Newbie w/small tank one fish (pretty sure she already made a mistake w/something)

UFOtofu said:
Should I not keep it completely submerged?
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Nope. It will thrive however if the top part is above water level.
is she going to get a lot bigger?
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Yes.
I can't imagine a 5 gallon tank being small to her, and it would look like a one or two other fish her size could fit with her in a 5 gallon...
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Our rule when keeping tiger barbs is to keep them in a large group of 6 or more which a 5-gallon cannot accomplish.
Can you explain why a 5 gallon would be too small for one Tiger Barb? Sorry I don't really understand yet..
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Swimming space and bioload should be given consideration. A 5 gallons has too much extreme changes in water conditions for tiger barbs and does not have sufficient swimming space for a group.
Is what they told me at petco about "One inch of fish needs One gallon of water" not true?
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That's hardly reliable.:)
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88431
And also, I thought Tiger Barbs shouldn't be put in the same tank as male guppies? Male guppies were actually 2 of the five I started with, and the Tiger Barbs would nip at their fins and tails.
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They shouldn't be.
 
Hey Ufo, If you don't want to invest a lot you can trade the barb for a few white cloud minnows. They are a cold water species so, the the heating would not be an issue (although avoiding great changes is usually recommended). With a few plants their color really changes a lot and (in my opinion) they are really attractive fish. In the fish stores they are usually very pale looking. I have about 7 in a 10 gallon (started with three but they began breeding). They range in color from dark green to gold to red with the usual red and yellow tipped fins. THey are also really hearty. I have seen them kept in tanks with no filtration and no plants successfully. In that setup that you saw on craigs list I think you could keep a few with maybe some java moss or taiwan moss and the bamboo( I have red mangrove growing out of the top of my 10 gal). Anyway, I see a lot of 10 galons fro sale in my area and a cheap penguin biowheel filter works well up to 10 galons or so depending on the model. Lastly, shrimp apparently have a low bioload and can be housed with the white clouds. Anyway thats my opinion.
pepe
 
I found this site very helpful and informative when looking up information about my fish. http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile20.html -> This may help to answer some of your questions about your Barb.

They have profiled many fish so this may help to find the right fish for you. -> http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profile.html#profile

I have to say, I really love my Platys, and found that sort of surprising. But they really are crowd pleasers and every time I'm near the tank, they come to the front and will follow me around the tank. Of course they probably just want food ;-) but they are such happy little fish.
 
Thanks for that site Nynikki. I actually already found and read their profile on Tiger Barbs while I was doing research before I found this forum. There were just a few specific questions that weren't answered in general guides, like the thing about night time and darkness and if my fish needs that. and stuff...but thanks =) I'll read that site again in case I missed something =)
 
your fish dont need light as long as long as there is some light... a dorms gonna have a window so it should do great to light the tank...if your not having plants...lighti s purely aesthetic
 
gah!
i mean, first of all, thanks so much for all your guys' help!!
but I'm worried! cause all of a sudden (i think it was sudden) my Tiger Barb is floating in the middle of the water, sideways ish.... not like on her side but like ... / <--that. does that mean anything??

I've emailed a few people from craigslist selling tanks, but none have gotten back to me yet, and as I see some things right now... it might be best for me to give my Tiger Barb away... Maybe I'm just panicking cause I'm scared and worried right now..

How long do I need to leave the air pump on? So far I've usually been leaving it on all day during the day and turning it off at night. I assumed I should leave it on for as long as I can. I'm asking now cause I feel like my fish was swimming fine while it was on, but once I turned it off she started the weird sideways float. Did I leave on the air pump for too long?

I'm so stressed now heh I wish I knew someone who could take my fish in so I know she wouldn't be stressing or struggling.. ah...

And she keeps ... twitching? If she were a dog, it would look like she were shaking her head,.. like trying to shake something off.

=\... sorry for my lack of common sense of not researching first >.< ... but thank you guys sooo much for all your help!!!!
 
ok.. this is slightly funny/ridiculous... but right after I finished posting that last message, my fish seems to have started swimming normally again. But still doing that little twitching sometimes... =\... anyway... I'm going to try and do some more research before I fall asleep, but any advice will always be greatly appreciated =) I'm just so grateful right now for all your help!
 
I might have missed it, but how long has this tank been established? Any current readings for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?

Does your water conditioner handle chloramine as well as chlorine?

Barbs are also known for almost "standing on their head" actions. The shaking could be from poor water conditions. How often are you doing water changes?

What kind of filter do you have on the tank?
 
I believe that what you have is teeny tiny and probably unless you are doing daily water changes and/or have a proper filter on it, youre going to have a hard time keeping the barb alive due to water quality.

Barbs are social fish and like to be in groups, so it's kind of not fair to yours unless you upgrade your tank quite considerably. You need one much larger than you have. I'd get a 5 gal, trade in your barb and get some endlers or white clouds (they also have gold white clouds which I think are pretty), shrimp, or a betta, or snails (lots of options, not all of these together).
Your barb will definitely get bigger and she/he does like swimming space, which is why a small tank isn't appropriate.
 
If you love your fish honestly it would be best to give him back or find somebody with a decent sized tank. Tiger barbs are great looking fish making people want to buy them as soon as they see them, not knowing they are social fish, and in my opinion will NOT thrive without a group of them. I honestly say a 20 gallon is the minimum for a group of these. I would take him back, get at least a 2.5 gallon and look into other minnows, maybe a betta. Bettas are also gorgeous fish that you will love and will not need a tank upgrade.
 
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