Tinfoil barbs... aggressive?

[glowbug0015]

So, every site I've seen has said that tinfoil barbs are not aggressive, except maybe to edible fish (and in that case, only in the process of eating them). I've had three 3-4" albino tinfoil barbs for about three weeks, and they won't stop fighting. When I transferred them into the tank they had all of their scales, shortly thereafter, each was missing a few and three weeks later they are still attacking eachother.

I have them in a 75 gallon now with two red hook silver dollars, two delhezis (7-8"), and a BN pleco (4"). I'm going to upgrade them to a 125 in 2 months (approximately, already bought it but need to fix it up and move).

Why do you think they are fighting? I'm not sure I want more, because I don't want such a high load on either tank. I surmised that one of them could be sick, and I know many barbs kill off sick barbs, but I also noted that each barb that I have is fighting against the others- its not two barbs picking on one, which would make it easy to tell. Plus, they've been doing this for three weeks and I haven't noticed any signs of illness.

Any thoughts?


parameters:
pH: 6.8-7
NO2: 0
NO3: 5-7
NH3: 0
GH: 3 degrees
KH:10 degrees

 

[jm1212]

it could be that they are crowded and there are not enough individuals in the school. tinfoils are barbs, which can be aggressive if there are not enough of them in a school to properly distribute aggression between them all. a school of six is a minimum, with more being much better.

 

[12 Volt Man]

this is not uncommon, although it usually subsides by now.

my barbs often have 'wars' after a water change for example.

I would not worry too much about it - they are hardy fish and can take a bit of roughhousing from their own kind..

I would just leave them together and let them grow up.