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Moving Forward: Advice?

B. Atrice

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I'm the gal who had a fish die off, due to some sort of reverse-old-tank-syndrome thing when I moved my barbs from a deteriorated old tank to a new one (I think that's the best theory). ONE SURVIVED from the old tank, which makes me so happy...it was a pretty traumatic few days. I had gotten three red-eyed tetras and two albino corys before my die off, and all of them were perfectly fine. But yesterday I found my poor remaining barb being harried by the three tetras, with a big chunk out of his tail and his ventral fins shredded. Yipes! The tetras promptly went back to the fish store, and I got two little barbs to keep my big guy company. So far, the young barbs have cuddled up to "Gramps" beautifully, which makes me so happy, since I was afraid the younger guys would pick on the older, already tattered barb. I must admit I nearly cried last night watching them...the older barb had taken to huddling in a corner of the tank near the heater, and not swimming around too much (I think the tetras chased him every time he swam about), and the two active little barbs just hung out and kept him company, and were even swimming in such a way as to coax the big guy out of hiding. They would swim out, and swim back, and swim out, but would always go back to "Gramps" and just stay near him. I don't know if I'm reading anything into their behavior, but it really seemed as if they were trying to get the older barb back on his fins, so to speak. "Gramps" (his name is actually Blake, after the poet who wrote "The Tyger") has even started to venture out and swim around a little more, with his two wingmen by his side.

I've got a conundrum, though. First, the size of my tank is 10 gallons, which I understand is too small for tiger barbs. However, due to space constraints, I really can't expand the size of my tank. Second, I really don't want to give up my poor old barb who's been through so much with me. He's about 4 or 5 years old, and has really fought for life in the past week and won out. I've kept tiger barbs in a 10 gallon for about 7 or 8 years, and never really seen an issue...is there any way I can make a 10 gallon do for my barb and his buddies? I currently have a submersed filter running in the tank, and I am cleaning the airstone and the other filter from the old tank. If I ran the airstone and the extra filter, would that aerate the tank and decrease the bioload enough to make it safer for my barbs? And is there any way to be able to add a couple more barbs to get up to a schooling minimum, and not trade off the stress of being under schooling minimum for the stress of being too many for the tank? I would also love to be able to add corys up to their schooling minimum...am I asking for far too much?

My current tank has:
3 tiger barbs
2 albino corys
1 gold inca snail
several small anubis plants (which are starting to propagate)
submersible filter, rated at 85 gallons per hour
heater, set at 76 degrees

I can add:
airstone (and I will add it as soon as it's clean)
over-the-side filter, rated at 90 gallons per hour

Currently water parameters are pH of 7.6, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are zero.

I'm doing a 50% water change once a week, but can increase that if necessary.

I'd appreciate any advice.
 
Is there any way you can make room and get a 29-gallon tank? These are betters suited for you TBs.
Or a 20 long...same footprint, just not as tall
 
Or a 20 long...same footprint, just not as tall
Tiger Barbs would appreciate the taller tank. A 29g tank isn’t that much more expensive anyway, and it has the same footprint.
 

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