Tiger Barbs fighting eachother

[Gunn]

Ok, this is probably a really stupid question to some of you... but how do I tell if they're male or female, other than the obvious physical differences?

As far as the platties... how do I tell? Do they look different.. or..?

 

[ConMan]

The males are usually smaller and more colorful than the females.

Platies aren't my expertise, but hopefully the lfs you go to has well informed staff, or other people on the site may know more about them.

 

[sigmatauntaylor]

check on the bottom side of the platy if it has only fins than it is female if it has fins and something that looks more like a tube than it is male. the tube (gonopodum sp?) is what the platy uses to deliver sperm, it should point towards the butt of the fish

 

[chefkeith]

Tiger Barbs will maim each other if given the chance. The only way to avoid this is too get a longer/wider tank (tank height is not really an issue) and to build up the party to atleast 6. Lots of plants and driftwood help alot too, the obstacles make for an easy get away.

 

[Banky]

Is it just me, or does the rear stripe of that barb look like it has velvet?

 

[anonapersona]

Basic ideas to try

I have a few comments, but I do not keep Tiger Barbs so this is sort of general.

First, invest in more plants and decor. As you noticed the chasing is likely to end when the aggressor looses sight of the one he's after.

Then, go on and get several more tiger barbs, like 4 or 6, to add to this tank at the same time. I ordinarily prefer to suggest keeping new fish in Quarantine, but this may be the exception. You need at least six, more is better. And you may yet have some losses.

Add all of these fish at once, and rearrange the tank at the same time. The dominant fish will be terribbly stressed by this, he may get ill. Here he had everything all under control, maybe even a female for his own control, now the tank is full of fish, running and hiding everywhere, the tiny despot is toppled. When you add one or two at a time, he can destroy them, but adding 6 or 7 will totally overwhelm him. He will spend all his time trying to get everyone back in line, but they all look alike and keep running away, he can't concentrate on any one fish long enough to kill him.

Now, I don't know how many you can fit in that tank. Tiger barbs are sort of bulky.

You may need to get rid of some of the other fish to fit in the size group you need for the barbs. Persoanlly, I'd keep the barbs and nothing else, but I like that sort of tank, it allows for more natural behavior IMO. Maybe one or two other fish that fit into a different niche, like a bottom dweller or top dweller, but no other midlevel fish.

Now there may be some preferences on males to females, my serpae tetras have 4 males and 2 females (just chance in the picking) With 4 males 3 of them spend their time strutting and sparring with each other, the other keeps the females hiding in the bushes. I'd just try to get some of each, don't pick just males.

 

[vaheelsfan]

Originally posted by Gunn
Why else?

And if they're not good for tanks... what would be better for them?

A large pond. Stores will sell things that they shouldn't. Irridescent sharks can grow to three feet naturally. I think in Asia they actually raise them as a food source. These were the first fish I wanted to buy when I got an aquarium, but "luckily" they were in with some silver dollars that were being treated for ich. I looked them up on the internet to show my wife what they looked like, and that's when I found out how large they can get.

The pic was taken the day I purchased it, so only 6 fish were in the tank at this time.

I assume that this means you added the fish the day you bought the tank. Did you use Bio-Spira on your tank? If not, your tank hasn't cycled yet and you shouldn't add any more fish at all. until it has completed the cycle. When it has cycled and you add more fish, you should have more than five barbs. This way, it won't just be one chasing the other all of the time, and the agression will be spread out.

 

[Rocketman]

About Irridescent sharks...if you want me to elaborate I will. Basically though, a few years ago someone put it to me this way - if you put a baby in a 2ft by 2ft box, what will happen to it? Sure, it may be fine albeit extremely uncomfertable for awile, but soon it will simply become to cramped and die. Something will kill your Irridescents before their size does, however. They simply don't like being confined in small, (less than 500G) spaces and become very skittish when they are. You can tell by looking at their abnormal behavior. A Jewel, (or tetra, barb, etc) will wonder around his tank, under rocks and so forth. He will weave through plants and sometimes stay perfectly motionless. However, an Irridescent shark will simply swim back and forth along the glass, and except for a few exceptions won't do much else.