Tiger Barbs...beginner

[loadsaaaTOP]

Ive got guppies mollies angel fish a siamese fighter and a couple of algae munchers. Id like some tiger barbs but was told they woul nip the angel fish.

Would the barbs be ok with the rest of the fish or do u really need to keep them on their own> Is it only tiger barbs that are like this?

Finally i had clown loaches a few years ago and thought they were great fun. Would they fit in alright?

Thanks

 

[charlton]

Ive got guppies mollies angel fish a siamese fighter and a couple of algae munchers. Id like some tiger barbs but was told they woul nip the angel fish.

Would the barbs be ok with the rest of the fish or do u really need to keep them on their own> Is it only tiger barbs that are like this?

Finally i had clown loaches a few years ago and thought they were great fun. Would they fit in alright?

Thanks

I'm only a newbie on here so i havn't got a clue without doing research but a good site i found for comptibility is

http/www.timstropicals.com/Compatibility...ilitySearch.asp

i should imagine people are going to ask what size tank it is you've got and how many of each fish there are aswell so you might want to post so you get a decent answer quicker !! My first bit of info i've given on here...... i must be learning something

cheers

charlton

 

[rocknurworld2006]

definatelyy a no no!!!!!

all the fish you have is what not to put in with barbs!!!!!!!

what sex is your fighter???

and what size of tank do you have??

 

[LolaLouie]

As said above if you give your tank size etc. people will be able to help more as it sounds like you have some unsuitable fish already. In the mean time just to let you know Pentazona barbs look similar to Tiger barbs but without any of the aggression issue.

Simese fighters are also not suitable community fish and definitely shouldn't go with tiger barbs.

 

[Colin_T]

probably eat the guppies & fighter too

 

[evilchild]

the angel will eat the guppys too once they are bigger. no barbs with either.

 

[loadsaaaTOP]

i think its about 75 litres

ive got 5 guppies, 4 neons, 2 angels, 3 mollies, 1 fighter and an algae and a catfish The fighter is male, i think!

 

[Matt_northants]

IMO Angels are too large for your tank, a fully grown Angel really needs a 18 inch high tank, which if your tank is then the footprint would be far to small. TBH I would remove the Angels and leave you tank as is. Also if your guppies are male you may find that you fighter attacks them, due to their long flowing tails.
Neons do much better in soft water whilst Mollies prefer hard water, which is another compatibility issue.

 

[crazyaussie]

Hi
the tiger barbs are nippers and will nip your angel fish this is a big NO NO because the tigers will nip the fins until it cant swim anymore

 

[backtotropical]

.............and your tank isn't cycled. Please don't buy anymore fish? You'll just kill them all.

You've already got too many fish in a tank which isn't cycled. You need to address that issue first before you even think about buying more fish.

 

[Dwu280]

OK GUYS FOR SOME REASON IT KEEPS DELETING ALL THE NEW TOPICS I TRY TO START SO I WILL POST MY TIGER BARB PROBLEM IN THIS THREAD SINCE I AM ALSO A BEGINNING AQUARIST, IF THAT'S OK

I'm a newbie and I just got a little 5 gallon tank around 5 days ago. It came with a filter and a bio wheel and everything and I also got a little heater and some plants and hiding spots for it. I've put in the tiger barbs 4 days ago along with a 12 cent feeder (my friend gave it to me). My temperature has always been at 78 degrees or near it. Water quality looks good, as the water is not cloudy or murky. All fish behavior is fine.

However, I do have a concern. Sometimes I see that some of my tiger barbs stay motionless for awhile and just point their heads downwards, sometimes behind the filter in the back corner of the tank. I've heard this happens because of overfeeding (I think I might've overfeeded my fish a couple of times, but today I didn't), or it happens because of poor water quality. Some (if not all) like to do this when they are sleeping also. Can someone please tell me if I have a legitimate problem here or am I worrying too much. Thanks!

 

[rdd1952]

You already have some major compatibility issues. Most have said the angel will eat the guppies once it gets bigger. I doubt the angel or the guppies will make it that long as the betta will see them and their large tails as another betta and probably kill them, especially the guppies. And depending on the algae eaters you have, they could also be a problem later.

