Tiger Barb/angelfish Problems

[YellowYoshi398]

Hey, hope I posted this in the right forum, I'm kind of new here... Anyway, I just started up a freshwater tropical tank a couple weeks ago, and among the fish I have are two tiger barbs and a small angelfish. I know tiger barbs can be really nippy, especially when you only have a school of two like me, but generally most of my fish have been able to get away when the barbs start chasing them. However, around the same time I got my angelfish, one of my barbs came down with something - By now things aren't looking too good for him; he's really sluggish and he tends to float on his side (is it a swimbladder problem?). At this point, I don't know what I can do for him; I'm more concerned about my angelfish - now that the other barb doesn't have a buddy to chase around, he's bugging him a lot, and it's really taking its toll. The angelfish used to be pretty alert, but after so much abuse he's just letting the barb pick on him now, and it's horrifying to watch his fins get shorter with each day. What should I do to get everything back to normal? If I bought some more barbs and built up a big school, would they start chasing each other and keeping to themselves, or would that just give me more barbs to terrorize my other fish? Should I have kept from mixing barbs and angelfish in the first place?

 

[Skins]

Hey, hope I posted this in the right forum, I'm kind of new here... Anyway, I just started up a freshwater tropical tank a couple weeks ago, and among the fish I have are two tiger barbs and a small angelfish. I know tiger barbs can be really nippy, especially when you only have a school of two like me, but generally most of my fish have been able to get away when the barbs start chasing them. However, around the same time I got my angelfish, one of my barbs came down with something - By now things aren't looking too good for him; he's really sluggish and he tends to float on his side (is it a swimbladder problem?). At this point, I don't know what I can do for him; I'm more concerned about my angelfish - now that the other barb doesn't have a buddy to chase around, he's bugging him a lot, and it's really taking its toll. The angelfish used to be pretty alert, but after so much abuse he's just letting the barb pick on him now, and it's horrifying to watch his fins get shorter with each day. What should I do to get everything back to normal? If I bought some more barbs and built up a big school, would they start chasing each other and keeping to themselves, or would that just give me more barbs to terrorize my other fish? Should I have kept from mixing barbs and angelfish in the first place?

Tiger barbs can be a bit of a risk in a community where there is other fish with long fins. Having only two will most certainly cause problems, you could up the group to six+ but there is still a chance the angel will get picked on. As for the tiger thats not looking to good this also could be a result of aggression by the healthy one.

Keith.

 

[fluttermoth]

Sorry I have to agree with you on this, but, yes, you were wrong to try and mix those two species I'm a huge tiger barb fan (they're probably my most favourite fish) and I've kept them with all sorts of tank mates, but even if they're in a large shoal (and I'd say 10 as an absolute minimum if you're wanting to have tank mates with them) slow swimming fish with long fins such as angelfish, bettas and guppies are just too much of a risk; some tiger barbs just can't seem to help themsleves.

You really have a choice; either re-home the angel and get more tigers (I should say, not all barbs are as nippy as the tigers; cherrys, rosys and Odessas are all pretty reliable community barbs in my experience) or re-home the barbs; the weak one might very well not make it, I'm sorry to say; tigers will bully any weak ones to death (they can't help it, it's a survival technique they have evolved to keep the shoals safe from predators by excluding any weaker members from the group; many social animals do the same; I don't like to give the impression that tiger barbs are somehow 'evil' or 'nasty' in any way)

Hope you manage to restore some peace to your tank!

 

[YellowYoshi398]

Thanks for all the help... at this point, things aren't looking very good for my angelfish or my sick barb; I have them quarantined, but I get the feeling they aren't going to make it. That leaves me with one barb who actually doesn't seem to be bothering the other fish too much - but I'll just see what I'll have to end up doing. Thanks for the help.