tiger barb behavior

ta2d2001 said:
They'll kill the weakest one until there is one left?
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No...they won't. They do, however have a pecking order...as do many schooling species. If a fish dies, then it was more than likely already sick. If all the barbs are healthy, you shouldn't have any problems.
 
And if you have enough to constitute a school. Four Tiger Barbs are not a school - just watch their behavior and you can tell that, or just read the posts in this thread. Eight or ten or twelve is much more likely to serve as a school in their terms and to diffuse aggression. I love Tiger barbs and have had several tanks of them, all without problems, but I stock the tank with Tigers and make sure it is long enough for them.
 
I have 6 barbs.2 tiger 2 albino 2green.They do chase and nip at each other but they have done no harm to each other.I love them.You just don't know how much some fish can handle.Some are weak from the start.I had 1 that was real shy and hid alot but now he's as aggressive as the rest.
 
The magic number's usually six. I've got seven, and they seemed to have worked out the pecking order.

When you get cycled, and add more tiger barbs, expect more chasing and obnoxious behavior for a few days after that. Because they'll have to reestablish the pecking order all over again.

Heh. You think they're aggressive when they eat. Wait until they try to spawn! :eek:
 
i think ive told this story a lot but it's one of the few bits of experience ive built up in my few months as a fish keeper :)

i started off with 11 tigers, and they still kept killing the weakest. eventually that number went down to 5 and I took them back. i even tried keeping the largest, meanest fish in a ten gallon by himself, but then the second largest took over his spot in bullying the others. that's exactly why I wont keep tigers any more....it's just not worth it and I dont have the time to monitor the tank enough to insure that one barb isnt getting picked on all the time. if you like the look of tiger barbs, try getting belted barbs - they look pretty much the same (5 stripes instead of 3) but arent nearly as aggressive. me, i replaced them with a big school or h. rasboras and havent looked back. good luck!
 
The problem I'm having with my tiger barbs is that they seem completely uninterested in food unless it drops down right in front of them. Three of them seem to swim together a lot while the other two spend almost all their time maintaining the same position within some plants. The odd thing is that the two that stay by themselves are not small, one's the biggest in the tank.
 
Luke Jaywalker said:
The odd thing is that the two that stay by themselves are not small, one's the biggest in the tank.
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My largest of 5 Tiger barbs is a loner, too, and acted just as you describe.
Although he is the largest, he is not the alpha male of the group. So I used to chalk it up to him feeling a little dejected. When I recently put in 3 more, he seems to join the school more frequently, and swim with the others to the top of the tank for flakes, which he had never done before.

If your fish are looking healthy, they're probably eating. You're just not catching them in the act. These fish are little pigs with fins, believe me. :)

If you've got the room in your tank, I suggest adding more TB's to your school.
 
I don't necessarily think that the last post is at all typical...yes tiger barbs are fiesty, but with enough cover and a large school (5 or 6 minimum) they should be fine. In our tank it also helps that there are other larger fish (yellow labid and Alunocara sp.) to keep the barbs on their toes. :dance
 
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