tiger barbs are melting...

[ele]

Hi,
please help... maybe you had something simular in the tank.
I have 40g tank with 3 rainbow (about 1.5" long). I bought 6 large tiger barbs. Everything was great for about 5-6 weeks. Then I noticed one of barbs become extremely thin and looked like it had no belly at all, it had hard time swimming and the fins were ripped. I added salt and in the morning it looked better. He lived for about a week, then I found him dead. The other fish looked fine. Couple more weeks after, i found one more barb at the bottom of the tank looking the same, and alredy dead. It happens so fast and i can not think of the reason. the water change is every week, feed - flakes, fuits sometimes and the tank is about 2 years old :eek3:

[cguarino30]

It sounds like they may be bullying each other to the point of starvation. Try adding a few more, or feeding more than you are. At least that's my recommendation.

[majortank]

what are the water parameters? ammonia, nitrite/nitrate levels?

[ele]

parameters, i do not remember numbers, but all withing normal. I will write them as soon as i come home

[ele]

I also thought about adding... barbs and plants, just worried that it will be the same story

[Damodred]

I actually had this same issue with three of my Tigers. It almost seems like a parasite, but if your case is like mine were, their bellies 'disappeared' virtually overnight. I don't think a parasite would do that. I ended up treating with Maracyn 2. It seemed to help, but there's really no way to know.

[ele]

how are those three were doing after? i am just thing about quantity, if that might an issue

[Damodred]

Oops, I should've been more clear. Of my ten Tiger Barbs, only three ever exhibited symptoms. The first and second died before the medication arrived in the mail, and the third started exhibiting symptoms around the time it arrived. It survived the treatment and started to eat and be a bit more active, but it never got its 'belly' back. It died a few weeks after treatment... The other seven are all still fine.

[maxthedog123]

I have had a lot of barbs for two years. Things will seem fine and then I will go through a couple that are at the bottom of the pecking order that get torn up, banished to a corner of the tank and then die after wasting away. I think it goes with the territory with tiger barbs. Also, it doesn't seem to happen as much when I have 10 as when I have 6.

With that said, I was down to 6 after losing a couple after moving. I got 4 more a couple of nights ago and one of the new ones has already been banished. He did eat tonight, but I've seen that sit in the corner look before.....