Burmese odessa barbs

[Jon Bennett]

Hi all,

I went to my LFS today to look at buying some new fish. I saw some Burmese odessa barbs - they looked awesome, love the striking colours.

I have now got them in my tank, but they are showing some real aggression to each other. Lots of territorial fighting.

My question is, is this normal? Do you think it will settle down when they have established a hierarchy?

Thanks in advance,

Jon

 

[Byron]

I assume this is the species Pethia padamya, which occurs in Myanmar (formerly called Burma). This species is best in a group of 8+ fish, and a mix of male/female is best. More data here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pethia-padamya/

This species, like many of the cyprinids, will have an hierarchy and interaction among individuals is normal. I don't know just what may bee happening with yours, but if you have fewer than 8, that may be the issue; provided the tank is sufficient in size, increasing the group size might be advisable.