Help! Sick/ hurt tiger barb!!!

Sara3502

AC Members
Jun 28, 2011
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One of my ablino tiger barbs is in bad shape. I did a water change and added some new plants last night, and I saw him this morning flipping around like swim bladder disease. I put him in a little breeder box to fix him up, but I thought his side looked a little messed up. I got a magnifying glass and he has a cut on his side and between his eyes his skin is all red. The pH is 7-8, the temp. is 74 and I don't have anything to test ammonia/ nitrates until Monday. Please help me with this little guy! I am going to church and I will try to post pictures later, but I don't think I can get so up close to show. He is not eating either. Maybe he got stuck on my filter? I just cleared the intake because alot of plants were stuck to it. Thanks!!!
here you can't see the cut but you can see the red between eyes

image.jpg
 
What does your tank test at for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tested with a good liquid drop test kit ?

What are the other inhabitants in the tank and what size ?

Assuming its a cut from something in the tank, you need to keep the water parameters very good (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, less than 20 ppm nitrate) and avoid stressing him.

If he's swimming ok and this is not an injury caused by another fish I would get him out of that plastic breeder thing - its only going to stress him. If you have a small tank set-up available as a hospital it would be worth putting him in that.
 
I've heard that tiger barbs can get pretty nippy with each other. In his weakened state he'll be even more vulnerable, if there's other fish in the tank. Any other large container like an unused bucket or plastic tote can serve as a temporary hospital tank until we know more. Good luck.
 
After church I'm going to get an ammonia nitrite nitrate test kit. Ill post those afterwards, and I am going to turn an empty 10 gallon into a hospital tank for him. He is not swimming alright at all. He flips upside- down and sideways and that's it.
 
If you had a lot of plants stuck to the filter I'm inclined to query your water parameters. What volume of water do you change and how often ?
 
I generally just do a top off every few weeks. It should be okay though because I have monster filtration on that thing, at least it wouldn't be ammonia. I have a fluidized bed filter along with a cascade 300, maybe it's nitrites
 
I checked out the cut and it seems more like a bite. Poor little guy. I wonder who did it because my fish are pretty peaceful. Maybe one of the algae eaters wanted some barb :(
 
Yeah, pry not. I don't have any aggressive things in there though, and mine follow my fish around. Ill just have to watch and see if anyone else gets bullied.
 
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