Tiger Barb Behaviour

[fishedout]

Hi all, This is my first post, anywhere, as I'm brand new to fish keeping.

I have a 15g Tank running for about 2 months now, currently home to 4 Tiger Barbs, 8 Neon Tetras and to Cory Cats.

I originally had 6 Tigers, 1 was taken out buy a 4 stong group of rather grumpy female fighter fish which seemed to go hunting when the lights went out (they also took 2 of my neons, I have now removed the fighters) which left me with 5. About 2 weeks ago the tigers started this kind of dance with each other, reading around this looks like they are getting ready to breed, I think I have 2 males and 2 females which started hanging around together, the fith (i beleave female) was left on her own and died a couple of days later.

Another behaviour I have noticed is that while they are in their dancing moods (last a couple of days at a time) each time the males go near the females (males being the ones with the darker strips right?) the females kind of point the noses down and open up all of their fins and flutter, as though showing of the colours, as soon as the male moves away they go back to a swimming normally again. I fairly sure they are healthy fish as they all seem to swim well and feed, is this breeding behavior or something else?

I only have 3 real plants in the tank the rest are plastic, all to one side of the tank the other half has been left as open space.

Sorry if I've waffled on at all, just trying to give as much information as I can think of.

Thanks

Fishedout

 

[chesterscot]

to tff someone here will be able to help you never kept barbs myself just know their egg layers
scot

 

[drobbyb]

If the fish were doing circles nose to nose and their color darkens it is just the tigers establishing dominance. I personally have kept and witnessed this behavior. If they were spawning they would be side to side and shaking (looks like vibrating).

 

[fishedout]

Thanks Robby, I've seen the nose to nose thing as well, when I first added them to the tank they kind of locked jaws and then span around and around. This recent behavior is less nose and more eye and sides being rubbed whilst circling.
I'm also interested in the female behaviour of displaying their fins when the males are around, at first I thought the were sick and swimming odd, but the realised the pattern that it was only when the males got close. Was wondering if this was flirting or warning?

Owen