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Super aggressive tiger barb?

I have a 15 gallon fully cycled tank that I've been trying to stock with some tiger barbs. The first time I stocked it I had 7 of them. They did fine for the first week, they were all about the same size, seemed to be content overall, didn't pick on eachother much. The second week however, there were 4 deaths. At first I thought I had a problem with the water so I ran tests, no ammonia issues, no pH unbalances. So I thought maybe it was just something wrong with some of the fish. I kept an eye out for all the diseases I knew about and they didn't have any. Then about a week later before I went to add more, two of the three fish left were found pretty much shreaded. I've been feeding my fish regularly twice a day, but this one tiger barb I have left has killed every other fish I have tried to put with it, from green tiger barbs to other standard tiger barbs. So now I've got the little thing in a one gallon tank complete with a filter and light for a heater as a form of isolation so he will stop killing all the other fish. He's stayed healthy in the small tank for the last three months and my new tank is now happily stocked with a different shoal of barbs, but I fear putting him in the tank with the others. Any advice on what to do with this little demon? (Killing him is not an option.)

4 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Tiger Barbs need 20-30 gallons you cant keep Tiger Barbs in 15 gallons .

    What species of Tiger Barb is he ?

  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Most of the initial fish will have died from an ammonia spike in the new tank. A week is about right for that to build up in a new tank. Maybe it had dropped off again when you measured it, once the tank had cycled.

    But now you have a "loner" tiger barb. Putting him with pretty much any fish is going to end badly.

    Only option you really have is introducing him into a large tank that already has a large school of barbs that he can integrate into. Adding a small number of even other tiger barbs into his territory will end badly.

    Unfortunately, with only a 15gal tank you don't really have this option.

    Ian

  • 5 years ago

    A - the tank is too small, and B - you do not have the barbs in a school. it really is strictly what you need to assume to ensue once you position 4 tiger barbs in a 30 litre tank. They get lower than pressure and aggressive, and attack one yet another. there's no magic restore for this, with the exception of having them right into a larger tank, with a larger team of barbs. Ian

  • 9 years ago

    Tank is too small, which is making the dominant fish feel more aggressive.

    Get a 30 gallon "long" style if you wish to keep Tiger Barbs happy and healthy.

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