Help Help!!! My Tiger Barb

[barbmiester]

ammona 0 nitrite 0
ph 7.8 I have a tiger barb and I lifted up a plant and bacteria in food went everwhere

 

[Fishproblem]

The "bacteria and food" isn't going to kill him immediately, but a filthy tank will. You need to siphon your substrate weekly to remove detritus and excess food. The stress from being a lonely schooling fish could contribute to his death as well. So could a tank that's too small.

Do you have only one tiger barb in your tank? What about other livestock?
How big is your tank? Finally, and very important: what is your nitrate reading?

 

[barbmiester]

5 gal 1 tiger barb

 

[Crispii]

5 gallon is too small for tiger barbs and they best in a group of 6+. Ideal tank size imo is 30 gallons.

 

[Fishproblem]

5 gal 1 tiger barb

That's super not ideal for the fish. Tiger barbs school, and need a decent amount of space to swim. More like 20-30 gallons, not five. If you can't get a bigger tank, you might want to consider giving the barb to a local pet store and getting a fish that's more appropriate for a 5 gallon. You could do any number of things - a betta, a school of ember tetras, galaxy rasbora, killifish...

 

[barbmiester]

what should I do

 

[Crispii]

what should I do

Upgrade the tank and get a decent group or re-home the barb.