My barbs going crazy?

[Fritz Bakon]

i recently added some rosy barbs in to my 20 gallon and they are always going against the side of the tank as if they are trying to get out. Is this normal? and will they stop?

[Northernguy]

What else is in the tank?
Is the tank cycled?
How many barbs?How many male/female?
More females keep the males happier!
Here is some info for you!http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/barbs/rosybarb.php

[Fritz Bakon]

What else is in the tank?
Is the tank cycled?
How many barbs?How many male/female?
More females keep the males happier!
Here is some info for you!http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/barbs/rosybarb.php


bala shark clown loach snail tiger barbs rosy barbs. 6 barbs total. i dont no the difference between male and female. i do not know what you mean by cycled.

[sheamurai]

How long has the tank been running? Have you tested the water in it for ammonia and nitrite?

"cycling" your tank means you have established a colony of beneficial bacteria in your tank/filter media. Its this bacteria that processes fish wastes into non-poisonous states.

If your tank is new, its possible the fish are trying to get out of your tank to escape ammonia poisoning.

There are articles here on AC which will help explain cycling.

If your tank is new, you should probably do water changes daily until you can test your water to determine the ammonia and nitrite levels in your tank.

If your tank has been running for awhile, then give the fish a week to truly settle in. Some fish take longer than others - especially if they go from a large tank to a small one, or if the original fish are territorial, new fish try to leave the claimed territory.

[troy]

It sounds like they are just getting used to their surroundings.

[Fritz Bakon]

thats what i was thinking. my tiger barbs hardly do it at all and they have been there the longest.

[Fritz Bakon]

How long has the tank been running? Have you tested the water in it for ammonia and nitrite?

"cycling" your tank means you have established a colony of beneficial bacteria in your tank/filter media. Its this bacteria that processes fish wastes into non-poisonous states.

If your tank is new, its possible the fish are trying to get out of your tank to escape ammonia poisoning.

There are articles here on AC which will help explain cycling.

If your tank is new, you should probably do water changes daily until you can test your water to determine the ammonia and nitrite levels in your tank.

If your tank has been running for awhile, then give the fish a week to truly settle in. Some fish take longer than others - especially if they go from a large tank to a small one, or if the original fish are territorial, new fish try to leave the claimed territory.


Yeha i think they are just trying to settle in, but in for the future how do i test and lower the amonia levels in the tank?

[Lady Hobbs]

I would advice getting rid of all your fish, cycle your tanks and start over again with fish suited to the size tanks you have. Small tanks = Small fish which does not mean 12" fish in a 20 gallon tank.

Research fish before buying them so you know their needs, how many you should have of each, what they are compatible with and what size they will become be as adults.

You can not just pick out fish randomly knowing nothing of any of those you pick.

[Fritz Bakon]

I would advice getting rid of all your fish, cycle your tanks and start over again with fish suited to the size tanks you have. Small tanks = Small fish which does not mean 12" fish in a 20 gallon tank.

Research fish before buying them so you know their needs, how many you should have of each, what they are compatible with and what size they will become be as adults.

You can not just pick out fish randomly knowing nothing of any of those you pick.


Thanks for the advice. From now on i will never trust Petsmarts information on the fish i buy.

[Lady Hobbs]

Well, they are there to sell fish. I don't feel store employees should have to take the time to explain to every buyer the requirements of every fish they sell especially when 100's walk thru their store each day. They would spend more time talking to people than they do stocking, cleaning, selling and all else they have to do in their 8 hour shift.

Forums help for gathering advice and also searching yourself on the websites. Arm yourself with knowledge about the fish you wish to keep and you will not have to rely on petstore employees for anything but netting those fish.

[jaysee]

I agree, it should not be the employees responsibility to inform people of the care requirements of the animals. IT IS their responsibility to understand the nitrogen cycle, though, as it is the holy grail of fish keeping...JMO.

[Lady Hobbs]

It also wouldn't hurt these stores to put stickers on tanks starting the size the fish are expected to grow.

[Bristley]

I was actually in the local Petsmart this last weekend picking up some dog food with the family and we went to look at the aquarium section while we were there. It's a must for us everytime we go there. Anyway, I noticed that on every tank in that particular store they had a picture of the the fish that were in the tank, along with some additional information. Included in the info was how big they were supposed to grow, among other things. So that information was available, however, I don't think most people really look at it, also some of the tanks were mislabeled or had wrong info on the label, but that's a whole nother problem all together.

[Pleco380]

I completely agree with Lady Hobbs about stickers telling about fish size.