Barbs - hiding under bridge - scared?

neilmack

neilmack

Always learning!
Jul 10, 2006
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Aylesbury, UK
Odessa Barbs - hiding under bridge - scared?

I have 4 barbs in my 20litre aqarium and they have looked happy since I bought them just over a week ago - swimming all over the place and very energetic - esp when coming to the surface for the food!

But since I did a 25% water change (letting water stand for 24hours and treating it), the fish have been 'hiding' under the bridge that is on the floor of the aquarium - as if they are frightened of something.

I left the fish in when changing the water (using a litre jug to remove old water and pour new water in) - thought that was better than removing them and putting in a small container temporarily. But I think the jug coming in to their home has scared them and they don't like to be in open water for more than a second.

Does anyone have any advice and do you think they will learn everything is ok for them to swim freely?!
 
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What kind of barbs are they? My Tiger Barbs aren't scared of anything. If I put something in the tank, they immediatly go to investigate. I can't put my arm in the tank without being attacked by nearly a dozen fish.
 
Ahh I have 4 Gold Barbs and they were fine when I did water changes. All of a sudden one day they started to do the same thing. The only thing I could think of was the water prams from my tap and in the tank were different. I shut the lights off for the rest of the day and within a couple days they started back to there old ways.

Do you have any other fish in the tank? What type of Barbs are they? Leaving the fish in the tank during a change is fine, it will not hurt them any. How often do you do water changes and gravel cleanings?
 
I have 4 ODESSA Barbs - 2 male and 2 female. No other fish in there.
I have only had the fish 10 days and the tank a further 17 days - I cycled the water in the tank for a week before adding the fish then tested the water before putting the fish in.

They usually go mad when they think I am feeding them and look viscious beggers when eating. When my girlfriend fed them yesterday, they waited till the food fell to the floor before eating.

This was the first water change. Maybe the water still had high toxin levels, despite leaving it to stand for 24 hrs and adding the recommended tap safe drops.

We have seen then venture out when we are upstairs or far away from the tank but as soon as we get near, they rush to hide under the bridge!

I may have to go to the fishkeepers for advice.
 
your tap water may have chloramines in it, so leaving it out overnight will not help. many municipal water supplies are now using those in addition to chlorine (which is what dissipates with exposure to air) precisely because they are more stable than chlorine. to get rid of those, you need to use a tap water conditioner that specifically says it removes chloramines.

another thing is possibly the change in temperature. using a tap water conditioner will also help with this because you can just adjust tap to the temperature of the tank, treat, and fill the tank immediately.

by the way, 20 litres (= 5 gal) is also probably too small for 4 barbs. with that bioload, you're going to have to do water changes much more frequently than you have been. like maybe 100% twice a week. just warning you. the waste products will accumulate very quickly in so small a tank.
 
I will check later to see what the conditioner removes.

I was told by the man at the fishkeepers (acredited) that our tank was big enough for 4 odessa barbs, so I'm now confused! He did say to take a sample of the water back after 3 weeks but I think I am going to have to go in the next couple of days.. to see if I can rule out toxins/bad ph, whatever.

Oh one more thing - I was told they only need feeding every other day, is that right?!
 
yes, feeding every other day is fine. fish are ectothermic so they don't need energy to produce body heat. they can go weeks without eating, but of course will be very hungry. i used to feed only 3-4 times a week. i do it now about 5 times a week just because it's fun to watch.

feeding them less frequently will reduce waste production, so that's the good news. but there are other things produced that are not necessarily related to food intake, like hormones. those do need to be removed regularly with water changes, or they can affect your fishes adversely. those things cannot be tested for, unless you have access to a specific biological/endocrinological lab.

i still think the tank is too small. you can post another thread addressing that question, and see what other folks here think, but i think you will get the same answer from most of them.

yes, odessa barbs can get to about 10 cm or 3 inches each. so 20 litres is DEFINITELY too small for them. the hormones that accumulate are probably responsible for "fish only grow to the size of their tank." the problem with that is that their internal organs continue to grow even if their bodies don't, so they experience all kinds of problems later in life.
 
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At least I know I'm not over/under feeding the fish!

They do seem to act like sheep - following each other around, so it could be the leader is unwell or scared and the rest are copying it?!!

Once again, it's seems I have been told the wrong thing when purchasing the fish! The man did talk about stunted growth with small tanks so I thought he wouldn't sell anything that would cause this - unless he misheard the tank's capacity?!

I do intend getting a larger tank in the next 6months but I'm hoping, with enough advice/education, I can keep these fish happy and well.

Thanks for the advice.
 
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neil, i'm glad you're keeping an open mind and are willing to learn :)

i saw your other thread. i'm glad you're going to pose the question to other folks and not rely on my opinion alone. it's always best to get advice from more than one person.

i thought of one other reason the water change could have induced stress. you may be experiencing "old tank syndrome". while your tank is obviously not very old, the small size and high bioload means that waste products have accumulated quickly, causing the water to become "thick". by changing water (which is usually a good thing), the sudden change in conditions, even to something better, is stressing your fishies. the best advice i can give you at this point is to perform water changes frequently, to keep your tank water as close to source water as possible.

i am glad you are planning on upgrading to a larger tank later on. i think a 30 gal (120 litre) should be just fine.

unfortunately, i think almost everyone makes the same mistake. we all get too excited when we get our first tank, and try to overstock it either with too many fishes or fishes that will soon outgrow it. the good fish owners will try to remedy it by getting a bigger tank as soon as they can. i made that same error and am now working with 4 fish tanks, with many more planned. this hobby has a way of growing :) welcome to the fold! good luck and feel free to ask questions.
 
Yes I like to know I'm doing things correctly - what will I be like when me and the other half have a baby?!!

Your advice/opinion has been very helpful, plah!

I think I may just leave things how they are for 2 or 3 more days and then make a decision about what I can do to make them more happy - like removing the fake plants, giving them more space to swim.
 
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