Advice for replacement fish please

[cool_jool]

Hi I have been on holiday for a week and have lost another barb, all the others look very healthy. I now have only one left - one which has previously been rather agressive. I have a small tank - 10G UK. It has 5 pristellas, three neons, two albino cories, one female swordtail and the green barb. It now does not appear to be agressive - which is rather confusing so I do not know whether to get some more barbs to keep it company or if they might make it agressive again? Any suggestions?? cool_jool

 

[Dragonslair]

It depends what type of barb it is. Some barbs especially tiger's are very territorial and are known fin nippers and should be kept as a species only fish.

 

[cool_jool]

Hi dragonslair. They were sold to me as green tipped barbs and the one left has done some nipping in the past. It was particularly aggressive to a rather sickly swordtail, which has unfortunately since departed and to one of the other barbs, but looks subdued now?? I have lost 3 fish in a month now should I be worried all the rest look healthy? Ammonia was a little high when I came back from holiday, but I put this down to the dead fish. I have done a 25% water change. cool_jool

 

[Dragonslair]

The nearest barb fish I can identify nearest to the green barb is one called,Golden barb or Schubert's barb. I don't know if that is the case with yours. If it is then these barbs should be kept as a small shoal at least 5. They do not tend to do well as a single fish.
I'm sorry to hear that you have been having problems with your setup. If I or any one else can be of assistance just ask. I'm sure we will be more than happy to give you some advice and a shoulder to lean on.

 

[cool_jool]

Hi dragonslair thanks for the reply. The barb is about 1.5" long and quite chunky, iridescent green, with bright red tips to the ventral fins if that helps! I think it is probably a good idea to leave things alone and see what happens. I'll do a water change again to hopefully level the ammonia etc., keep an eye on the barb and let things settle. The fish I lost did not seem to have any signs of particular disease. But they did appear to be chased and nipped by the barb, could the stress have killed them? The problem is the now the barb is on its own it does not seem to be bothering anyone else! This seems to go against their behavior doesn't it? Sorry to go on but I want to make sure I don't loose any more fish. cool_jool

 

[lordmoose]

Sounds possibly like a jade tiger barb but can't be sure. does it have stripes?

Just read your post in the emergencies section and 29C is WAY too hot! the hightest you should allow it to climb is 27 and even thats a little warm. Theres a post in the emergencies section title "TOO HOT" which has some excellent suggestions for lowering temp, such as freezing bottles of water and placing them in the tank. I started doing this today and its working great (thanks again smb!)

oh and BTW yes stress can kill fish, certain barbs aren't really community fish, it's best to keep several together to avoid them being agressive to other fish.

 

[cool_jool]

Hi thanks for the reply - I am trying too get down the temp - will try water bottle -thanks for the tip. The barb does not have stripes. I am in a quandry about getting other barbs though. The ones at the IFSs are smaller than the one I have and I don't want to trigger it being aggressive again because I have read that they can be aggressive with smaller members of a shoal. Since it seems OK now perhaps I should just see how things go? Any advice? cool_jool

 

[lordmoose]

Well it's usually safest to keep the more agressive barbs (especially tigers) in shoals, stops them nipping at the other fish.

I'm pretty concerned about the temp of your tank tho, 29c is waaay too high

 

[cool_jool]

Hi again, thanks for the reply. Have managed to bring temp down to 27C with water change and ice. Will keep trying to reduce. The fish all look OK and are not gasping or listless so fingers crossed it will be OK. cool_jool

 

[Rose]

Either take the barb back or get another tank for just barbs. They really don't play nice with other fish. I would get some more of the fish you already have and see how that works. That's only after you have 1 month of no deaths or illness just to make sure everything is going well in your tank. Once you get more fish you will want to put them in a Quarentien tank for about 2 weeks this is to make sure they don't get sick and if they do they won't make the fish already in the main tank sick. Better for the fish all around if you do that.

Rose

 

[lordmoose]

thats great cool_jool, I suggest tho if you're gonna make icecubes for the tank, make them outta water from the tank, or place a frozen water bottle or icepack in the tank (these methods also last longer than cubes)
See the post titled "TOO HOT" in fish emergencies

 

[cool_jool]

Hi All. Thanks for all the useful advice. I will leave things for a month and see how they go. Temp is now 26C so I'm getting there - thanks for the water bottle trick excellent. Thanks Rose and lordmoose, I really like my one remaining barb, it was the three barbs I bought first (which explains why I bought them for a community tank!! ). I may buy a new tank and have it just for barbs. cool_jool

 

[millym]

hi

we have a gang of 6 barbs ( 3 green tiger barbs & 3 tigers) in a tank with zebras,neon tetras,pakistani loach,algae eater, 2 corys, red eye tetras & they never bother anything else. they swim in a little gang by themselves & create mischief among themselves & we've never seen them go for anything else even during a feeding frenzy when a neon wanders into the pack, or when theyre having scraps among themselves - & we have watched our tank v closely as we found our neons were being killed off one by one. we blamed the barbs & were going to take them back to shop but then one day i saw our cribs hunt 2 neons down & kill & eat them (nasty beasts). we know now that cribs with little fish was a BIG mistake! (bad advice from books)& have banished them forever (taken them back to the shop)
anyway since the cribs were exiled all our neons( & other fish) are alive & healthy with all fins intact!

....but then maybe we are lucky & landed nice friendly barbs.