1 aggressive tiger barb

[newlywed]

Good evening all! I've come to ask some advice on what to do with a bully. I have 6 tiger barbs and when I bought them, one was noticeable bigger than the rest. He didn't seem to mind leading the pack around and for the first week, they were fine. Now, he is being a big bully. He is always chasing the other 5 around and around the tank. He is relentless and never stops!
Now, I know that these fish are semi-aggressive but I thought that with 6 of them, they would all get along. Any ideas on how I can give him a time out? Or should I just let things be? I'm afraid that he may be stressing the other fish out.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Oh, and I thought it was funny today, Bruce (my red tail shark) was chasing Mr. Bully around the tank. I didn't catch the beginning of the chase to see what Mr. Bully did so am not sure what that was all about but I did giggle to see the tables turned on the tiger barb.

Thanks!

Jim

 

[trenac]

Keeping six usually keeps everything peaceful, but there is always a exception to the rule. So if things don't seattle down you may have to take the bully back to the store.

 

[Fruitbat]

Your 'bully' is likely a male and the rest are probably females or less mature males. This is pretty normal behavior for Tiger Barbs and it may or may not subside over time. Is any damage being done to the fish being chased?? If not...I'd just leave it alone and chalk it up to the vagaries of nature.

 

[newlywed]

No fin damage. I don't see much nipping just a lot of chasing.

 

[Endgame319]

Mine do it all the time, it keeps the fish in shape. IMO your shouldn't be worried unless it turns into physical damage.

 

[newlywed]

I'm just worried that the other fish will get stressed out about it. Their color doesn's seem as vibrant orange as the bigger one. Is this a sign of stress or do they not develop nice color until they're a bit older?

 

[Fruitbat]

Don't worry newlywed....the dominant male Tiger Barb will always have the most vibrant color. Besides...if the others are females then it is also typical that they'll be a little less vibrant in color than the males.

 

[Puddlebiker]

One aggressive male Tiger Barb

I made the mistake of putting 3 Tiger Barbs with Zebra Danios and Rummynose. 1 Danio died of unknown cause, and 2 Rummy's died of fungal growth. I couldn't directly link these deaths to the Tiger Barbs, but I suspected they were stress related so I set up a second tank and seperated them. I also picked up some more Tiger Barbs, 3 Green and 2 Albino to increase their school size to 8. Shortly later I caught the Male (regular) Tiger Barb fighting with one of the other original female Tiger Barbs to the point where she had some damage to her right gill. I immediately seperated her and placed her in a 5 gallon hospital tank and she is in stable condition.

First question: Should I treat the water with any medicinal additives?

Second question: This male continues to be aggressive towards all the other Barbs. I was thinking I should swap them with the 33 Gallon tank where there's a few more plants and more space. I am reluctant to do this because I was required to rush them into the 20 gallon tank and it never got a proper Nitrogen cycle aside from sharing some gravel, water, bio filters and decorations. I fear that if this continues my hospital tank will end up switching roles with my 20 gallon tank or since I am at work for long hours maybe some might get killed by him. Any further recommendations?

 

[miniflea84]

How big is your tank? You might want a few more tigers, six is relatively few. More (if you have the space) might help spread out the aggression.

 

[asudavew]

Put a big Blood Parrot in the thank...it will keep the rest in check.
;o)

 

[jonnythan]

If there are no actual attacks going on, just leave them be.

I had to return one because he was actually killing off other barbs.

 

[Puddlebiker]

How big is your tank? You might want a few more tigers, six is relatively few. More (if you have the space) might help spread out the aggression.

It's a 20 gallon tank and I have 8 Tiger Barbs and that's all in that tank. He's dominated the tank so much that they all keep hiding behind the plants. A few people have told me that either he has to live by himself or I should get rid of him. I don't believe in flushing a living fish and I don't know if anyone would want him so for now I think I will just partition him from the rest.

 

[Puddlebiker]

If there are no actual attacks going on, just leave them be.

I had to return one because he was actually killing off other barbs.

Yes there was one direct attack, and I saved the victim and have it in my hospital tank right now. With all the aggression the other fish are stressed and stuck hiding all the time, so at some point they can easily develope an illness that could wipe out the entire tank. I'd just as soon give away all the good fish to new homes rather than have this happen. In real life the other fish would just move somewhere else where he isn't and live happily ever after.

 

[jonnythan]

Put the aggressive one in the hospital tank. Keep him there until the others are as big as he is or find a new home for him.

My last post was in reference to the OP, but now that I think about it he's probably come to some sort of resolution in the intervening five years.

 

[laxpatrick]

I think school size is the key - enough tiger barbs to keep them busy with their own. Same with mixing in fish like danios - big enough school to prevent singling any one out. I've got 6 tiger barbs and 10 danios - no cross-species bullying going on...