# Tiger Barbs eating plants



## Diana R (Oct 20, 2014)

Have a new tank set up, Heavy planted, on Oct 15 added Green Tiger Barbs and Gold Tiger Barbs. Everyday few hours, i have to pull out plant leaves. The Gold tiger barbs for sure are eating the stems and new growth stems. Green may also be. Feed twice a day, is this something Barbs do? Have had them in the past and never seen this. The Barbs are small young fish, do you think they might out grow it.. if the plants live through this pruning.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

I had 11 Tiger barbs in my heavily planted 75 gal for six months with zero problems. Then all of a sudden they started chowing down on my bacopa for no apparent reason.


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## micheljq (Oct 24, 2012)

I had a similar problem with gold barbs. They were fine the first months then when they reached a size of about 5cm, they destroyed my cabomba forest. They were in hot pursuit and often ended colliding into a cabomba's stem.

When they began chopping some of my crypts's leaves I gave them to someone with a non-planted tank.

Michel.


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## falcooo (Sep 30, 2011)

I love tiger barbs, but have had the same issue in the past.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

My guess is that they are not getting enough nutrients from the food you feed them so they start eating the plants which do contain them. Feeding green peas may help, though it may not contain enough of the nutrients they need. Alternatively, add a single stem of Rotala rotundifolia as a food source.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Barbs and their relatives are omnivores. Larger barbs like tigers will eat plants.

The only plants that'll survive are the tough plants like anubias & ferns.


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## Diana R (Oct 20, 2014)

*barbs*

Thank you all for your replies. looks like the best thing to do is take the 4 Gold barbs and 5 Green barbs out and give away. Will have to start over on what fish will work best in this tank. Any idea's?

It's a 46 bow with 3" of ADA, so not too much room for medium to large fish. Looking for a peaceful, happy fish tank, if there is such a thing. Because of skimmer/power head and 2215 Eheim there is lots for water movement. SAE's like dancing in it.

12 years ago, had a 55g planted tank with Barb's.. they never touched the plants for years.. strange.

The only place I have that will tank fish is the LFS, Petco.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Tetras + cories should work. Suggestions: 
Rummynose tetras
Neon/cardinal tetras
Glowlight tetras
Emerald eye rasboras
Harlequin rasboras
Porkchop rasboras
X-ray tetras
Cories 

You get the idea.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

Feeding twice a day does not guarantee they have proper nutrition. I'm guessing it's flake food? I would suggest learning the appropriate diet and feed that instead.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Actually, some flake foods are very well balanced by now. 
It's still best to supplement with pellets and frozen food, though.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Regardless it's not going to stop them from eating readily available plants once they start, jmo.


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## trailsnale (Dec 2, 2009)

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Feeding twice a day does not guarantee they have proper nutrition. I'm guessing it's flake food? I would suggest learning the appropriate diet and feed that instead.


+1

this has been my experience w/ greens. have a baker's dozen since juveniles. spectacular looking fish. mine are w/ neons and dd angels in a heavily planted tank. feed flakes (3 types; meat, color and veggy based); frozen brine, spirulina/brine and mysis; and freeze dried plankton, tubifex, and bloodworms.

admittedly, i may overdo it. but i enjoy looking at healthy, colorful fish. (stocking, filtration and w/c's aside.)


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## Diana R (Oct 20, 2014)

What fun it was to catch these little barbs, they are really small. ended up removing all the plants down to a bare tank, then trying to see them as the ADA turned the tank to a brown haze. They all went to Petco. Discovered black fish nets don't work.. they see it and the dash is on. Made the job much harder.

No matter what I fed, tried all kinds of dry, frozen foods, soaked it first in water, with one drop of Garlic extract, first had to break or cut it up to tiny , tiny pieces.. them little buggers.. would NOT leave eating the plants to come out for food. I gave up.. let someone else work with them.

Yesterday picked up Drawf Gourami's, will fill the tank with different kinds.. plus maybe Praecox or Boesemani Rainbows.. If the owner of the fish store feels Rainbows will work with the Drawf's.

My goal is to have a slow moving, peaceful tank.

thank you all again for your input


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

Did you feed them algae or vegetables?


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Diana R said:


> What fun it was to catch these little barbs, they are really small. ended up removing all the plants down to a bare tank, then trying to see them as the ADA turned the tank to a brown haze. They all went to Petco. Discovered black fish nets don't work.. they see it and the dash is on. Made the job much harder.
> 
> No matter what I fed, tried all kinds of dry, frozen foods, soaked it first in water, with one drop of Garlic extract, first had to break or cut it up to tiny , tiny pieces.. them little buggers.. would NOT leave eating the plants to come out for food. I gave up.. let someone else work with them.
> 
> ...


 
I perhaps would not select Dwarf gourami (colisa Ilia)without some research.
Wide number's of these fish imported from the east are prone to Iridovirus which is untreatable and result's in death for large % of these fish
Perhaps the virus does not begin with open wound's or sores, but this is what most see first, and it is fairly quick down hill slide once the symptoms appear.
Is said that their cousin's the Pearl gourami, and Honey gourami are not as prone to the mycobacterium
Pearl gourami are hardier and can live ten + year's with good care ,and what's not to like with the small honey gourami?


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## gerbilshower (Jan 16, 2015)

i wished i had read this thread before i went and picked up 5 tiger barbs along with a bunch of cabomba... they ate through that stuff in a single weekend.


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