Tiger barb not doing so well

[Rhys19]

So in my 30gal I got the 2 tiger barbs which I plan on making them a sep tank but for now their doing well with the other fishies

anyways one of them is not doing so well he swims around but every once in awhile he like loses his fish bladder balance and floats but then a few seconds after he goes back to normal I already did a 25% WC should I get my hospital tank up and running and acclimate and stick him in with some aquarium salt?

any help is appreciated all the other fishies are doing great!

my other tiger barb is swimming around normally it's just the one.

 

[Byron]

No, leave it alone, or if you prfer, euthanize the fish. You've no idea what is causing this inability to swim, so you cannot treat it. Beside which, when this happens, I have never known or heard of a fish recovering. This imbalance can be due to stress, internal protozoan, injury, various diseases...almost anything. "Swim bladder disease" is so rare as a stand-alone problem it can be considered non-existent.

It is actually very likely that the other TB has stressed this one out. This fish should never be in a group less than ten, and regardless of the circumstances, the problem is there.

 

[Rhys19]

No, leave it alone, or if you prfer, euthanize the fish. You've no idea what is causing this inability to swim, so you cannot treat it. Beside which, when this happens, I have never known or heard of a fish recovering. This imbalance can be due to stress, internal protozoan, injury, various diseases...almost anything. "Swim bladder disease" is so rare as a stand-alone problem it can be considered non-existent.

Ok. so the WC I did won't stress it out more than?

It is actually very likely that the other TB has stressed this one out. This fish should never be in a group less than ten, and regardless of the circumstances, the problem is there.

And I didn't know that could happen, The pet store (The box store ) we got them from (Pet Smart) Said since they were small we'd have atleast a month or 2 to add the rest of the group so I wasn't sure

 

[Fishmanic]

What other fish are in the 29 gallon?

 

[Rhys19]

What other fish are in the 29 gallon?

a guppy that stays near the top almost all the time, some kuhli loaches, 1 common pleco & 1 clown pleco, and then a CAE - Doesn't eat the slime off fish anymore now that I substitute his diet with algae wafers which he loves.

EDIT: The barbs were like $1.99 and they weren't glow ones because those were more expensive and I only had my gift card I got for $20 - Cuz I got the kuhli loaches for bottom-feeding since clowns are a big no because 1 they require a group of 6 and for a group of 6 I would need at least 150+ Gallons for it they are goofy and awesome but sadly their just too big for my tank, I planned on getting a 160-200Gal aquarium sometime next year since I'm finally getting a job

 

[Rhys19]

So After watching for a few mins he seems to lose the swim bladder right around when he gets pushed by one of the air bubbles

I got a vid of when he goes into non swim bladder mode but my phone's wifi isn't working atm so I'll upload it when I get a chance

 

[Byron]

Ok. so the WC I did won't stress it out more than?

Generally, nothing is as beneficial as a water change, no matter the issue. Provided the parmeters (GH, pH and temperature) of the tank water and source water are reasonably the same, no problem. There is no need to go bashing about the tank, if you're concerned over stressing out a fish, just stick the W/C hose in one corner and siphon out/refill.

And I didn't know that could happen, The pet store (The box store ) we got them from (Pet Smart) Said since they were small we'd have atleast a month or 2 to add the rest of the group so I wasn't sure

I think this has been covered in other threads of yours, so you now know that advice from a fish store employee is not necessarily trustworthy. In this case, they were as wrong as anyone could be. Shoaling fish need a group, and should always be acquired together at the same time and introduced to the tank together, in the entire intended group. All shoaling fish will settle in faster with less chance of trouble (like ich, but other problems too). With an aggressive species like TB, this is even more crucial.

A couple weeks ago I posted about a scientific study that looked at numbers for four shoaling species, and concluded that 10 or more will result in less aggressiveness, better feeding, and a couple other things. The study placed two, three, five and ten of the subject species in identical tanks, and observed the reactions of the fish in the varying-sized groups. Tiger Barbs happened to be one of the species studied, and it was noteworthy that when two, three and five TB were placed in the respective tank, they almost immediately tore into each other. This did not occur in the tank with 10. The biologists removed the two, three and five TBs from the study, fearing the fish would seriously damage each other, and concluded that this species must have 10 or more. They also mentioned that this is the advice of experienced hobbyists, and it is obviously accurate.

