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Anonymous
Hai /an/.

I have a five-gallon tank, and the person that bought it for me bought me one albino tiger barb, pictured under a bridge in one corner. I know plenty well how to take care of it.

However, I have a question. He is a retarded little hermit, and every fish I have thus far put in the tank, he has nipped and pestered to death -- to date, two guppies bought for the tank by my roommate. What the hell can I put in there with the little bastard to maybe get him from under the bridge and a little more active? Can I put any other fish, or should I just go with a couple more barbs?
>> Anonymous
more barbs, the are a schooling fish but they are also aggressive fin nippers
>> Anonymous
>>325087
More barbs for sure, since they school he'll move around the take a bit more. I had Odessas, they're great to watch when they're all together.
>> Anonymous
more barbs. and i lol'd heartily
>> Anonymous
Right, thanks anons... And how many should I put in with him? I know the general rule is one gallon per inch of fish.
>> Anonymous
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>>325107

why even bother with a 5 gallon? get like a 10-20 gallon at least imo. that's still kinda small for my taste. Then you could have more options.

pic is my red devil ^_^
>> Anonymous
>>325111
It was given to me as a gift, and I admit I'm still rather new to the hobby. Besides, I live in a dorm room, which SEVERELY limits my choices unfortunately. I'd LOVE to have a huge tank like my aunt's 100-gallon, but I get the feeling that'd be a lot more money than I can afford.
>> Anonymous
Perhaps.. he's been driven mad by the insanely colored gravel?
>> Anonymous
OP, a 5 gallon tank is far too small for tiger barbs. Who the hell bought you this tank? Slap them in the damn face. Return the barb to an LFS, they will take it off your hands. Make sure you cycle your tank:
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
As another person mentioned, tiger barbs are notorious for being fin-nippers. The only way to keep them is in groups of 5+, otherwise they will nip others (and eachother) to death. 5g is much too small to keep them comfortable.

As for other fish you can put in there, you could fit about 4 of a smaller, more peaceful schooling fish. Neon tetras are pretty generic, but they are pretty, and have a low bioload. You might be able to get a number of other smaller tetras (I currently have 4 pristella tetras in my five gallon). If you could find them, corydoras pygmaeus are a type of small catfish that reach 1" and you could have a school of them. If you want a single, bigger fish, you could try for a betta (you would have to mod the filter current so it doesn't drive them crazy).

If you're like me and want something cool in a 5gallon, you could try and find a freshwater dwarf pufferfish. Every time I hear someone ask for an opinion on stocking a 5, they always respond with "PUFFER". They're really cute--they only grow up to about an inch, and a five gallon is a perfect size, especially because you have to keep them alone. For added fun, buy 2 snails and the puffer will eat the children.
>> Anonymous
>>325669
If you, for some reason, really want to keep the tiger barb, I would really advise getting a 20g for it, and then buy 5 more of them for him. With this configuration, you could have some space for a snail, clown/bristlenose pleco (NOT a common one--these two species will only grow up to about 4" long), or a few shrimp. I would recommend buying live plants for such a tank, and ditching the multicolor gravel for a darker substrate. It'll bring out the colors in your fish more, and if you're at all like me dark gravel + live plants + bright fish = beautiful combination.

If you're worried about buying a 20g, check out your craigslist. Fishtanks go for dirt cheap on there, with all the fixins'. You could probably find one for 50$.

Good luck OP.
>> Anonymous
have you tried eating him?
>> Anonymous
For future reference OP, it's always a good idea to research, research, and research some more before buying some fishies for your tank. It's always good to know the species temperament, any special water requirements and all that jazz.

http://www.fishprofiles.net/faq/

I've found this site pretty useful, they have some decent aquarium FAQs and profiles on all kinds of fish.
>> Anonymous
OP FAILS AT RESEARCH
PROTIP: NEVER OWN FISH AGAIN
>> Anonymous
>>325898
OP said in the first post it was bought for them by somebody else.

