Help with Barbs - new user

[grantlarousse]

All,

I am new to the forum, and have a relatively new aquarium.

The first inhabitant of my new tank, a bala shark, died after about a month, and after letting the tank re-cycle, this weekend I stocked it with four Barbs - two Tiger Barbs and two Albino Tiger Barbs, thinking they would be low-maintenance and a good starter fish.

I was told that they can be aggressive, but that with 3 or more of them, the aggression would be limited to creating a "pecking order."

One of the four fish has turned out to be QUITE aggressive, from what I can tell, and spends all day chasing the other three. He's relentless, and I imagine the other three fish are exhausted.

Having never had these fish before, I'm wondering if this is normal behavior for new tankmates, or if the agressor is actually going to kill the other three.

(the tank is 5 gallons, filtered, lighted, and has fake plants and caves for hiding spots. the 4 fish came form the same tank at the local pet store, and are all small, somewhere between Dime and Quarter sized)

Does anyone have thoughts or comments from experience with Barbs?

Thanks,

Grant

 

[punkrockfish]

5 gallons is too small, I can tell you that right off the bat. They need a big, long tank, and a group of at least 6-8 for the aggression to diminish, but it really never goes away. I suggest you try some different fish, but you are going to be fairly limited with a 5 gallon tank.

 

[JWright]

The other issue your going to have in a tank that small is that waste (ammonia) is going to build up very quickly. If you have an ammonia test kit, check the ammonia level (if you don't have one... buy one, then test the ammonia level). I'll promise you it's very high right now (which is also why your Bala died, Bala's need to be in groups of 8+ and grow to be ~12" long...).

Until you can get your fish into a bigger tank, I would recommend doing daily 40% water changes to help keep the ammonia levels down while the tank cycles (an empty tank can't cycle, "cycling" refers to the bacteria colonies that take care of the fish waste getting established... they can't establish without a food source (either fish waste, or artificially added ammonia)).

punkrock is exactly right. In smaller groups, a particular barb can get very beaten up. They need to be in larger groups to spread the aggression around. Most barbs are very "active" by nature, and establish a hierarchy much like a wolf pack does.

~JW

 

[MissFishy]

You need to read up on cycling your tank and also stocking limits. You're tank is extremely small for both of the groups of fish you've had in there. As was said above, Bala Sharks can grow up to a FOOT long, they don't belong anywhere near a 5gallon tank. The tiger barbs should be in at least a 20g tank in order to have room to minimize the aggression. Check out the link in my signature for some easy cycling and stocking explanations. It's important, otherwise your tiger barbs will soon be dying as well.

 

[grantlarousse]

First - thanks to everyone so far for your advice! you've been VERY helpful.

My poor typing resulted in some errors in my first message - most importantly, it's a 15 gallon tank - not a 5-gallon tank. Sorry!

I do understand that most suggest starting with a larger tank to minimize water quality issues, but this 15 is the largest I can accomodate.

I've been testing the Ph, ammonia, etc., and doing frequent water changes when ammonia levels spike. The chemistry of the water seems fine. The water appears clear, there's good aeration, and the bio-wheel has begun to show the darker discolorations which the brochure said is an indication of good bacteria growth.

The bala was definitely oversized for this 15-gallon tank, but it was a combination of me listening to my LFS salespersno, and wanting a cool-looking fish in my tank.

These barbs seem the right size for the tank, but one of them is still super aggressive. The others have places to hide, but the aggressive one won't leave them alone. There seems to be room for a couple more (right now I have 4 fish to 15 gallons - I assume there's room?). Would a few more cut back on aggression, or will the crazy little albino tiger barb continue chasing 5 fish instead of 3?

Thanks again in advance,

 

[JWright]

It will be chasing 5 fish instead of 3, but that means those 3 fish won't be as harassed individually. I would try to get a couple slightly larger barbs who might put the aggressive one in his place.

~JW

 

[grantlarousse]

Thanks again for the advice -

I added 2 more tiger barbs to the mix, and they seem to have re-shuffled the pecking order, and put the "bully" barb in his place.

The water's clear, ammonia's low, bio wheel is doing its thing - and the tiger barbs seem to be happy.

Thanks again for the advice, as well as the stickies and other instructions.

I'll keep reading posts here, and advise other beginners to read as much as you can in this forum.

Best,

GL