please help, paradise fish getting eaten alive...

[blue27343]

I have 3 paradise fish and some barbs, and one of them continues to get its fins nipped overnight and it is looking pretty sickly.... I dont have the money to go out and buy a tank divider right now, so i was wondering if keeping a paradise fish in a large (about 3 gallon) cooking pot would harm her... also, would i need an airstone, seeing as how they are labyrinth fish?
thanks,
-matt

[roulfi004]

The first thing anyone in this community would advise you is to read the E-Book (its free to download from this site), and also to research your fish before buying them. You could always ask for advice and opinions on what to buy/not here, many people would be happy to help

That said, lets try to look for some solutions

1. Which barbs? I would guess Tiger barbs... they are fin nippers, especially if kept in groups of Less than 6. I had mine to live with a betta but i kept 8 so they were busy nipping and fighting their friends and ignored most of the time my Betta that otherwise should have been torn apart.

One solution, not guaranteed 100%, but worked for me, would be to increase the numbers of the barbs. The Paradise fish would still get a nip now and then, but nothing serious

The best solution to this is to separate them:
-Either put the paradise fish in a plastic (avoid metal) container. If the container is small (1 gal or less), change water more often, say 3 times a week until you find something better. Water temperature should be from 18 to 28 degrees Celsius. Would work without any heater if the ambient temperature is in range
-Or better yet, return the barbs to the shop and get something less aggressive: Paradise fish are Compatible with for example with: Rasboras, Danios, Angelfish, Livebearers, Plecos, small Scavenger Catfish, etc. ... i would get a school of Harlequin Rasboras, they are hardy and put a nice show

2. What size is your tank? will it accept more fish if you had to add?

3. No, an air stone is not required. Labyrinth fish go to the surface to get their air. An airstone is better to increase the water oxygen for normal fish, less so for Labyrinth fish that can breath air from the surface

4. Yea 3 gallon is enough for 1, my betta is very happy with its 3 gallon tank, and its blowing bubbles (see it in the TOTM contest thread for May)

5. 3 Paradise fish? (quoted from a website): "Temperament: Territorial; DO NOT keep mature adult males together as they will kill each other in much the same way as the Siamese Fighting Fish. Otherwise peaceful."

6. Be careful, injured fish are more susceptible to diseases. Let it heal asap

I hope I helped. Feel free to ask more if you run into problems

[Lady Hobbs]

And then you see a site like this and you get all messed up.

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There is always the odd ball that wants to throw these charts off. Could the other paradise possibly be trying to mate? And as mentioned by roulif004, Tiger Barbs are the worse fin nippers.

[xoolooxunny]

For a temporary tank divider to give you more time to form a permanent solution, you can run out to your local craft store and pick up some plastic canvas, i cant imagine it being in the price range of a real tank divider.
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