I need help with fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Question

ok, i have 3 tiger barbs, 3 redtail rasbora fish, 1 albino cory, and 1 chinese algea eater. I have everything needed for an aquarium. i have had my tiger barbs for a day and one of them keeps hiding behind my big plastic plant. it doesnt move much. sometimes it comes out and swims with the other two barbs, but then goes back, what should i do?

Answer 1

Three things come to mind right away -

One - how long did you quarintine your new fish before adding them to your aquarium? The barb may be ill. If he is, he's probably already transmitted to all the others. Perhaps a dose if ich treatment would be a good idea.

Two - the barb may be stressed. Give him a few days to acclimate to his new home. He's had a rough couple of days - getting scooped up into a plastic bag, put in a box, shipped to your pet store, put in a tank, scooped into another bag, then taken for a car ride with you just to end up in another tank.

Three - put the chinese algae-eater in a seperate tank for a day or two and see if that solves the issue with your shy barb. There is an article in the Sept '08 issue of Aquarium Fish International that states that the the chinese algae eater (gyrinocheilus aymonieri) is not an effective algae eater. He feeds off the body slime of other fish, which will eventually kill them. Maybe your barb is being harassed when you're not looking. I'd recommend getting rid of him altogether.

Good luck.