Are My Tiger Barbs Sick Or Being Strange

[blendingshadow]

Hey,

Are my tiger barbs sick or being strange?

Some are a little pale too

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtlzXWLfiZw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[onidrase]

looks pretty normal to me. you're wondering about the headstanding, right? That could mean a few things, either they just ate and are resting off the meal, in which the headstanding is how they "sleep", or, they're showing their submission to another fish or barb, or, you have something in your water which they don't appreciate. Whatever it is, it's not something to fret about. the palest ones are the least dominant of the shoal. If they're all pale, that could mean your water quality is bad and something is stressing them out.

 

[This Old Spouse]

+1

Mine do just the same thing, especially after eating. They're doing it right now. It's also mating behavior, though they likely won't mate unless you provide the perfect conditions.

 

[blendingshadow]

Thank you very much. Yeah I guess I was kinda worried when one was doing it this morning, came home almost all of them were doing it.

I read that I could be over feeding them? How much and how oftern are you suppose to feed nine tiger barbs and 3 danio so they don't get overfed and fat? Is there a rule of thumb?

The shoal is 9 and there is still some bickering going on but only a couple looking a little paler. Is there a way to make them all happy or is it just the nature of the tiger barb?

 

[littlegreentiger]

I wouldn't be concerned. It sounds and looks perfectly normal to me. I have 9 too, and get occasional squabbles but less so than in the past. None of their fighting has resulted in any damage to fins, which is more than can be said for many tetra, or apparent stress related issues so I don't know why they have such a bad reputation. As I'm sure you've noticed they are very greedy and will gorge themselves given the opportunity so caution not to overfeed is something to be aware of. I feed mine once a day on a good mix of different types of flakes, granules, pellets, wafers, dried/frozen and occasional live food, veg (they like peas in particular I've found) and integrate random 'starve' days. Feed as much as they'll polish off in 30 seconds and as hard as it can be ignore their puppy-like begging for more!

Of everything I give my Tigers I've only found a couple of things they're not too fussed about. They don't seem too taken by the dried insect mix I've just started them on (they eat it but only when they realise there's nothing more tasty on the menu lol) and they're not really interested in cucumber (which I drop in for the other fish in that tank and in another tank for my Otto's and Khulis).

 

[KISSfn]

Gotta get in on a Tiger Barb post... They look great!

 

[This Old Spouse]

My tigers love peas, and cucumbers! In fact, they like anything edible I put in the tank. Herein lies the problem ... they will eat anything! So I've learned to feed them just a tiny amount twice a day, otherwise they will overeat and get bloated and swim strangely. Just keep in mind the rule of thumb about feeding fish: their stomachs are only as big as their eye, so when you keep that in context it's much easier to feed the right amount. They won't starve. I love my tigers!

 

[blendingshadow]

Wow, what a great read. I am new to this so there are some great pointers and rules of thumb that are so useful.

Love the mixing food up and feeding a mix. I'll definitely have to start doing that. Also the feeding times and amount suggestions were great.

Do you crush the thawed peas for the barbs? Do they ever stop being pale and or is there a solution to that or a way to make them happier?

I think I have a lot of males in the group but I keep looking at the nose, belly, fin colouring and sizes. So hard to work out when they're that young.

 

[This Old Spouse]

They do like a variety of food. I wouldn't feed peas more than once or twice a week, but it is good for them and helps with any constipation. I use frozen peas, put them in a little tea strainer and run hot water over them until they're slightly cooked, then just mash them through the strainer into the water. It's the perfect size then.

If you keep your water conditions ideal, and have plenty of places for them to hide, they should color up over time.

I've found the males have a darker orange tail, as well as the orange "nose" and the females are a bit plumper.

 

[blendingshadow]

They do like a variety of food. I wouldn't feed peas more than once or twice a week, but it is good for them and helps with any constipation. I use frozen peas, put them in a little tea strainer and run hot water over them until they're slightly cooked, then just mash them through the strainer into the water. It's the perfect size then.

If you keep your water conditions ideal, and have plenty of places for them to hide, they should color up over time.

I've found the males have a darker orange tail, as well as the orange "nose" and the females are a bit plumper.

Thanks for the pointer with the peas, I'll have to give that a try tomorrow morning at feeding. Hopefully they have enough hiding places in here. Noticed they had more colour this morning but were hanging out under the driftwood.

 

[onidrase]

Just keep in mind the rule of thumb about feeding fish: their stomachs are only as big as their eye, so when you keep that in context it's much easier to feed the right amount. They won't starve.

this rule of thumb is much harder to follow with tiger barbs; their eyes look so much bigger when they're begging!

 

[This Old Spouse]

HEY! I just looked at your video again ... looks like you have both sexes. But what just jumped out at me was the green and white striped plants you have in your tank. They are NOT aquatic and you should take them out and plant them in a pot to put on your windowsill. They'll eventually rot in there and foul your water.

 

[blendingshadow]

What? I bought them from an aquatic shop.

I will take them out tonight then. They're the only unusual ones I have. The rest seem to be common plants I have seen in a lot of photos and other shops.

 

[This Old Spouse]

What? I bought them from an aquatic shop.

I will take them out tonight then. They're the only unusual ones I have. The rest seem to be common plants I have seen in a lot of photos and other shops.

I and many, many others have bought these dracaenas thinking how striking they are (and yes, they are) only to find out they don't belong in an aquarium! It's a shame because they are so pretty. Mine are lovely on my windowsill.

 

[blendingshadow]

Awesome will get something else for that spot. Cheers for pointing that out