Damn Aggessive Tiger Barbs!

equinom

equinom

Large Fish
#1
Oct 22, 2002
386
0
0
The Blue Planet
#1
I have a couple of green tiger barbs in our community tank.  One is fine - the other one really pisses me off!  It goes after everybody.  I have tried sequestering it to a small tank for a few days - but that one had no heater.  Then I got a breeding net and stuck it in there - it chased the other fish through the net!  When it was reintroduced to the free community it spared a little with the other barb, and was polite to the other fish for about a day.  Then it started up again.  What to do with the little b*stered?

All the other tanks I have contain fish with long fins - so I can't move it.  My husband says flush it and be done with it - I can't see doing that just because it has delusions of grandeur and thinks it's a piranha.  Is there an anger management class I can send it to?
 

Matt Nace

Matt Nace

Superstar Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
1,470
1
38
Pennsylvania
#2
That is a lonely tiger barb reaching out. It needs love....support.
it feels alone, and now feels anger, and everyone is making him mad. He vents by picking on the slow and pretty fish.
He needs some brothers and sisters to pick on.

No really, tiger barbs need groups to be in. The biggest tiger barb (male) is the leader. Then there is a chain of command . Each fights over the spots. Fighting among the group. If that group is not available, other fish become the group.(same with Ruby Barbs)

So unless you can add more tiger barbs, he wont stop. Even if you had like 10 tigers, does NOT mean that one or two wont keep doing it.

HTH

Maybe provide more cover with plants, caves, rocks.
 

C

colesea

Superstar Fish
#7
Oct 22, 2002
1,612
0
0
NY USA
#7
Well, from personal experience, you'll need more than five green tiger barbs in the school to make them happy campers.  I had five very very tiny green TBs in my tank, and the most dominate one picked fights until he killed them all off. Now he's the last one left, but he doesn't pick on anybody very much because my rainbow shark kicks his little green butt. The green TB's "territory" is above a little anachis clump, and he diligently chases everybody out of it, but as soon as the rainbow shark comes around, mister green is zipping away to hide. Havng the rainbow shark seems to have put my previously murderous green TB in his place. He does not bother the other fish anymore.

Rainbow sharks are known to chase around everything and everybody from their territory, so unless you have a big enough tank, I would really get only the smallest of the smallest sharks there are if you do get one.
~~Colesea
 

equinom

equinom

Large Fish
#9
Oct 22, 2002
386
0
0
The Blue Planet
#9
Tank ->  Eclipse 12 gal bow front
Victims ->  Zebra Danio
               Cory
               Gourami  (about 2x the TB's size)
               Red Eyed Tetra
               smaller Green TB
               Glass Fish (Tetra)

This community has changed quite a bit, because the belligerent TB has thinned the herd, so to speak.  Last night we did have a laugh because the Danio turned on the TB and chased it.  And then the Cory chased it.  All I could think was “You want a piece of me?  You want a piece of me?  I didn’t think so.”

As far as cover - there are hiding places in the plants and logs -  I can always get more, but don't want it to look like the tank is a water container for silk greenery and the fish are incidental...

I really like the comment about the "lonely tiger barb reaching out".   What do you think about dropping some Paxil or Valium in the tank...  or replace the water with Guinness Stout....  but then I would have to increase the lighting   ;)
 

C

colesea

Superstar Fish
#10
Oct 22, 2002
1,612
0
0
NY USA
#10
Hey, if the fish don't like it, can I live in your Guinness Stout tank? I don't eat much, promise. ;D

Try getting some more green TBs. I don't know how to tell male from female, but if the little nipper is male, get the rest of them all female and maybe that would help. You know, all those feminine wiles might sucker him into submission.
~~Colesea
 

J

JWright

Superstar Fish
#11
Oct 22, 2002
2,192
7
0
40
Snowy Upstate New York
www.cnytheater.com
#11
5 of the 6 fish you listed there like to be in groups (all except the Gourami). I would suggest you considering moving some of your fish to other homes and getting more of some of the species you have. Maybe 6 or so T-Barbs, 4 Tetras, and 3 Cories. That would fill your tank up pretty well, so you'd have to keep up good maintainence, but it would be a very active, attractive tank.

Josh
 

equinom

equinom

Large Fish
#12
Oct 22, 2002
386
0
0
The Blue Planet
#12
I went back and reviewed my fish list, and I did not indicate how many of each kind.  Remember it's a 12 gal:

2 Zebra Danios
1 tiny Cory
2 Red Eyed Tetras
2 Honey Gourami
1 Blue Gourami
2 Green TBs (one is the offender)
1 Glass Tetra
1 crayfish

All of these fish are small - the biggest one is one of the Gouramis - a little over 2 inches.  Is it safe to add more fish?
There does appear to be lots of room - but I'm not in there.

As for maintenance - here's my routine/results
temp daily (at feeding time):  a constant 72
pH:  couple times a week, buffering to 7.0 - 7.2
ammonia, nitrites and nitrates every week:
    ammonia: negative
    nitrites:  trace  (negative after regular water change)
    nitrates:  10ppm  (trace after regular water change)

I vacuum gravel with every water change - about 20% every 10 days.  I use about half tap and half R/O.  
Currently feeding tetra granules, flakes couple times a week, and a treat on the weekend (frozen: either brine shrimp or blood worms).  The crayfish gets 1 shrimp pellet / day.

So - what do you think?  I still like the Guinness idea - so when I can't take that TB anymore it can go straight to the grill - nice and marinated!
 

equinom

equinom

Large Fish
#14
Oct 22, 2002
386
0
0
The Blue Planet
#14
Oh hell, now what?

OK - Tell me who needs a friend.  The Cory?  The TBs?  The Danios?  The Red Eyes?  Give me a suggestion and number, please.  
I could probably get the husband to agree to one more tank - no bigger than a 29gal.  But that would take time to cycle...
So what to do in the mean time???
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#15
Oct 22, 2002
4,077
3
0
#15
There's a lot of lonely shoaling fish in there....
zebra danios - prefer to be in shoals of 6
cory's - shoals of 4
red eye teras 6
tiger barbs 6+
glass tetras 6

Time to reorganise I'm afraid.  All those fish are real nice (except glass tetras, I expecially like tiger barbs and corys myself), but tiger barbs are a pain unless you keep a bunch, and I wouldn't keep them with small tetras like my cardinals  - too rowdy.
 

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