Any experience with rosy barb aggression?

LeahK

LeahK

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Jul 5, 2007
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As is in my sig, I have 9 rosy barbs in my 55, who coexist quite peacefully with my tiny cpd's and otos.
However, a week ago or so, I moved over some juvenile platies from my 20, who are about the same size as the cpd's. Within an hour, the rosy barbs were eating my favorite platy :eek:

I now have a theory on why this happened. My barbs have a habit of trying to bite a freckle on my wrist whenever I've got my hands in the tank for water vacuuming, so I know they'll perceive such dark spots as edible. This particular platy was an oddball color--her body was almost clear, but her fins and eyes were black. So I think the barbs didn't really notice her body but clearly perceived the tasty-looking black bits, and they bit her eye or fin. And then, when she was injured, they went in for the kill. :cry:

However, at the time, this didn't occur to me, and I freaked out and moved the rest of the platies back to their 20 gal. home, where they remain. So, my dilemma is whether my theory is right or not. I was kind of hoping to add some cories or kuhli loaches to the tank, but I worry that the barbs won't tolerate ANY new additions. Does anyone have any experience with rosy barbs killing off new fish?
 
I'm taking a guess at this but I would venture to say you have an established group in your tank and anything they can bully, they will. Platies aren't the best defenders and well, you see what happened. Barbs in my opinion have the tendency to be the nippers of the aquarium world. Some more aggressive than others but eventually, they do show their colors.
 
Dangerdoll said:
I'm taking a guess at this but I would venture to say you have an established group in your tank and anything they can bully, they will. Platies aren't the best defenders and well, you see what happened. Barbs in my opinion have the tendency to be the nippers of the aquarium world. Some more aggressive than others but eventually, they do show their colors.
Click to expand...

I agree with that,

My Rosy Barbs were fine, but after awhile it is as thought they had set up their territory in the tank and will chase, nip at any other new species i introduce to the tank but they have left my pepper cories alone. Could have felt the platty was invading their territory.
 
Well, I guess that's good news and bad news. Good news is that it sounds like I can stop worrying that the barbs will suddenly attack the otos or the cpd's. That community is well-established. But the bad news is that I guess I can't add any new fish.
I didn't really want "new" fish anyway--I just wanted to move the platies over so I could put a betta in the 20 :)
 
it sounds like they just confused the platy with food; alot of fish confuse new things dropped into the tank with food. things that float around the surface and follow the current are often instinctively thought of as food because of the methods we feed are fish.
 
When I put redglass barbs into my tigerbarb tank a war broke out. I ran for some food, that helped distract them. After they ate, I turned out the lights. The next day they were getting along fine.
 
I have half a dozen rosy barbs in an outdoor pond into which I added twelve comets. The barbs chased the comets for a time, but soon settled and the comets suffered no nip damage. There're now about fifty comets of various sizes and markings. The barbs are fine, although I wont allow stocking density to increase.
 
Barbs will pick on a weaker fish and finish it off. My neon roseys will behave, but if a fish isn't feeling well, they will pounce it. I'm not sure why.

They like to eat anything and everything. They love veggies. Let them rip apart some zucchini if they get bored.
 
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