EmmanuelJB

1. The Closest pet store to me is 3 hours away. I am wondering if tiger barbs in a small bag for 3 hours will cause them to get nasty and rip apart each others fins before they even get home? What do you think?

2. Does it matter the male female ratio of tiger barbs? Can petstores tell the difference?

3. What are some things to look for to get healthy tiger barbs? Is it better to get them small or big?

Thanks!

steed1172

welcome to fish lore!!

as for your questions, number one depends on the size you get but shouldn't nip at each other, i have have bala sharks cramped in a bag for awhile no nipping, if you are worried though you could get one of the critter boxed with lids, they are still small but bigger than most LFS bags.
number two: as far as i know it doesn't matter and "petstores" such as a variety of pets other than fish, generally can't,don't, or won't.

healthy barbs have good clear eyes, scales without blemishes no streaks of bright red or white dots, or malformed fins(as these are all symptoms of diseases).. also if you take the time to drive 3 hours for your barbs take atleast 10 minutes to look at the fish, are the swimming nicely together, are any panting, or restlessly swimming, signs of problems aswell..... when you get your fish remember to place in a QT for awhile... best of luck!-Steed.

EmmanuelJB

Well the petco I go to is REALLY good with fish and will give you the gender you want but I wasn't sure if you could tell the gender of tiger barbds at a young age. (I know your probably thinking petco is the worst place to buy fish, but this petco is a really good one. I also get fish from Pet Quarters and they are good too.)

Shawnie

Id ask for them to be be bagged in 3 different bags with 2 in each ...but thats me
sexing them is usually with a female being more rounded and larger and the males having a red tint to their noses

Chris123

Were you planning to breed them

EmmanuelJB

Nope.