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How much death is normal


Lysette

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I have been lurking for ages. I have a tank with tiger barbs... first there were 8 now there are 3! It's a 2ft tank with 2 small bristles and three peppered catfish. The water tests come out fine and there is no sign of white spot or anything else visible... but the tigers keep dying. These 3 have survived for a week but I don't know if they too will float to the top... any ideas?

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I guess that's what I'm wondering... that at times it happens and seemingly without reason. I'm new at fish keeping though and thought it might be worth checking out what the more experienced people thought... others in my family breed birds and they go for months without something dying and then... a run. And for no apparent explaination... thanks though :-? hopefully someone will come up with something.

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Couple of articles here that might help Lysette,

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/man ... _Died.html

http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=1817

It is not unusal to lose the odd fish now and then, but losing a lot over a short period means you have a prob somewhere.

You say the water conditions are fine... but have you done any "actual" tests... especially for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates... ?

We need more details, regarding how long you have had the fish, .. how long the tank has been set up... how often have you done water changes... have you added any medications recently... what were the conditions of the dead fish.. (inflamed gills.. swollen bellies)... how often do you feed them..?

Try to answer the above as best you can, and try to think back to try and recollect when the deaths started, and was there anything that happened that might have caused this.

Lastly... Don't give up... it happens to most of us at some time or another, and we are all here to help if we can.

Regards,

Bill (Pegasus NZ)

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I've had some of the barbs for at least 6 months. they lived in 4ft community tank but when I decided to get lyre tails I knew I'd have to move them. So about 3 months ago I relocated them to a 2 ft tank that had been set up for over a year. I do a water change and top up regularly (weekly) at @ 25%. I check amonia, nitrate and ph levels usually monthsly but when the fist one died I checked and kept checking levels, but no change... only added cycle and aqua plus when doing water... no other medications. The dead fish haven't seemed to show anything physical but I must admit I didn't look with a determined eye.. just noticed the body and removed. I ddi notice that a little one before it died seemed 'shy' it hid to the back of the tank all the time. Normally they tend to be all over the place. Feeding - once a day with Nutrafin max for tropicals. they occasionally (?weekly) get an alge wafer (the bristles love it but so do the barbs)....

thanks for the help....

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because barbs move alot more and faster than most fish they need more food, but what i do is feed 2-3 times a day just a small amount and you will have them live for years or until they die.

try adding more as well 12 -15 would be better , you can put green, golden tigers, and anyother ones in with tiger barbs

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Slow down here a bit Kim...

try adding more as well 12 -15 would be better

Point one is that Lysette has a problem.. that up to this point we don't know the cause of... but yet you are advising her to add more fish before the prob is solved.

So about 3 months ago I relocated them to a 2 ft tank that had been set up for over a year

JMO.. but I still think you have a water prob Lysette.

A two footer is many more times harder to maintain water quality in than your previous sized tank.

Mass deaths don't just occur... there is a "definite" cause, which is yet to be established, so until that time I would avoid adding "anything"..

Test kits are known to give erronious readings, so it might be a good idea to allow your local LFS to test your water and see if they come up with the same conclusion.

Take a sample "directly" from your supply, and get that tested also.

It won't be the first time that local councils have added this and that to the supply... which may not harm us, but can be disasterous for our fish.

Bill.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Don't know if this helps, I had 5 Tigers and 5 Golden Tigers to start with, as they say to keep then in larger groups and at a odd number of fish. I am now left with 3 golden in one tank and one tiger in another tank. Problem was two tigers chasing and niping the others, lost two goldens before I worked out the problem, I seperated the tigers from the goldens then the tigers turned on each other, I sent two tigers packing.

The end result is that the Tigers are agressive and prey on themselves and others.

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