abc123d30

I had tiger barbs before and all but 1 died due to ammonia poisoning. I went through what I thought was a mini cycle but I found out (after better understanding the nitrogen cycle) that my tank was never cycled in the first place.

It is cycled now so I went to get some more tiger barbs to join the one TB I had left. I bought 3 but one died the next day. My TBs were all outgoing and would swim in front of the tank but now for some reason the 3 I have left are extremely skittish and always hide from me.

Ammonia- 0
nitrite- 0
nitrate- 10

The only thing I can think of is maybe they're skittish because there's only 3 of them? But my original TB was extremely outgoing when there was just him and they were all outgoing the first couple days I brought the new ones home. Anyone have any idea what could be going on?

steed1172

hello Abc, how long have you had the 3? many times newer fish are skittish and need some time to grow used to their surroundings, are there any other fish in the tank? are there plenty of spaces to hide in(even if there aren't any other fish)

do they hide as soon as you come into view?.. try sitting and watching the tank for awhile without much movement.
there could be something else in the room harassing them-other animals, other people, loud noises. any extra info on their living space, and living space around the tank can help other fishlore members, to help your skittish TBs

katetnies

whats the temperature like in your tank/ what size tank do you have?

Jaysee

For a 20, I think you can bump the school up to 7 - they are definitly more secure in larger numbers. Other than that, as others have said, new fish are skittish.

abc123d30

I've had them for about a week now. But 1 of them I've had for 2 months or more.
It's a 20 gallon tank and temperature is 78 F.
It seems like they are always hiding and I'm not quite sure if they hide as soon as they see me or if they are already hiding. They are the only ones in the tank.

I do have 2 cats that I know like to watch the fish, maybe they have something to deal with this? Other than that they are in a pretty quiet room. Nobody really goes in there except for me and the cats. I have sat there without moving watching the tank but they still hide. Occasionaly one will zip out from the hiding spot but then it will hide again.


Here's what the tank looks like to give you an idea. They like to hide in the temple thing mostly and sometimes in the plants.

Jaysee

I haven't found tiger barbs to be shy. It seems like there's something that's not right. If it were my tank, I'd get a few more and see what happens, but I'm sure someone will have a better idea.

As you grow the school, it's important to keep in mind the m/f ratio - it can be close, but there needs to be more females, and every school needs a couple big mature females.

abc123d30

Thank you for the advice Jaysee. I was surprised as well to see them so skittish all of a sudden. I'm a bit cautious about getting more because I don't want to get more fish if there's something wrong with my tank. But I guess I'll have to try seeing as how that might be the problem.

abc123d30

I think I might have found the problem. Yesterday I walked into my room to find my tank lid open and Sassy sticking her little kitty paws in the tank. On closer inspection I found that one of my tiger barbs has part of his tail missing and now others are picking on him as well probably because he is injured. He also has a hard time swimming.

Any suggestions as to what I can do? I don't have another tank to move him into right now so is there anything I can do for the poor guy?

platy ben

From what I've read im pretty sure its the cat(s) that has spooked your fish, I think it would be a good idea to move him and see how he gets on

bolivianbaby

Tell Sassy to wash her paws before she sticks them in the tank, especially if she's just visited the litterbox

Jaysee

The cat sounds like a culpable culprit.

Since you don't have an extra tank, I suggest getting those extra fish asap. The others will continue to pick on the injured one. Even in a larger school, might just get picked on by everyone. Hopefully the new fish will draw the attention while the hurt one heals.

abc123d30

Iv'e put a weight on top of the tank lid so that Sassy can't open it anymore. I also found a small breeder tank and put it inside the main tank so now the hurt TB is in there trying to make a full recovery. I'll get 2 more tiger barbs as soon as I can.
Thanks for all the help everybody, fishies and me appreciate it.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, I have 4 TBs now and 3 are outgoing again and just the hurt one is skittish now, which is to be expected.