Tiger Barb !

[ali 4 fish]

hi, i have a super tiger barb its lovley but sometimes it looks really dull and pale looking its stripes seem to go and its little orange fins go almost clear then it comes back again all colorfull anybody know what this is and why it happens i also have a firemouth that does it aswell weird cheers ali x

 

[newtotropical]

Hi,
Could be that you one. They are better in a group

 

[Squid]

hi, i have a super tiger barb its lovley but sometimes it looks really dull and pale looking its stripes seem to go and its little orange fins go almost clear then it comes back again all colorfull anybody know what this is and why it happens i also have a firemouth that does it aswell weird cheers ali x

Do you find that this is towards the end of your lighting period. I think the fish always have richer colours when the lights first come on. Make sure the fish have some places to shelter from the lighting if they want to be, you may find that helps. Bloodworm as part of their diet 2-3 times per week can also help with some fish colour, by providing more iron in their diet.

Squid

 

[ali 4 fish]

hi, i have a super tiger barb its lovley but sometimes it looks really dull and pale looking its stripes seem to go and its little orange fins go almost clear then it comes back again all colorfull anybody know what this is and why it happens i also have a firemouth that does it aswell weird cheers ali x

Do you find that this is towards the end of your lighting period. I think the fish always have richer colours when the lights first come on. Make sure the fish have some places to shelter from the lighting if they want to be, you may find that helps. Bloodworm as part of their diet 2-3 times per week can also help with some fish colour, by providing more iron in their diet.

Squid

hi thanks for replying yeah could be the light thing how long can i keep bloodworm in the fridge ? they do have places to shelter but i only have 1 tiger barb somebody else said to keep in groups but i thought they fin nipped and i really wanted some guppies ali x

Hi,
Could be that you one. They are better in a group

ok thanks for replying didnt really want more than 1 of them cause they fin nip and i wanted some guppies cheers ali x

 

[three-fingers]

They are MUCH more likely to nip fins when there is too few of them kept.
You should always keep them in groups to be happy, as the are shoaling fish.
But you have to keep BIGGER groups of them to stop the fin-nipping.
Having said that they may still have a go ant the guppies, they are quirky like that...

 

[ali 4 fish]

They are MUCH more likely to nip fins when there is too few of them kept.
You should always keep them in groups to be happy, as the are shoaling fish.
But you have to keep BIGGER groups of them to stop the fin-nipping.
Having said that they may still have a go ant the guppies, they are quirky like that...

ok my tank is three foot and i am not sure how many fish i can keep in it safeley so i didnt get to many in pairs or groups maybe you could advise on how many if i tell you what fish i have in it but it will be about an hour or so while i get my tea is that ok cheers ali x

 

[three-fingers]

Sure .

 

[ali 4 fish]

Sure .

hi a bit late i know sorry hope you still reply anyawy tank is 3 foot x1.5ft
i have 4 harlequin
2 clown loach
1 tiger barb
2 hatchet
3 neons
2 cory
1 tiger barb
1 firemouth
2 danios

i dont want to overstock it so can i get any more in it and how many comfortably can it hold i was told about 30 fish cheers ali

 

[Arimus]

The danio's, neon's, cory, clown loach and barb are shoaling fish - and in the case of the crown loach can grow quite big (12"+)...

If you where to get the numbers upto the levels shoaling fish like (usually around 6) then you'll probably be overstocked.

As a beginner I'd suggest getting rid of the crown loachs and increasing the number of danio's, cory's, neon's and tiger barbs. Not sure about the hatchet or the firemouth.

(I've been looking up the info on the crown loaches as until I found the size and the fact they like to shoal I was going to get some for our 25gl tank, the danio's and cory's I've got and neon's there is plenty of info on)

 

[wayne84]

yer clown loaches should be kept in a group of at least 3 ( more if you can ) but they do get big there slow growers but will end up big if you can take them back or find a good home get another 5 barbs they should be ok i got 12 barbs and they only fin nip with each other are you keeping the tank you got now or planing to to upgrade in the future ?

 

[kniesh]

Hi, please dont take offence to this as I am presuming it was ur LFS who adviced on this stocking and it has happened to us all.

2 clown loach (need to be in groups of bare minimum 3 and grow to 1ft long so ur tank is too small. However they take a while to grow large so this is not ur first priority)

1 tiger barb (these will also need to be in a group of at least 5 and if you add to about 6-8 these would be a great addition to ur aquarium and also would cut down aggression very much.

2 hatchet (I dont see any problem with these except maybe add another 2)

3 neons (these are also a schooling fish and need to be in a group above 6 IMO. Otherwise should be fine)

2 cory(If you buy another 2-3 of these they will be an amazing addition to ur tank, but again they like groups and feel safer in a group of 5 and above)

1 firemouth (IMO this is the only big problem with ur tank. These can be very aggressive and will almost certainly eat ur neons when it gets bigger. It is borderline as to whether this fish is going to cause u serious problems tbh. They grow to 6" so could cause damage to all ur other fish once it becomes aggressive)

2 danios (this is another schooling fish and another 3-4 would make it another good addition. Very active and peaceful when in a group).

That would leave you with;

6xTiger Barbs
4xHatchets
5xCories
5xDanios
8xNeons
2xClown Loaches (will need to be rehomed soon)
1xFiremouth( probably needs to be rehomed)

This would leave you close to fully stocked if not already. You may get away with adding a nice centre piece fish such as a Dwarf Gourami or Honey Gourami etc.. Hope this helps

 

[ali 4 fish]

yer clown loaches should be kept in a group of at least 3 ( more if you can ) but they do get big there slow growers but will end up big if you can take them back or find a good home get another 5 barbs they should be ok i got 12 barbs and they only fin nip with each other are you keeping the tank you got now or planing to to upgrade in the future ?

hi i actually got them with the tank they get on well with all the fish wasnt sure about getting rid ,the tiger barb dosent seem to nip now , all the fish get on really well together this is my first tropical tank so will keep for a while before i upgrade

 

[kniesh]

yer clown loaches should be kept in a group of at least 3 ( more if you can ) but they do get big there slow growers but will end up big if you can take them back or find a good home get another 5 barbs they should be ok i got 12 barbs and they only fin nip with each other are you keeping the tank you got now or planing to to upgrade in the future ?

hi i actually got them with the tank they get on well with all the fish wasnt sure about getting rid ,the tiger barb dosent seem to nip now , all the fish get on really well together this is my first tropical tank so will keep for a while before i upgrade

Your Barb will be fine for a small amount of time but after a while being on his own he will become aggressive towards the other fish. Once they are in groups they just squabble amongst themselves and dont bother other fish.

 

[ali 4 fish]

hi no offence taken its nice to get some help and advice its hard to think about rehoming them cause they are really sweet

 

[wayne84]

same as what i said with my fish when i only had a small tank ( dont want to get rid of them ) you could just upgrade in the future if you have the space ? thats what i did anyway

EDIT : sorry just see your post about your keeping the tank for abit before you think about a upgrade sorry