Tiger Barbs dying

ameliarose82

I am just starting my aquarium. We had our tetras for a few weeks, then added our cory cat. My husband went to the local pet store to add some new fish. They had tiger barbs in with black skirt tetras so he got 3. They were fine with our tetras but started nipping at our cory cat, a behavior unfortunately we did not research before we got them. We read they were better in groups so we went to Wal Mart and got 3 more barbs. This did not stop the nipping so we put them in the 3 gal emergency tank until we could find someone to take them. The dominant barb started nipping at the others and they all hid behind the filter. We have tried a number of things but unfortunately the damage is already done. We went and got a Beta bowl to put the dominant one in. We have already lost 2 barbs and another 2 have significant fin damage.

Please help! I don't know if I should only take back the dominant one to the pet store and keep the others in the 3gal until they heal then take them back or what I should do. I am afraid if I take them all back now the others at the pet store will kill them since they are damaged. I just hate keeping them in this 3gal by themselves for very long.

Byron

Nothing is going to change their inherent behaviour. If you do not have a tank available for the barbs, and for a proper-sized group which means 8 or more, I would get rid of them by whatever means you can.

You have at least learned a very imoportant and valuable lesson. Always research any fish before buying it, to ensure you can provide what it needs. And this means numbers (for a shoaling species like barb, tetra, rasbora, danio and some others), minimum tank for the mature fish, and suitable environment (water, decor, other fish, etc). We all had to learn this. I lost many fish before I did.

Byron.

P.S. Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.