Tiger Barbs = Catfish Killers???

[turbovr6]

Hi everyone,

So I started my second tank a few weeks ago. 46 gal. with 10 small tiger barbs. Water is good, as I used media from my 90gal, and test the water regularly.

Anyway, on Sunday I bought 2 pictus cats and a gold nugget pleco. Last night I found one of the cats swimming close to the surface kinda looking like it was going to die. This morning he was dead, the other cat was fine sticking to the bottom looking for food. Now I get home from work and find the other cat dead So far the gold nugget is fine..

Did the barbs kill the cats? I buy all my fish from the same reputable place for the past few years, never had any ich/disease problems.

Thanks...

 

[theotheragentm]

Tiger Barbs can be nippy and I've even heard of them dive bombing bottom dwellers, but I would assume it was something else before just blaming the Barbs. How new are the fish? Where they QT'd before being put in the new tank?

 

[turbovr6]

I just picked up the pictus cats Sunday. I don't know how old they were, but they were about 1.5 inches. I did not QT them, but I know the store I get all my fish from QT all their fish. I have 27 fish from that same store, purchased over 2 years, never did a QT at home.
I'm not saying that it could not have been sick fish, it's just odd because this would be the first time.
Should I be worried about the gold nugget? he is small too at about 2 inches...

 

[turbovr6]

Well it was the barbs, just figured it out. I seen them trying to nip the gold nugget so I took him out and put him in the 90gal. During his capture I found some barbels floating at the top of the water. I doubt they just fell off
Anyone in northern NJ want 10 tiger barbs before they go back to the store?

 

[7Enigma]

Tiger barbs were the cause of several deaths in my tank (1 Oto and 2 cory cats for certain). I still have 3 (of the original 6) in my tank (see sig for rest) and while somewhat aggressive, the dwarf gourami I added after all the attacking has severely curbed their aggression. The gourami almost seems like the protector. He guards the tank and keeps everyone in line!

But I will never get tiger barbs again, they are just too aggressive for my tastes....

 

[tomherndon]

As the number of TB's I had decreased, their aggression toward tankmates increased. I have one last TB and I've moved it to what was the quarantine tank. I doubt that any LFS will be interested in taking on one fish. Seems like a huge infection risk for them to do that.

I don't see the need to euthanise it, but I can't let it inflict itself on others either. So it'll live out the rest of it's time in that QT.

NEVER getting aggressive barbs again, either.