Tiger barbs (the fish) - what kind of habitat do they need?

[A. Venger x2]

Okay, so my brother and I went on this twenty-minute drive to a hobby store and somehow ended up coming home an hour and a half later with four fish, so named "TIGER BARBS."

What kind of aquatic environment do these homeboys require?!

In terms of...

- water: circulating or not? and what kind? is sink water acceptable?
- how much space (for 4 fish)
- etc., etc., etc.

Bear with us here; we're fairly ignorant.

 

[kouneli]

Water- tap water is fine, but make sure you get rid of the chlorine and chloramine by using these special drops called water conditioner/dechlorinator. Stress coat is an example of this.

Space- for 4 tiger barbs, at least a 10 gallon tank

Filter-definately need an appropriate sized filter...one that hangs on the back of the tank is good

Heater-the tank water needs to stay within 72-82F without very many temperature fluctuations. A heater will help keep it at a perfect 76F

Food-flake is ok, I prefer the Tetra Crisps (less messy). They also should have a variety of frozen foods such as bloodworms and brine shrimp.

If you currently don't have a 10 gallon tank or larger already set up, I would HIGHLY recommend taking the fish back. If you set up a tank today and put the fish in today, you will most likely end up with ammonia and nitrite problems which will kill your fish. A tank should be set up for at least 2 weeks before placing fish in. This allows time for only a small amount of beneficial bacteria to grow. The bacteria changes ammonia (from fish waste) into nitrite, then into nitrate...making the water quality better for fish. Regular water changes are then needed to remove the nitrate buildup in the tank. When you set up the tank, have the filter and heater on. It's best to set the light on a timer for 8-10 hours per day. After waiting approx. 2 weeks once the tank has been set up, you can then SLOWLY add fish. For a 10 gallon tank, adding 4 tiger barbs at once may be too much, depending on the size of the fish. For a 20 gallon tank, this would be fine. Next time, tell your brother to do his research before buying animals.

 

[James]

You can use tap water as long as you add water conditioner every time you add new tap water. (You can purchase water conditioner in your local pet shop)

All aquariums need a filter. I suggest you get a filter that doesn't need an air pump. You can go to www.petsmart.com OR www.petco.com for more information about products.

I suggest you need a 10 gallon for four tiger barbs, but they do better in a group of 6-8 so I suggest you het 4 more tiger barbs and purchase a 20 gallon aquarium. Walmart has cheap aquariums and fish, but the fishes might be ill or infected.

They like to be in a well planted environment with a lot of hiding spot. (You can use real plants, but fake plants are better and easier.) I also suggest you a buy a cave or two.

These fish are very nippy when they aren't in groups of 6 or 8. They tend to nip fins of other fish. So if you want to add more different fish to you aquarium, I suggest you get 2 or 4 before adding different fish.

There are a lot of species of barbs. They have the albino tiger barb, green tiger barb or emerald tiger barb, original tiger bar, and the rosy barbs.

Go quick, because your fish will get cold and run out of air.

They tend to be in a temperature of. 70 degrees to 85 degrees. You can buy a aquarium thermometer at 99cnt store or walmart.

And don't forget to buy an:
- aquarium
- filter
- tropical fish food
- air pump
- gravel
- plants real or fake
- caves or bridges
- more fish if you want

Hope you do well with your fish and aquarium.