 

[Rhys19]

Generally, nothing is as beneficial as a water change, no matter the issue. Provided the parmeters (GH, pH and temperature) of the tank water and source water are reasonably the same, no problem. There is no need to go bashing about the tank, if you're concerned over stressing out a fish, just stick the W/C hose in one corner and siphon out/refill.



I think this has been covered in other threads of yours, so you now know that advice from a fish store employee is not necessarily trustworthy. In this case, they were as wrong as anyone could be. Shoaling fish need a group, and should always be acquired together at the same time and introduced to the tank together, in the entire intended group. All shoaling fish will settle in faster with less chance of trouble (like ich, but other problems too). With an aggressive species like TB, this is even more crucial.

A couple weeks ago I posted about a scientific study that looked at numbers for four shoaling species, and concluded that 10 or more will result in less aggressiveness, better feeding, and a couple other things. The study placed two, three, five and ten of the subject species in identical tanks, and observed the reactions of the fish in the varying-sized groups. Tiger Barbs happened to be one of the species studied, and it was noteworthy that when two, three and five TB were placed in the respective tank, they almost immediately tore into each other. This did not occur in the tank with 10. The biologists removed the two, three and five TBs from the study, fearing the fish would seriously damage each other, and concluded that this species must have 10 or more. They also mentioned that this is the advice of experienced hobbyists, and it is obviously accurate.

wow I didn't know they could tear into one another...

that's just insane eitherway would it be ok if I add more TB in a couple of weeks then?

 

[Myraan]

If you think you have the space for 9 or more.

I'm a little worried the remaining TB will go a bit insane and take it out on everything else in the tank left alive.

 

[Byron]

wow I didn't know they could tear into one another...

that's just insane eitherway would it be ok if I add more TB in a couple of weeks then?

This is why one needs to fully research a species before acquiring it. You have learned that, as we all have.

I share @Myraan concern about the antics of the lone TB now. This is a very serious issue. It may not accept other TB's at this stage. Or/and it may decide to attack any fish in the tank. On its own is it severely stressed, as it was with just two or three of them, that is not going to go away.

Fish that are inclined to be feisty/aggressive will tend to establish their hierarchy very soon after a group of them is placed in a closed environment. Adding more down the road to species that are generally peaceful is usually (though certainly not always) successful. But with a species like TB, it can be disastrous. I would suggest that if you intend keeping this species [there really are far better barb options with similar patterns, like the Black Ruby Barb] you acquire a group of 12-15 (these need their own 30g tank, we have dealt with this previously) and if the sole TB you have now becomes a terror, remove it and euthanize it. I doubt the store would take it back, primarily because they couldn't understand the reason, but you could try.

 

[djohm23]

So in my 30gal I got the 2 tiger barbs which I plan on making them a sep tank but for now their doing well with the other fishies

anyways one of them is not doing so well he swims around but every once in awhile he like loses his fish bladder balance and floats but then a few seconds after he goes back to normal I already did a 25% WC should I get my hospital tank up and running and acclimate and stick him in with some aquarium salt?

any help is appreciated all the other fishies are doing great!

my other tiger barb is swimming around normally it's just the one.

Hi there,

I've been keeping tiger barbs for a few years now and even with my tank at near perfect parameters I have lost many of them to genetic defects. I think part of the issue with tiger barbs is that they aren't really captive bred so as far as genetics you get what you get out in the wild which can often be poor due to many environmental factors such as pollutants.

I have gone through probably 30 to 40 tiger barbs before arriving at a tank of eight of them who are the strong ones, they are the survivors and have been around for a couple years now, and have even started mating in my tank which is a good sign of a healthy tank system.

There are many things that can affect the health of the fish within your own environment, one of the most important ones is stress and if you keep tiger barbs in a school of less than eight they are going to be stressed and probably will harass any other fish in your tank. Unfortunately after keeping tiger barbs for a while my only advice is probably to euthanize the fish because it's not going to last that much longer. I have tried so many things to save broken tiger barbs and they never make it. It is what it is, you can't overcome crappy genetics.

