Denisons barbs

[FallenRedeemer]

Have 2 denisons barbs and one of them seems to be chased by the other or is hiding in my plants. Would getting a third one help the one tht gets chased?

 

[chrismiller21]

Yes. I have 8 and they are doing wonderful. I would get 4 if your tank will allow it.

 

[Wroberson]

I think the situation depends on the size of the tank and the available food. The barbs are not top feeders and have to fight for food at it settles to the bottom of the tank. They are not nippers a shouldn't prevent problems for other fish. What you describe is what I see with the red tail shark and flying foxes. I haven't solved that issue. I think getting a smaller 3rd barb might work out if the tank is large enough. I have three and they are very peaceful.

There's really not much none about these fish.

 

[FallenRedeemer]

Thanks for the advice. I think I will get a 3rd one an see if that helps.

 

[Wroberson]

Good luck it's a beautiful fish.

I just got back from the pet shop and saw a slightly larger Dennison Barb chase away a baby barb. I think these fish start off fairly non aggressive, then as an older juvenile become lightly aggressive and then mature into passive adults. I think the teenager is just showing it's dominance over his younger brother.

Don't worry though, it's a great fish.

 

[chrismiller21]

mine range from about and inch and a half to under 3/4 of an inch. I have seen no aggression at all. They get along very nicely with the tetras and when they all school up and swim together, its great. They even accept the 2 SAE's who will school with the group as well. But when I did bring home my first group of 4, one of them had and eye missing. They would not let him in the group and chased him off and picked on him. I had to remove him. I got 5 more 1-2 at a time and not had any problems with those either. So you may want to look over that little one to make sure there is nothing wrong with him. Get 1-2 more and you will probably see no problems. I have also read they can also be a lone fish. My one eyed fish did fine until he passed which I was surprised he lasted as long as he did. They also LOVE frozen brine and blood worms. Good luck. If you haven't already, pick up some Tetra Color flakes. It helps brighten up their stripes and tails.

 

[FallenRedeemer]

From your story about your one eyed barb I instantly thought of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer for some reason. I had two denisons barbs before that died on me. I think it was because I did a water change and didn't match the water temps close enough. They got pretty big and had beautiful colors. They were my favorite fish in the tank. I feed my fish omega one flakes with some shrimp pellets and tubeflex worms mixed in. Currently the one that chases the other has really nice colors. The chased one doesn't show as much of the red coloration.

 

[Wroberson]

My fish have a diet of HBH Veggie 28% protein Nutrafin Max 48%, Frozen Brine shrimp, Omega One Brine shrip cubes and occasionally Mysis Shrimp. I really want to get a baby. I liked the way the group swam with the larger barbs and the smaller one nearby. I have 2 5" a 3". One is close to 2 years old the other 1.5 years. But for $9.99 it's a deal when they are often found at $14.99. I also use them to measure the total number of inches in the tank even though I have a few 1" rainbows.

 

[Samzter]

What's the size of your tank? I do think adding a third would be a good idea. It will level out the aggression hopefully. More hiding places would help.

 

[FallenRedeemer]

I have a 55 gallon tank. I think there should be enough hiding spots in the tank but maybe there aren't. I am working on replacing the cave in there with a bigger one.

 

[jcolon]

Have 2 denisons barbs and one of them seems to be chased by the other or is hiding in my plants. Would getting a third one help the one tht gets chased?

I'm a bit late for this thread ... Can't believe I missed it before

This behavior is nothing too worrisome with Denisons ... As mentioned they do go through a slight aggressive streak. A third Denison or even a forth shouldn't hurt .. Plus these fish look great in a school.

 

[FallenRedeemer]

I just went to petsmart because my faucet connector for my water changer broke and I picked up 2 denisons while I was there. They are floating in my qt tank now.

 

[bud29]

Good luck! Denisons are on the list of fish I want to get some day but currently I don't have a big enough tank for them (biggest tank is a 30)

 

[Wroberson]

I recently purchase a very young Dennison Barb. I can say the little guy is on the aggressive side of the color wheel. There are 2 adults and they are the more peaceful fish in the tank. The juvenile on the other hand chases the fish he came in with. One Turquoise rainbow in particular is always on the run. For some reason and I think is has to do the shunning he gets from the other turquoise, the Dennison barb is always on this guys tail. He doesn't seem to bother anyone else in the tank.

I think he's making his case for 2nd to last in the chain of command.

 

[chrismiller21]

I feel they are either on one end of the spectrum or the other. I think they will do well as a single, but I think they thrive in groups of 6 or more. I still have all 8 of mine and they completely keep to themselves. They play and chase, but nothing really aggressive at all. I think I have enough to completely disperse the aggression. I also have 2 true SAE's. They both mix well with the barbs as well because they look so much alike. I have noticed the barbs picking up or mimicking the SAE's traits and vice versa. They both school with each other and play. But I have started noticing more aggression between the two SAE's. They are getting larger, but both share a 75 gallon so the chases don't last long and it is usually over food. I hope the barbs don't pick up on those traits lol.