Will the fish calm down?

Question

ok so i got this tiger barb and a molly three days ago and put them in the same tank.  from what i know tiger barbs usually dont like flashy fish, but this molly is rather dull so i dont see what the issue is.  he keeps chasing her around the tank. incessantly. he doesnt have big teeth, so he isnt doing any damage, but she seems really stressed out about it. i'm wondering if you think he'll leave her alone after a few more days, or just keep harassing her?

she isn't just a push over, she sometimes chases him back, but 95% of the time he's doing the chasing.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

No, it wont calm down.

One tiger barb will allways be a trouble maker. You need to keep them in a school, thats 6 or more. 

1 tiger barb - will chase tankmates until it kills them
2 tiger barbs, the weaker one will get bullied and killed, then the survivor starts on the rest of the fish.
6 tiger barbs - they will chase each other all the time, but no one fish gets bullied.

If you have a 20gal+ tank, get some more tiger barbs, they are great fish. Smaller tank, take the barb back.

Ian

Ian

Kylie Anne · Answer

they're schooling fish, he should have at least 4 more... having schooling fish alone causes stress and aggression. besides this, tiger barbs are normally a little aggressive. 

what size is the tank?

noselessman · Answer

tiger barbs are very hyper and aggressive fish.  you must keep them in groups of at least 6 so that the agression will be focused on each other, and not other fish.   in a proper school they will be much calmer.

Anonymous · Answer

I have mice (pets) off to the left side of my desk and fish on the right. When I'm thinking about things, I always find myself watching my fish. They do seem soothing. When I'm just board, I watch the mice.

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Will the fish calm down?

4 Answers