PROTIP: Learn to read.
>> Anonymous
He's not a retarded little hermit. Can you recall anything else that claims bridges as its territory and is aggressive against anyone that refuses to pay a fee?

Trolls. You barb is a troll, OP. Pay him tribute for each fish you introduce (Or prevent them from swimming over his bridge) and there should be no problems.
>> LilCar
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:]

the only fish I have kept successfully with barbs are other types of barbs, and a skunk loach. Loaches are pretty cool, Skunk Loaches are more agressive than other types and stay pretty small. Pretty much anything else is going to get picked to death, and since you have a 5 gallon you're pretty much gonna have to stick with a couple more barbs for the time being.

ps completely unrelated but even more awesome ROBO HAMMY
>> Anonymous
The only things that live with tiger barbs unscathed are other tiger barbs. In uneven numbers.

But the five gallon is too small to house enough barbs to keep them from fighting each other to death.

Get a betta fish. And for fucks sake, get rid of that gravel. Get some plants, too, your fish need shade. That's why he's always under the bridge, dumbass, there's nowhere else to hide in the tank.

DO NOT keep the tiger barb if you get a betta. It will fin nip the betta to death.
>> Anonymous
Thanks for the replies, everyone. I'm sure that the person who bought the fish for me didn't intend to do a shitty thing. There ARE plants elsewhere in the tank, and I've been doing my damnedest to keep the little troll happy.

But a betta would probably be happier in there. Still, I don't just wanna FLUSH the poor barb; I've gotten fond of him and his bizarre ways. And there's no way I could get a bigger tank. I guess I'll see if my aunt will put him in with her barb school and hope for the best.
>> Anonymous
>>326772
Good idea. Barbs are schooling fish, they need to have company. 10+ barbs in suitable tank would be too busy with themselves to touch other fish, but 1 lonely barb in 5 gallon is like a rapist in park at night, waiting to attack and run away.
>> Anonymous
>>326772
Do you know you can return fish to most fish stores? I know I give unwanted fish to the petco near me (usually fish I got along with tanks off of craigslist). They'll take your fish no questions asked.

Also ffs NEVER FLUSH FISH. I repeat. DO NOT FLUSH THEM. This does not KILL them. More often than not, the fish gets stuck somewhere in the plumbing, and has to sit there until he either dies from being poisoned by the water in your toilet system or by being mangled from going through the pipes. It's incredibly sad that people still do this, especially when there's ways of getting rid of unwanted fish, and more humane ways to euthanize them if they are sick and suffering.
>> Anonymous
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Hey buddy, fish in pic is not a tiger barb. That is a very young pink convict cichlid. I know because I breed them and I own several. Scientific name Archocentrus nigrofasciatus, google it. You'll see the ones with black bars, which gives them the name Convict Cichlid. The one you have is a different coloration, and they look all pink or white. These guys are extremely aggressive, and i found that the only other fish they will live with peacefully is a mate. Although, mating makes them even MORE aggressive, and these fish WILL breed. They are so aggressive that when i stick my hand in the tank and go near the eggs, they will attack me and bite until I leave. ALL other fish will be killed or beaten when breeding unless the tank is over 4ft long. I suggest keeping this little guy in your new tank for a couple weeks so it goes through the nitrogen cycle, then get rid of him or buy a 15 gal tank and get a female one(These fish are really hardy and can live through anything). You can tell if they are female because the females have orange scales on the belly, while males have longer extended fins on top and bottom with no orange coloration(My attached pic is male). Your fish right now is too young to sex, and the picture sucks. They should get around 4-5 inches long. You could probably get away with a 10 gallon, I breed in a 10, but a 15 gallon would be much better. Also, the different colored fish will breed with each other, I just did that and I don't know what the fish will grow up into yet.

Protip: If you breed them, get a sponge filter because the regular filters will suck up fry and get parent fish really pissed.
>> Anonymous
>>327006
Well, the fish is out of focus, but it does look more like a cichlid, once you mentioned it.
Hey, OP, can we get another pic, preferably with the whole body in the picture? You might want to make photo during a feeding time, it coud be easier.