ahh!!.. help

loucas6290

Lurking Since 2005
Jan 2, 2005
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last week i bought a green tigerbarb.. and everything was fine until it started swimmiing down like if it didnt it would float to the top, now three of my youner tiger barbs are doing. the water is fine all the other fish are fine... wats ronnng???
 
What do you feed them? Sometimes floating foods can cause problems like this - witholding food for a few days and soaking the pellets before feeding from then on can help.
It could also be a problem with their swim bladders - I have no experience with this, but you could try Google to find out if this may be the issue.
It's always helpful if you can post as many details as possible - people's definitions of 'fine' can really differ when it comes to things like water quality, I find it's best to post actual test results . In this case, mentioning the fish's diet might also help, as well as anything else that may have changed recently.
Hopefully someone else knows more, good luck :)
 
ok well i feed them the standard tetra min flakes... i ahd the water teseted yesterday..everything was zero, whats a swim bladder what should i google?

ps wehn they swim they have ahard time staying anywhere in the ank besides the tom they are always angled down like they are two buoyant... my new green barb and the 1 o fthe four barbs ar fine but the three swim down they are always angle s like htis " / "
 
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The swim bladder is something fish use to regulate their buoyancy. Sometimes there are problems, and it can cause fish to float/sink in strange ways.
I'd search for information on how the swim bladder works in fish, swim bladder disease, freshwater fish disease, etc. You'll find lots of information out there - Google is wonderful :)
Swimming head down is called 'headstanding' - you might want to look up causes for that as well (again, I have next to no experience, and Google is where I turn for a lot of information).
 
alrite its either a intestinal block or an infection... im not sure.. doesanyone no how u could tell
 
If you suspect intestinal blockage/constapation, withhold all food for a few days (they'll be fine, don't worry), add 1tsp/5g MgSO4 (Epsom salts) to the tank and try feeding the fish a pea - remove the outer skin first, and if it's a frozen pea make sure it's completely thawed. Both epsom salts and peas have a laxative effect for fish, so you should see them produce a lot of waste.
What type of infection to you suspect? There's a different solution to each kind. I'd try the above, see if it helps, and if not keep investigating. Tigers are greedy little things, and dry foods can sometimes cause blockages. Fish that eat a lot of flakes before they have time to swell in the water can have problems when the food swells in their stomachs; this could be the case with your little guys.
 
My tiger barbs have always swam nose down when they are at rest. One of my albinos had problems with his swim bladder...he swam around like he was drunk (after eating). I thought he was going to check out but he's been fine now for a couple nonths.
 
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