Are my fish dying?? They seem to be breathing fairly quickly and they don't eat very much.?

Question

I have 2 tiger barb fish. i got them 2 days ago. the tank is 2 gallons but the man at the store said that was ok until they get a little bit bigger. it is about 70 degrees (i'm going tonight to get a heater).

Answer 1

That's sounds like it's probably an ammonia issue. Check the water if you can and change water if needed. If you don't have a test kit, I would suggest you change about 1/2 of the water just to be sure.

MM

Answer 2

What are your ammonia, nitrate, pH and nitrate levels? When did you last do a water change? What size is your tank? When did you last change the filter? What temperature is your tank? How many fish do you have? What kind? How long has this been going on? How long has your tank been set up? When did you add these fish? You can't expect good answers if you have no information.

There's the problem - you have too many fish for your tank. Often times the man at the store will tell you anything - if they die you will buy more, and if you learn how to properly care for them you will come back to buy what they really need. They will die shortly if you keep them in there. They get up to 4 inches, so you need a minimum of 8 gallons for them, and you must have a filter and heater. It sounds like they are dying from lack of oxygen - get them in a tank with a filter now - back at the store if you have to, or they will die. Also, you need to feed about 1 flake per fish per day. Overfeeding can kill them.

Answer 3

First you need to get your water checked.. when was the last time you did a water change? you should change no more than 25% of the water (from the bottom) every two weeks or at LEAST once a month...also you NEVER want to do a water change and filter change on the same day..preferably a week apart!! you most likely have high ammonia and nitrites in your tank- thats from fish waste and extra food. also make sure you are only feeding ONCE a day and just a tiny bit what ever they eat in about a minute!!! Try to find a nice FISH STORE in your area (NOT PETSMART OR PETCO or any of those chain stores!!! they dont know SH#*!!!) You really should do a good water change now if they are stressin!! BUT DONT TOUCH THE FILTER TILL NEXT WEEK!!! :)

Answer 4

First off, minimum tank size for tiger barbs is 20 gallons, not 2. Also, barbs need to be in groups of minimum 5 (better yet...6 or more) in order to minimize stress. Stress kills fish. There is stress in being moved, stress in being confined, stress due to poor water conditions. In a 2 gallon tank with too few fish to actually school, your fish are showing signs of distress.
Although they are tropical fish, your temperature is fine. In most cases, they don't "require" heated tanks (68 - 79 degrees are tolerated). They DO require large open swimming spaces though. 2 gallons is not making the cut.
Don't forget that decaying food, urine, feces and even the fish exhaling oxygen from its gills, adds to ammonia in the water. If you have an uncycled tank (new..without beneficial bacteria growth), the ammonia will spike causing burns to the eyes, fins, scales..and worse: gills. After ammonia, nitrite spikes for a few weeks. Nitrite causes death in fish as it interrupts their ability to process oxygen. With an already weakened state from ammonia, many fish do not survive this second spike. After a total of 5 - 6 weeks, you have nitrate in the tank. This is the good bacteria at about 20 parts per million.
If you've taken fish and transported them, then set them in a stressful environment, they won't survive.
Also, be aware that barbs are very nippy fish and when kept in groups of less than 6 to school, will start picking on other fish mercilessly in a community tank. If you do decide to upgrade to the 20 gallon, make sure you up your barbs to 6 or so and don't add any other fish with showy tails or slow moving, or skittish.

Answer 5

Be sure to have an air pump in the bowl They need to have aeration. You can use an air stone and a valve to adjust the amount of air put into the tank.

Answer 6

Your water needs more oxygen, and less waste. Buy a bigger air pump, replace your water more often, and make sure your biocycle bacteria levels are high enough...

Answer 7

Sounds like a oxygen problem. Make sure you have a good filtration system and sufficient air for them.

Answer 8

get your water tested and go from there

Answer 9

yah