Tiger barbs dropping like flys!

[Fetysha]

Hi all!
First post, wish it was happier and I hope it's in the right place! I have a 14 gal aqueon FW tank kit with 1 bristlenose cat, 1 redtail shark, and (now) 3 Tiger Barbs. We originally bought 3 barbs... About 4 days later I woke up to 1 dead on the substrate, nothing visibly wrong just dead! PH test and ammonia test check out just fine.. Temp is normal too. I thought maybe the shark got feisty but no.. Two days later 1 more dead in the same way. My boyfriend and I waited 2 days and our last barb still lived! We bought 3 more (4 total) thinking he was in theclear.. He died earlier today (assuming it was the original), 2 days after we got our new barbs. Any ideas what is going wrong? They are eating and water tests are normal, I feel like a horrible fish killer. let me know if more info is needed.
Thanks!

 

[andreahp]

When you say ammonia is just fine - does that mean you are testing at 0? Are you testing for nitrates also? Are you changing your water? What kind of a test kit are you using or are you using strips? How long has your tank been running? Fish dying like that could mean there's a problem with your water quality. Also, I wouldn't add more fish to replace the dead ones until you figure out if your water is the culprit.

 

[Fetysha]

We use Aquarium Pharmaceuticals testing kits, ammonia is generally 0-.30. I have tested for nitrates, It hasn't been an issue and we tested the week before this started, but I'll test again. Tank has been running since December, being new to aquariums I removed so much water in a change that the tank recycled in February (Feb 10..we had wood in the tank for bristlenose that changed the water a dark yellow color, we removed the wood to solve the issue). Huge ammonia spikes during the cycle but it evened out in a weeks time, we waited even longer to add more fish to be safe. We are going to do a 20% water change today, we waited much longer than usual to allow for algae growth for our bristlenose. We bought more barbs after tests were fine, we didn't want to stress him out by leaving him alone

 

[Fetysha]

If it was water quality wouldn't the bristlenose be affected? Or are tiger barbs more sensitive?

 

[WendiDell]

If it was water quality wouldn't the bristlenose be affected? Or are tiger barbs more sensitive?

Depending on the size of your Bristlenose, the Tigers could be more sensitive. Unless you have a tiny Bristlenose.
I've never had much luck with Tiger Barbs either, although mine were the Green Tiger Barb. I couldn't get them to live longer than 2 wks. I gave up after a few replacements. And moved onto different fish that didn't die so easily

 

[silver_rose42]

When did you set up your tank? It's possible that if it's a newer tank, the good bacteria buildup hasn't happened yet, and that could potentially be killing them. It goes along the line of new fish syndrome; it's common for fish to die in the first couple of weeks of starting a new tank, even if it's been cycling.

I hope this helped, and that your others are doing well. I would consider adding Stress Coat to their tank to try and build up another slime coat for the ones still living.

 

[WendiDell]

We use Aquarium Pharmaceuticals testing kits, ammonia is generally 0-.30. I have tested for nitrates, It hasn't been an issue and we tested the week before this started, but I'll test again. Tank has been running since December, being new to aquariums I removed so much water in a change that the tank recycled in February (Feb 10..we had wood in the tank for bristlenose that changed the water a dark yellow color, we removed the wood to solve the issue). Huge ammonia spikes during the cycle but it evened out in a weeks time, we waited even longer to add more fish to be safe. We are going to do a 20% water change today, we waited much longer than usual to allow for algae growth for our bristlenose. We bought more barbs after tests were fine, we didn't want to stress him out by leaving him alone

A 20% PWC won't stop the algae growth. When my tank was cycling (with fish) I occasionally would need to do 50% back to back to get the Ammonia back to just trace amounts, if there had been an ammonia spike. Otherwise I'd do 50% daily PWC until my tank cycled. The cycle took a little longer with keeping the ammonia so low but I didn't loose any fish to toxicity.
There was still plenty of algae for for my Pleco. So you don't need to worry about that. Your fish suffering from ammonia toxicity, and having permanent damage to their gills and a weakened immune system is a bigger problem.
So do the PWC whenever needed and the algae will take care of it's self.
If your are worried about the algae leave the light on for a little longer than normal, it will grow faster.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

I lost 3 TBs to a Red tail shark. IMHO that tank is too small for territory.

 

[Crepe]

Ammonia should never climb above 0 after cycling unless you have constant deaths. What temperature is your tank? Also how long has it been set up, you mention leaving it fallow for algae growth? How long was that? What are you feeding. Where did you get the fish. What did they look like when they were dead. How were they behaving before. Did you quarantine? Did all the fish come from the same source?

I WANT REAL READINGS:
Ammo in ppm
nitrates in ppm
nitrites in ppm
I DO NOT settle for ranges unless it's a indiscernible difference like between 10 and 20 on the nitrate scale and I DO NOT settle for "Good". API also makes test strips. Are you using the liquid test kit?

