trouble with TB

[fish_keeper2]

ok in my 20 gal i have a rainbow shark, a 3 spot gourami and 5 tigerbarbs. one of them was always in hiding in the same corner and never came out. i removed it and put it into my 10 gal. after a day or so he perked up and started eating and moving around normaly. h since he was fine i fed the other TBs in the 20 gal and turned off the light and put the 5th one back in. i left them alone till this morning. again hes hiding in the same spot as he was before i took him out(behind the filter). he hasnt moved from that spot all morning. what could be wrong with it. is it possible the others just dont like him and drove him into hiding

 

[black angel]

I thought you meant TB the illness
Anyways, tiger barbs develop a hierarchy and if theres not enough of them then one could easily get picked on and attacked. Is it a male, and if so is there a more dominant male that could be seeing it off. usually its best to have them in bigger groups to spread out any aggression, but i dont think your tank is big enough. Maybe take the weaker one back to the shop and hope the others dont pick on another.

 

[tttnjfttt]

Have you noticed any bullying behavior? Also, check your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, as TB's are very sensitive to bad water quality.

One other thing, TB's need atleast a 30 gallon (not a 29) because they are very active and need the room to spend all day chasing each other. 20 gallons is really too small for them.

 

[WILDER]

I thought you meant TB the illness
so did I, you do no that rainbow shark needs a 50gal tank.

 

[tttnjfttt]

I thought you meant TB the illness

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So did I. I read it through two times before it dawned on me it was tiger barbs, not fish TB.

 

[fish_keeper2]

sorry if i got you all a little confused...lol. they were kind of a impulse buy along with bad advise from petsmart(ive had them for a few weeks already, after i got them i found out that a 10 gal isnt suitable even though i was told that by the worker at petsmart. they wouldnt take them back unless there was health issues or they died. within a few days i fell in love with them and coulnt bare to take them to one of the smaller local fish shops).....i need to stop going in to stores with money ill get my water tested tomorrow...i dobt its the water as the other 4 are perfectly fine. there is some bullying....when the 5th does come out(very rarely) my largest TB chases it around untill it goes to its hiding spot. this large on doesnt bother the other ones, they always stick together as they should. since im going to a lfs to get my water tested should i just take the 5th one there so he wont be stressed from my other ones?
the basic story is when i got them i had them in a ten gal. then i noticed a little aggression from the largeer one. i moved stuff in the tank but ended up deciding to see if they would work in the 20 gal. it did at first and then the 5th one went into hiding. after a week or so i decided to put it back into the 10 gal. as ive said already he perked up and was normal again so i put him back with the others. then he was back in hiding the next morning.

wilder: why exactly does a rainbow shark need a 50 gal...they only get 6inches or is it something to do with territory/aggression

 

[tttnjfttt]

returning the one that is constantly getting bullied may be a good idea, especially since it is constantly being singled out. Another option is to add maybe two more barbs, but I would be hesitant because of how fast and active they are.

How big is the bully compared to the tiny one?

 

[fish_keeper2]

maybe about a half inch or so.....the others are the same size as the one being bullied

 

[WILDER]

Didn't have a profile on the board.
http/species.fishindex.com/species_3233e...nbow_shark.html

 

[black angel]

Try re arranging the decor so no one has any territory, that sometimes works.

 

[fish_keeper2]

thanks for the tip black angel but this first started a few days after going in to the 20 gal when there wasnt really any territory established yet

thanks wilder but it doesnt really help me understand why it has to be in a 50 gal or larger

 

[WILDER]

Tetra's are small but they need a decent size tank to shoal in, just becuase some fish are small is dosn't mean they don't need larger tanks they need room to move if they are fast swimmers.

 

[WILDER]

http/www.fishenthusiast.com/fishindex/rt...wsharkinfo.html

 

[fish_keeper2]

Tetra's are small but they need a decent size tank to shoal in, just becuase some fish are small is dosn't mean they don't need larger tanks they need room to move if they are fast swimmers.

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that does make sence...i thought barbs are a dif family though?

btw thanks for the link

 

[fish_keeper2]

well i took the tiger barb to one of my favorite lfs stores....i would have said so sooner but i wasnt able to get to a pc for a while