My Barbs Are Fighting

[Eyebiter]

Hi, new to this forum. Hope you can help. I'm not new to the trade but I've been dealing with a lot of predators for the last 15 years and this is the first true community tank I've had in a long time. I can't believe how much I have to relearn.

I have a 125g community tank with barbs, tetras, danios, dwarf gouramis, and rasboras. I had a few water quality issues in the beginning and then some green water issues but now everything seems to have leveled out. My water is nice and clear. The last two days my 2 Aurulius Barbs and my 2 filamentosus Barbs have been fighting, badly. The Arulius barbs would chase from time to time and the filamentosus were always together. Now they're trying to kill each other - mouth locking and side biting. I'm just glad they don't have teeth like a tetra. I know barbs can be nippy but I don't have these problems with my black ruby or gold.

My thoughts are to add some more of each species to make the school bigger but they're not super easy to find. I'm also thinking I might have two males of each which wouldn't change the fighting if I added more. I did have a pair of Panda Barbs but one didn't make it home. The other is fine. With these bigger barbs are they better as singles?

 

[Lateral Line]

Both of the larger barb species you mention are naturally shoaling fish best kept in groups of 5 or more. In smaller groups, atypical behaviour is often seen ranging from hiding and slowly fading away, to outright aggression. That said, both of these fish are normally very placid. The Gold and Black Ruby's are also shoaling I should add.

How long have they been in there? Is this "new tank" sparring for example? Has something else happened to trigger the behaviour? Is any actual damage being done?

Most barbs are totally harmless, it is a shame to say "barbs can be nippy", the same cam be true of anything.

 

[Eyebiter]

Well, they've been in the tank for 6-8 weeks but then after a water change it seemed like they got a dose of rage. One of my first instincts was to add a bunch more of each. The Filamentosus are hard to find though.

I have had a few fish just kind of hide and die for no other reason then there weren't enough of them but then I've had schooling fish do fine single. I've inhereted a female red phontom that's been alone for months.

I'll try and get a few more of these guys this weekend.

Thanks