the regular TBs right away. There are now 16 assorted barbs in the tank, but the one in trouble is still the oldest (of the newer fish) and still the one who most swims with the regular TBs.
At first I thought it was mating with one of the regular TBs, actually chasing him then when it catches up it stays put while the regualr TB goes alongside it and kinda curves into it with one brief, final betta-like clasp before releasing the green TB. The green TB also sometimes slowly goes belly up like a female betta after an embrace, and eventually corrects itself with a few flaps of the fins, but this happens too often and at random times, and after a while they were no longer embracing but the regular TB started nipping at the scales of the green TB
so at first I quarantined it for a couple of weeks until it seemed better (more lively, eating more, and definitely never went belly up while in the quarantine tank) and itching to get back (TBs don't seem to do well alone) but then it just goes back to chasing the same regular TB until its got new nips and starts going belly up again! They start out with embraces again, but inevitably end up with the regular TB biting the scales of the green TB and the green TB just stays there nose down and shaking its fins and takes it with no effort to hide behind any of the plants of driftwood! At random intervals when its in one spot with no one bothering it it just slowly goes belly up then suddenly corrects itself (or is forced to since its always near the regular TB which starts chasing it):
What's wrong with it? Do I have to quarantine it longer? It reached a point where it didn't seem very happy in the qt in the end was always on the glass wanting to get out. The qt is cycled, it has had fish in it constantly since the 1st of March (lately two bettas have been living in it, took it out during the green TB's quarantine and now they're back doing quite well, was gonna start breeding them) and has a few plants (amazon swords) and good aeration (UGF+pump w/ capacity of 9500cc/min) although it is really small at 5G, shouldn't this be enough for a single barb in quarantine? The 35G I was gonna use as a hospital tank, I just woke up one morning to see a huge crack in it with the water down to 1 inch.
I know there are a lot of horror stories about barbs everywhere on the net but I was doing quite well except for this one poor fishie. I really have no idea why its acting this way, someone suggested maybe its just one of those weak specimens due to over- and in-breeding of TBs in general?
could be they were all male at first though, and this is the first time to see this side of their behavior.
). Still got those nips on the fins and scales, but hopefully things are ok now and they'll heal in time.