I would also get that Chinese algae eater out of there immediately, they're the biggest jerks of the fish world. I've seen them harass and try to eat sleeping fish at night. I got a 5 fish crew of Siamese algae eaters in with my tiger barbs and they get along fantastically. Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[Rhys19]

Hi there,

I've been keeping tiger barbs for a few years now and even with my tank at near perfect parameters I have lost many of them to genetic defects. I think part of the issue with tiger barbs is that they aren't really captive bred so as far as genetics you get what you get out in the wild which can often be poor due to many environmental factors such as pollutants.

I have gone through probably 30 to 40 tiger barbs before arriving at a tank of eight of them who are the strong ones, they are the survivors and have been around for a couple years now, and have even started mating in my tank which is a good sign of a healthy tank system.

There are many things that can affect the health of the fish within your own environment, one of the most important ones is stress and if you keep tiger barbs in a school of less than eight they are going to be stressed and probably will harass any other fish in your tank. Unfortunately after keeping tiger barbs for a while my only advice is probably to euthanize the fish because it's not going to last that much longer. I have tried so many things to save broken tiger barbs and they never make it. It is what it is, you can't overcome crappy genetics.

I would also get that Chinese algae eater out of there immediately, they're the biggest jerks of the fish world. I've seen them harass and try to eat sleeping fish at night. I got a 5 fish crew of Siamese algae eaters in with my tiger barbs and they get along fantastically. Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.

Huh didn't know, I figured they were captive-bred...

I would also get that Chinese algae eater out of there immediately, they're the biggest jerks of the fish world. I've seen them harass and try to eat sleeping fish at night. I got a 5 fish crew of Siamese algae eaters in with my tiger barbs and they get along fantastically. Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.

also as for the CAE, he used to be a jerk trying to suck on some of my fish he even tried to suck on my pleco but Uhm yeah that didn't go very well... the pleco started raising his fin at him... and uhm the CAE never sucked on him again I guess he got like "Oh **** he's a fighter" either way I started feeding algae wafers at night before the lights turned off and noticed they were gone I figured it was the plecos but man was I 50% wrong! A few days later I could barely sleep so I looked at my fish tank and noticed my CAE on the gravel floor munching on them! he freaking loved them! so the next day I dropped like 1 or 2 in the morning and the CAE will immediately come out as I drop them in and start munching on them and he hasn't bothered any other fish since! he still climbs up and down the walls but never even attempts to attack another fish I even set up a camera at night with NV and I sat there watching the 8 or 12-hour recording and never even noticed my CAE attack so if you have CAE jerk problems feed him some Hikari algae wafers!
In my experience he's cool when he sucks on the glass! but he's also kinda goofy when he's not attacking other fish!

 

[Rhys19]

so if my barbs don't die I'm going to try and get some more but probably just dedicate my 30gal to them until I get my bigger tank

if they do die I won't buy them since it's my main tank rn is there any nonaggressive schooling fish? I like the neon tetra's but they're just small. I can't think of any on the top of my head other than tiger barbs I have 1 gourami he's actually kinda goofy to watch

 

[djohm23]

so if my barbs don't die I'm going to try and get some more but probably just dedicate my 30gal to them until I get my bigger tank

if they do die I won't buy them since it's my main tank rn is there any nonaggressive schooling fish? I like the neon tetra's but they're just small. I can't think of any on the top of my head other than tiger barbs I have 1 gourami he's actually kinda goofy to watch

My Siamese algae eaters are absolute fiends for those algae wafers. It's fun to watch them and the tiger Barbs go after the wafers, they seem to have worked out a mechanism for sharing them now.

I have five of the algae eaters and eight tiger barbs in one 30 gallon tank and they do pretty well. I think it's more important to have a properly sized School than it is to have a huge tank, but getting a bigger tank is definitely nice for them.

You really start to see their true colors shine when you get groups of them together, the algae eaters are hilarious to watch when they start rampaging around the tank together, and the tiger barbs really don't even do anything with the other fish when they are in a properly sized School of eight or more.

Edit: I'm no chemistry wizard, my testing material only goes up to like 8.5 so I just assumed that four or five was more neutral in context to our conversation.

 

[Fishmanic]

I have mainly tiger barbs in my 29 gallon tank along with 1 Bolivian Ram and one BN pleco. I have 5 tiger barbs at the moment but had 8 TB before a few passed on.