# Normal color changes in Tiger Barbs?



## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I love tiger barbs - I have just 4, in a 29g community tank. I know I should have a larger group, but that's how it is right now. The 29 tank is a temp thing, when I set up a 55 I will get a larger group. 

Anyhow, I can't tell the sexes apart. Don't have a clue as to what I have. They were all bought at the same time and are about 4 years old. One is a different color (these are the standard striped kind). I admit I never noticed the different color before so it may be new, or it might have been like this always, but I think it's new within the last few weeks. The black stripes on one are actually more of a metallic olive green, which of course looks lighter than black stripes. Looks like a heavy metallic mid-value olive green wash over a black background - but definitely not black stripes. I did my water change today without thinking about testing to see if the parameters are off (the tank needed cleaning for substrate debris anyhow). It's possible poor water quality could affect the color on only one fish if it's immune system is weaker than the other fish, but have you ever heard of adult fish morphing to this color? The main cream color body parts are still normal looking, not washed out. I know tiger barbs have many breeding & stress related color changes - but metallic green? Btw, the noses and faces are very red and the fins are vivid red. They've always had good red color - I feed bloodworms a few times a week and I admit the rich red color could also be stress related due to a small school jockeying for position in a small tank. What do you think about the change to metallic/reflective green? Stress, old age? I netted the fish today so I could get a close look at it - in the net I didn't see the metallic green effect at all - it looked like all the other tigers. What the heck is it? Maybe the slime coat is effected? I don't see any signs of fungus, raised scales, etc. 

Thanks!


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

Doofus! I may have answered my own question. Too bad I didn't take the time to do a little research before I netted the tiger & stressed the tank. I always over-react! I have just read that it's common for tiger barbs to attain a strong metallic green sheen to their black stripes, and that there is a strain where the black stripes are completely replaced with the green - am I the only one that didn't know this? :iamwithst


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

There are all green tiger barbs from selective breeding


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

My lfs doesn't have those, but do have the mottled green tiger barb, as well as the albinos - I always thought of those these color variants as common. Do the average run-of-the-mill green tiger barbs mature to the same stunning color and metallic sheen as the selective bred fish in your pic? I have to say I LOVE the pic you posted, and have never seen one in person! My tiger barbs are all the black/cream striped kind - I've never noticed the dark stripes being metallic green on any I've seen in fish stores, so I freaked thinking that it was ill and had contaminated the tank. It's metallic color isn't nearly as pronounced as the fish in your pic, mine's just a low/medium saturation of color and is olive, not that wild peacock color.

I really need more - lol


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

I think the green is enhanced a bit from the flash of the camera in that photo. As a rule, their colors get more intense as they grow older.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

Interesting development, possibly;

After traumatizing my poor fish in the tank last night while netting the strangely colored tiger barb, I shut the lights out to calm them down. No food last night either. This morning I turned the lights on & gave a light feeding - the celebes rainbows this morning are doing their spawning dance (they do every time I do a water change, which I did last night). That's nothing new - they never actually spawn that I've seen. However the tiger barb that looks so different lately was in a headstand position, shimmying tightly. I thought "ok, this is it, it's really sick, maybe swim bladder?" I sat & watched for 20 minutes or so - the tiger barb that changed color does the headstand whenever the other 3 tigers come near - sometime it swims up to them and then headstands and shimmys. One of the other tigers seems dominant - it has tapped the odd color fish with it's head near the vent a few times. The odd color fish goes into an instant shimmying headstand. They dash about madly for a bit, then start all over. So I think it's mating behavior. I wonder if the oddly colored barb changed color as it became ready to breed? That would explain why I didn't notice the new color until the last week or so. The oddly colored barb is also the largest - one reason I thought it might be dying of old age yesterday. If it's a female, that would account for the larger size. 

I also have 3 rosy barbs in the tank that have spawned before - I only had 2 fry live to adulthood (no hiding places really - lightly planted). The female rosy barb is carrying again, she's looked like the Goodyear blimp for weeks now - I wonder when she'll decide to drop? I feel sorry for my fish in this overstocked tank but I have to reinforce the floor in my bedroom before I can set up the 55 many of these fish are going to be moved to. Right now the 29 holds 3 rosy barbs plus 2 juvies, 4 tiger barbs, 9 neons, and 9 celebes rainbows. I'm astounded they're alive, let alone wanting to spawn. It makes me more determined to get going on that 55 to spare them these living conditions...


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