I'm a newbie and I just got a little 5 gallon tank around 5 days ago. It came with a filter and a bio wheel and everything and I also got a little heater and some plants and hiding spots for it. I've put in the tiger barbs 4 days ago along with a 12 cent feeder (my friend gave it to me). My temperature has always been at 78 degrees or near it. Water quality looks good, as the water is not cloudy or murky. All fish behavior is fine.

However, I do have a concern. Sometimes I see that some of my tiger barbs stay motionless for awhile and just point their heads downwards, sometimes behind the filter in the back corner of the tank. I've heard this happens because of overfeeding (I think I might've overfeeded my fish a couple of times, but today I didn't), or it happens because of poor water quality. Some (if not all) like to do this when they are sleeping also. Can someone please tell me if I have a legitimate problem here or am I worrying too much. Thanks!

First off, your tank is way too small for the fish you have. A 5 gallon tank is really only suitable for a single betta or some shrimp. Second, you say the water quality "looks good". You can't tell by looking at the water how much ammonia or nitrite you have. Actually, a little cloudy would probably be better as that would mean you are seeing a bacterial bloom as the tank cycles.

Hiding and lethargic behavior are signs of stress and I strongly suspect that the reason your fish aren't active is that you have a high level of ammonia and they are stressed. Your tank isn't cycled and you should be testing the water at least twice a day for ammonia and nitrite and doing water changes as needed to keep the levels at .25 ppm or below until they fall to zero. If you don't have a test kit, get one ASAP. Make sure you get liquid tests as strips are terribly inaccurate. A good master test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH will run about $25, less online.

 

[Dwu280]

the petco people said that a 5 gallon tank is ok because of the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule. My tiger barbs are less than an inch and my feeder is probably only a little longer than an inch. All my fish are active usually, as I always see the barbs chasing each other around and occasionally trying to nip at each other's fins, and my feeder just swims happily back and forth. It's usually after I feed the barbs when I see them stay motionless and have their heads pointed down or when they sleep. I don't think they are lethargic or anything because they don't stay like that for long. They do that for awhile [maybe around 10 minutes max], swim around a little, do that for some time, swim around. Are you sure my tank is overcrowded. And you are right, my tank is looking a little cloudier than the first day I had it, so I'm not sure if that's a bacteria bloom or is it my tank getting dirtier? Why hasn't Petco told me anything about the ammonia or nitrate levels? What are they anyways?

 

[rdd1952]

Fish stores, particularly the chain pet stores, give out some of the worst advice. I read a comment recently that said more fish probably died as a result of bad advice from the LFS than any other reason and I firmly believe that is true. Most of the employees really have no clue about the needs of the fish and what is compatible with what. They usually also have no clue about cycling a tank.

As for the 1" per gallon guide, that is based on adult size, not the size you buy them at. Otherwise you could put 10 1" plecos in a 10 gallon tank. But plecos grow to 2 foot long so that would obviously be way overstocked. Tiger barbs will grow to about 3" so you actually have 15" of fish, not 5". The feeder is probably a rosey red and they will also grow to about 3" but they could be comets which will grow to well over a foot. And the biggest problem with the tank size is simply swimming room. Barbs are very active fish and need much more swimming room than a tank that small can provide.

Ammonia is basically fish waste. It is released from the body and is also produced when fish poo is broken down. Even dead plant leaves and left over fish food is broken down creating ammonia. Ammonia is very toxic and the toxicity becomes worse at higher pH and temperature levels. Benificial bacteria that colonize in/on the filter break down ammonia and create nitrite. Nitrite is also toxic. A different bacteria colonizes to break nitrite down into nitrate. Nitrate is only harmful at very high levels and is removed with regular water changes. That is the nitrogen cycle. A tank is said to be "cycled" when the bacteria are present to handle all the fish waste so that you have no ammonia or nitrite present in the tank.

Most bacteria multiply at a very high rate, doubling in a matter of minutes or seconds. Nitrifying bacteria that process ammonia and nitrite on the other hand, take much longer to reproduce. It takes anywhere from about 7 hours to 30 hours, depending on tank conditions, for these bacteria to double. Therefore, it usually takes 2 weeks or more for a tank to cycle and the heavier the fish load, the longer it takes as more bacteria are needed.