Tiger barb BULLY

[Vectrum]

can any one tell me the best way to sort out a bully in a tank? . iv got a bullying tiger barb and at the moment iv put it in a breeding unit floating in the tank is this wise or is there a better way please??

regards alastair

 

[rvm]

from your sig, it looks like you've only got 2 tiger barbs. They should be kept in a school of at least 4 really. I have 8 and they never bother any of the other fish, they just play all day with each other. They are fantastic fish to watch in a school: always playing and very active!!!

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I agree, barbs are boisterous fish and notorious fin nippers. To minimise this they need to be kept in groups of 6 ideally. I have 5 and they are grand, except with angels of course.

 

[tmlhaus]

To keep them happy, you'll need more than just 2. But I would be putting some of those other fish elsewhere. Yes, tiger barbs are mean and nippy, no way of getting around it.

 

[rvm]

I wouldn't say tiger barbs are mean and nippy, I just think it's down to how you keep them. If you have 2 of them, then they probably will be mean and nippy, but with 6 or 8, they'll be a spectacle while they swim playing with each other and leaving all the rest of the tank alone.
Obviously I'm only speaking from personal experience, but mine have never bothered any of the other fish. I reckon I could keep angels in there with them with no problem (I'm not going to try it, I just think I could!!)

 

[Vectrum]

thanks ill look in to getting some more maybe today. would it be ok to mix in green tiger barbs with them and would i get the same afect???

 

[Tropjunky]

hey ur tank is gonna get overstocked. don't go over 19-20 inchs of fish (and remember they do grow and fast)

 

[Cheese Specialist]

What are your parameters? Do your nitrAtes go higher than they were previously when you test them again (meaning that your water changes are not enough to cover the waste)? What filtration do you have?

I think that simple inch of fish rules are not always suitable and to combat the problem more barbs need to be added or for the others to be taken back to the shop.

Mixing green with tiger is fine, I have green, albino and tiger as well as rosy and all but the rosy school together and bicker, which is great to watch!

 

[Vectrum]

my tank is 24x12x18 18g im running a fluval 104 filter witch will filter 25g with a 203 wating in the wings if i need it. my lfs told me i could get rughly 34" of fish. i dont know if thay tuck the filter into acoult. iv just of two green tiger barbs to ad to the mix so i hope thiss sorts things out. thanks for your help.

regards alastair

 

[Cheese Specialist]

You never said what your parameters are.

You should ad the filter if it's not doing anything else, always a good idea.

 

[Vectrum]

sorry im a little thick. what do you mean by parameters

 

[rvm]

parameters are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate etc readings. You can get a test kit for around £20 (UK) or you can get your lfs to test it for you.

 

[Vectrum]

are i get ya my nitrit is be low 0.3 and my ammonia is 1.2 and ph is 7.5. iv just noticed most of my fish are swiming at the top and look like there skiming the something of the serfice?? is that normal to do that some times iv never seen it befor

 

[rvm]

sounds like your ammonia is too high, thats why the fish are "gasping" at the air. 1.2 is pretty high. I don't know exactly what to do though, you could try some Ammo-Lock.

 

[tstenback]

A good size water change wouldn't hurt either if the ammonia level is that high. How long has the tank been set up? with that much ammonia this is either a very new tank still cycling or you have just added a lot of fish.