Tiger Barbs Butting heads!

[jo3olous]

wow, so my latest update to my barbs:

They have been shoaling a lot together lately, the bully is gradually isolating them less and less, but today!

The bully and the big tb (new one) have been butting heads for the last ten minutes!!! neither one is running and they are trying to fin nip / lock lips .... battle for leader? mating?

comments would be appreciated!

 

[punkrockfish]

sounds like they are working to establish a pecking order. keep an eye out on the loser of the battle to make sure he isn't getting picked on badly after.

 

[MatthewLaw]

Count often, count frequently. I have a 'large' TB that still chases the small ones around and this situation has been having (just about non-stop) for about 6 weeks!

 

[MikeS]

Not sure on room in tank, but if you can add any more tb's, they will calm down some. The like to be in larger schools.

 

[jo3olous]

i technically have room for 2 more ''adult size'' TBs, although I would say I should be able to house about 5-6 more fish of the same size just because the tank is long. A lot of web sites said a "SHOAL" = 5-6, but based on these comments and comments in other FORUMS, not sites, they do recommend 8-12 or even more

 

[jo3olous]

sounds like they are working to establish a pecking order. keep an eye out on the loser of the battle to make sure he isn't getting picked on badly after.

Thanks, yea I was reading this somewhere I started getting itchy for answers and I guess not too many people keep TBs on this forum. I still find it weird that the dominant TB is not the largest, not even close

 

[jo3olous]

For those of you interested, I was going to post a video of the barbs liplocking. Can I put it on this forum and how?

 

[MikeS]

Post it on youtube, or some other hosting site, then copy and paste the link here.

 

[unwritten law]

I got a new tank this past week and I'm cycling it with fish rather than with out. (I bought the tank set up with my room mate and he didn't want to wait to add fish)

I got a albino TB and a gold barb and a cherry barb in my 16g right now. The TB definitely picks on my gold barb quite often. He doesn't really ever get a good nip on him but chases him quite a bit. Every now the cherry barb comes out of hiding and kind of breaks the fight up but then he goes back to being a loner. I plan on adding a few more TB's once the tank is done cycling and I hear that they calm down a bit in groups. Atleast they will fight each other and leave my gold barb alone.

 

[MikeS]

Barbus Tetrazona - The Tiger Barb

 

[jo3olous]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtS2lPTeWrE
my video clip of tiger barbs butting heads

 

[s_anthony]

Out of the 3 years I've had T. Barbs I've never had any problems with them. I currently have 7 (one being one of my originals from 3 years ago) in a 30 gallon tank. I've had a mix of fish in with them from Neon Tetras, bettas, guppies - no nips, or fights. The only troubles I've had were my son's frog eating some of my smaller barbs in the beginning. Now that they are bigger they aren't as easy of a target I guess. I have a few zebra danios in there for the frog to leave my other fish alone - but so far he prefers shimp pellets I guess.

I'm in the process of setting up my 2 15gallons again and are going to transfer my current fish in my 30 gal to them - to purchase a larger tank - maybe a 50-55 gal in it's place. I saw a small "bubble" crack in the right side of the tank on the seam, so I guess its a good excuse as any to buy a new tank.