Tiger barb question

Gee

Gee

marineaholic
Dec 21, 2003
106
0
16
50
Blainville, Quebec
24.203.72.60
I got 2 small tiger barbs saturday, its now sunday and they are still hiding behind what they can find, they are breathing normally and dont seems to stressed, they are suppose to be active fish . right ?

They are alone in the tank with an apple snail, water is perfect.

How long are they gonna be scared, should i close the light to let them "chill" lol

Thanks :)
 
how big of a tank do you have? you really need about 4 or 5 to keep them comfortable and to keep one from really picking on the other. I have 5 tigers, 2 green tigers and 2 albino tigers and I just got 3 ruby barbs as well. The ruby's are just starting to get their color back from the shock of being introduced to the new tank and the Evil gold gourami is starting to lose interest in chasing them so they're starting to school along with the tigers. Kyle
 
Is it cycled and are there any other fish in the tank?

The tiger barbs, because they are still quite young and small, may not feel secure enough to swim around if there are only 2 in the tank. I think, as long as they are eating and there are little stress signs, that everything will be "okay" until you feel comfortable adding more fish. You will probably see an improvement when you add more, which you don't want to do quickly until your tank is cycled if it isn't already.
 
that's probably a good idea then. Tiger barbs are somewhat aggressive depending on the circumstances but they're kind of like the little punk that starts a fight as long as he's got his buddies with him but by himself, he's a chicken. Being that you only have two and they're in new surroundings, they aren't too brave. Give them some time, they'll come around. How do you have your tank decorated? Mine likes an area of heavy planting so they can choose cover if they want but they also swarm the open areas at times, especially when feeding. If they don't come out on excursions in the next few days, I'm sure they'll come around when you add some more. I would only add about 3 or 4 more total unless you're planning on a larger tank in the future. Tiger barbs get to around 2.5" but I'm not sure if they'll achieve that in a 10 gallon. Just don't corner yourself in if they do grow fast and you can't afford to upgrade. Of course I am a hipocrit being overloaded myself but I try to overfilter and over water change. Kyle
 
Thanks for the suggestion, as i said in my first post the barbs are alone in the tank, and i am moving to my new house the 1 of June, so i will build a 20 or 30 gallon for them, i work for a glass company, so glass is not a problem for me.

I was just afraid something was wrong in my tan, something scary for them.... The tank is cycle, it as been going for 2 years.

Thanks again.:)
 
I have 6 tiger barbs in a 10 gallon. When I first got them in there, they hid in the small rock/cave i have in the tank for nearly 2 weeks. Only venturing out to eat.

Then, they started to warm up to the place, and now they are very active.

Sometimes fish just need their own time to get acclimated to a new home.

But you should go pick up a few more of them. When you only have a couple tigers they will often fight too much. Getting 5+ of them helps to spread that aggression around so that none of them takes all the abuse. Also keeps them less aggressive to other fish in the tank if you have any.
 
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