Moved Tank

[New Boy]

I've just moved home and had been waiting 'til after I moved to add more fish to the tank (so as not to unfairly stress any new fish).

Anyway a week after moving and everything was fine, monitored the water daily and decided to finally add 5 tiger barbs to my tank ( to go with the 5 lions cove/Yellow labs, 3 parrot fish and 2 raphael cats).

I know some people will be shocked at keeping parrot fish (I inherited them with the tank, won't buy anymore but will continue to look after these poor creatures as it's not there fault!), african lake fish and asian barbs together but two of my good friends have for years (as well as a moderator on an african cichlid website) and they've all bred the african cichlids and asian barbs.

Anyway all of the fish seem to have been getting on fine for the last week or so, all fins are good, none hiding, none fighting and suddenly the 5 barbs have decided to start ripping shreds out of each other - they all have ripped fins and a couple of them have cuts on their sides. They lock mouths and try to bite each other almost constantly.

Any ideas?

Cheers

 

[Tanked]

to the forum!!! and the tiger barb issue sounds like tiger barbs. they are very nippy, are you certain they did it to each other and not one of the other fish picking on them? maybe a parrot or yellow lab?

 

[impur]

If you have the room add 1-3 more. They seem best in groups of 6 or more. But as tanked says, they are definately nippy fish. If you don't have the room for a few more, give it a few days, they are probably just determining their pecking order. Once that is established, the fighting will die down.