 

[Fetysha]

They aren't dying from ammonia and algae is not the issue I was just explaining why I did the large water change...the fish have no damage to them when I find them, no torn or nipped fins, nothing likenthat
Liquid test kits:
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Ph: 7.0-7.2 hard to determine color difference
Nitrate: 10 ppm

Test strip:fresh & salt quick dip
Nitrite: 0 or .5 really hard to see color but square was slightly pink

Tank is 78F, it has completed it's cycle it was set up in early December 2010 and began a new cycle because of a large water change in the beginning of Feb. All fish were from the same source.

The tank is on the small side for now but none are fully grown, there are 2 separate caves on either side and they stay away from eachother for the most part.

I have no issues with fish aggression

 

[WendiDell]

I DO NOT settle for ranges unless it's a indiscernible difference like between 10 and 20 on the nitrate scale and I DO NOT settle for "Good". API also makes test strips. Are you using the liquid test kit?[/QUOTE]
I'm so glad I'm not the only one that has a hard time discerning the Nitrate colors between 10 & 20. I have struggled with that one from the beginning. I've tried all kinds of different lighting and I still can't see the difference.
So I thank you very much for mentioning it.
It's always nice to know you aren't struggling alone.
Oh yea, on the subject of testing, I don't care who makes them, test stripes are a waste of money. The only way to know what's happening in your tank is to use the liquid test kit.
At Petsmart a FW Master Kit is $31.99 but you can get the same thing at BigAlsonline for $19.99. These days we need to save where we can. Test stripes seem cheaper at face value. But for 7-8 dollars you get 25 test strips, but for $19.99 you get 130 Ammonia test and nearly 100 Nitrate tests and almost 200 Nitrite testes and you can test for both high and low pH, depending on your fishes needs.
So the Master kit is in the long run, far less expensive than the stripes


I'm done now.

 

[Fetysha]

Thanks for the opinions so far, I'm still confused as to what the problem is. The
Only reason I bought nitrite test strips was because the store was out if liquid test kits, the kind inwas hoping to buy

 

[Tim Wheatley]

Mine has no real visible injuries either, but it may not be that which is your problem.

 

[Fetysha]

I've had to remove the barbs because they started nipping relentlessly at thebristlenose, who is now missing an eye! Could this be out of boredom, not enough barbs in the group anymore? What a horrible experience so far, I was told by the LFS that they wouldn't bother him, maybe I just need to bring them back.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

Fish will usually attack sick fish. Tiger Barbs are relentless for this.

It sounds like you probably have an issue with your tank, which in turn is creating problems with your fish, and the other fish are scavenging (like fish do) by eating each other (alive).

With regards the Red Tail Shark, my Tiger Barbs were killed by headbutting to the gills, I didn't realise until it was too late how much damage this was doing because nothing was visible.

Oh, and don't believe much that a fish store sells you. The fact is, they are SELLING something to you. They'll say anything they think you'll want to hear in most cases.

 

[Fetysha]

Unfortunate I am keeping an eye on the red tail, he hides a lot now that there are no barbs. He was most active when they were all still alive. The bristlenose has appeared to be normal, he was just out eating on the wall of the tank. It sucks that I'm not sure what is going on, the test results seem alright. No problems until the barbs were introduced.

 

[WendiDell]

Unfortunate I am keeping an eye on the red tail, he hides a lot now that there are no barbs. He was most active when they were all still alive. The bristlenose has appeared to be normal, he was just out eating on the wall of the tank. It sucks that I'm not sure what is going on, the test results seem alright. No problems until the barbs were introduced.

Maybe it was just a problem with the Tiger Barbs. I had a school of Cherry Barbs that were great. They got along well with the other fish, including a Red Tail Shark, a couple of Bolivian Rams, 2 Common Plecos and some Neon Tetras, very Harmonia's, and no deaths.
Then I added a small school (5) of green Tiger Barbs. One by one they died, with no signs of illness or injury.
I tried a few times to add the Tiger Barbs, 3 to be exact, and all 3 times the Tiger Barbs died. I finally gave up on having Tiger Barbs. After having 15 of them die within 2 weeks adding them to the tank, I couldn't take the guilt of killing anymore of them.
I've never had fish die like that before or since. You may never know what killed them. But you may want to try a different type of Barb or something completely different.
Sometimes just the stress of being transported can weaken their immune system enough for them to die from the shock of different water parameters.
I didn't know this back then, but now I ask the FS what their water parameters are. To make sure my tanks temp. and pH are close to theirs, to avoid extra shock. It helps new fish adapt easier. But I also have stuck with hardier fish since then.
Good luck in the future

 

[mus]

Hi you may want to try odessa barbs, i have 3 of these and unfortunately my water parameters are no so good but these 3 barbs are doing great i could honestly say they have been the best in my bad water condition. They are also very pretty fish imo.

But not many ppl like an alternative especially if you want 'tiger barbs' and no other.

Hope that helps.

 

[Fetysha]

I'm not really too picky , I just wanted a colorful fish that would work with the fish I already have. Thanks for all the advice