My Fish Is Swimming Sideways

[cisadrian]

i came home today and notice my tetra on the ground just chillen and as he started to swim it was not normal..sideways..he was swimming side ways it was kind of funny at first than i saw that two of his fins were half way off how in the world could something like that happen.. i have three tiger barbs in there that school and keep to themselves.

 

[Wills]

Sounds like the tiger barbs have nipped his fins to me. If you can get a product called melafix that will help with torn fins, promote tissue growth and prevent most infections

 

[waterdrop]

My picture of one way people could own and enjoy Tiger Barbs would be if they had a tank up in the 100 US gallon range with other fish larger than the barbs and kept a minimum shoal of 6 or more barbs. (Who knows in what way this image may be wrong.. I've kept tigers under incorrect conditions myself in the distant past but am by no means very knowledgeable about them..) Another way would be a species tank where they were essentially the only fish.

But for typical beginner community tanks, especially if their shoal size is below maybe 6, I think they can become just a terror. They may not perform outright kills as some larger sharks and other fish do but their bullying and nipping can certainly lead to deaths in your other fish. The striking color and markings of these fish must be the start of how beginners get in trouble, they are really pretty fish!

I wonder sometimes if there are other experienced hobbyists among our group here who feel the irony I do when they are near the fish wall in any of the shops? There are the new customers and 90% of what they're looking at is really unsuitable! Am I being too sour?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

Get over it WD. There is nothing we can do to protect those new fish keepers from their follies. The most we can hope for is that they show up in a place like this and we can help get them on the right path. It is one of the reasons that you and I spend so much time here isn't it? In my own experience, tiger barbs deserve the tiger name, and not for their colors.

 

[waterdrop]

 

[wildechild_01]

Ha Ha Ha, i did the Whole Tiger Barb thing too.. and they were disasterous... ended up giving my other fish away and just getting more tiger barbs, they are a great fish but not a great community fish.. I have 6 of them in a tank along with a Rainbow shark... he is in there because i was told they were community like Bala so bought multiples for my bigger tank... then had to move one.. he gets along fine with the barbs, and they all leave the Clown Plec alone. But the Roughed up Tetra definitely sounds like the barbs got to it. I found that adding more hiding places for the other fish helped with agression a little bit, but its a finite space and eventually the Barbs learn where the other fish hide.. Anyway, my advice would be move the Tetra and get replace with Tiger Barbs, if you have room in the tank.. they are great fish to watch.