# cherry barb!!! HELP!!!!!!



## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

my cherry barb is fat!!! is she full of eggs or what?????


she keeps tilting like that!!!!! help me please!:eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5::eek5:


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## Shavemacman (Jun 21, 2008)

I hope its not dropsy. Is it the only one in the tank looking bad?


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## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

well...i have another girl.. she if getting fat to... i suppose!


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## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

and dropsy?


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## FastFly67 (Mar 10, 2009)

i doubt it's dropsy unless she is presenting with pineconing of the scales. what are your water parameters? when was the last time she pood? it's possible she's constipated. has she been eating well and are their other symptoms?


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## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

tell me what parameters are and all that stuff you just wrote!!! i'm new to all this stuff!


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## Superedwin (Jan 19, 2009)

I doubt it's a pregnant barb if there is no males and if she is acting abnormal. We need you to describe more about the fish acting and if she/he is eating well, the inhabitants, water parameters,pooping, water changes, and all that other stuff that you noticed. This is what water parameter are http://www.algone.com/water_parameters.php( Anything else you don't know just use the search,google, or ask). Also here is a list of what the fish might have http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm#Bloat


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## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

we got her at the fish store! (petsmart) alot of the girls were fat to! they were mixed together boys and girls! we got her that fat,thinking she is pregnat!she hides so i can;t tell if she poops and eats! what is parameters... tell me please?


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Parameters means water quality readings like pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, gh, kh and temperature. There are cheap test kits that measure these by mixing reactants with tank water and comparing color to charts in the kits. You can get them a fish stores or online. Don't get the paper test strip kind. Their readings aren't reliable.


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## Aquarist_Fist (Jul 22, 2008)

fishcrazy09 said:


> we got her at the fish store! (petsmart) alot of the girls were fat to! they were mixed together boys and girls! we got her that fat,thinking she is pregnat!she hides so i can;t tell if she poops and eats! what is parameters... tell me please?


Couple of things/quations:

1. Stop buying at Petsmart. Even though there are some well-maintained stores, most of them are animal factories who do know know or care about their fish. I am sure there is a better store in your area.

2. A healty and happy cherry barb does not hide. A pregnant fish doesn't make any fuss about it. 

3. How many do you have? How large is your tank? And when did you set it up?


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## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

3 chery barbs. 1 male 2 females!


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## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

she is eating food but not pooping.


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## Aquarist_Fist (Jul 22, 2008)

fishcrazy09 said:


> 3 chery barbs. 1 male 2 females!


Too few. Shoaling fish must be kept in groups of at least six in order for them to be happy, but we'll worry about that later. 

How large is your tank and how long have you had it?


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## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

mabe a week or to. 55 gallon


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## Aquarist_Fist (Jul 22, 2008)

Okay. 55 gallons is good. Lots of space.

No matter what the specific issue with you barb is, you'll need to learn some basics of fish keeping, you seem quite...clueless. I'm not saying this to offend you - everyone starts as a beginner. The good news is that you found one of the best forums out there. We can walk you through this. 

Let's forget about the barb issue for a second and focus on a couple more questions. Just write what you know:

1. What equipment do you use? Do you have a heater? What type of filter do you use? 

2. What temperature is your water? 

3. I see an artificial plant in one of the pictures. Do you also have real plants? (Live plants generate oxygen and clean the water. That's why you definitely want to use some.)

4. Did someone knowledgeable help you set up the tank? 

5. When you filled your tank, did you use a product to prepare the water? Water fresh from the tap can be very dangerous to fish.

6. How many fish do you have in the tank?


The reason I'm asking all these questions is that fish are much more part of the water than we humans are part of the air. Fish breathe water, they swallow it, they have the same temperature as the water etc. As a consequence, most health problems in fish can be attributed to bad water conditions. Good water = happy fish.


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## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

no heater. aqua tech 30-60 it's a double.











can't tell the temeture.

no live plants. my fish and snail will eat them.

yes.my friend. she had a big tank before!

yes... stress +coat

15 fish counting the sick cherry barb

4 skirts
3cherry barbs
3 angelfish
1 pleco
1 apple snail
2 peppered cory catfish
1 dwarf gourami


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## Aquarist_Fist (Jul 22, 2008)

Okay, that sounds pretty good. When your tank is established, you should get one more skirt tetra and one more cory, and either get rid of the cherry barbs (most fish stores will take them back) or bump their number up to 5. 

Stress coat is excellent. It removes the chlorine from your tap water, which would be very dangerous for your fish. Use that stuff every time you do a water change. (A partial water change should be done every week or two; 10 gallons per change is fine.)





Three things are priority right now. Lengthy explanations, beware:

1. You need a heater and a thermometer. Right now in the summer, your room temperature may be fine, but make sure that the temperature in the tank does not go below 76 degrees. Otherwise your fish will be freezing, which makes them susceptible to disease.





2. You need live plants. They are vital to a healthy tank because they absorb toxins and produce oxygen. They are also much more beautiful than plastic. There is not much in your tank that can harm plants, except the snail. But there are many types of plants that grow faster than one snail can eat them.

We have a section in this forum called "Swap and Shop." Many people (me included) will be glad to give you hardy, fast-growing plants for the price of shipping. Just ask.





3. You said you set up your tank about a week ago. When you set up a new tank, it takes a while for bacteria to grow in the filter, the gravel, etc.

Your tank can't survive without these bacteria because they feed on ammonia from your fish poop and first break it down to nitrite and then to nitrate. Ammonia is extremely toxic, and so is nitrite. Nitrate is relatively harmless for fish and is removed by water changes.

Now, it usually takes about 6 weeks for the bacteria to build up. Most experienced aquarists let their tanks run without fish during this time (only adding an ammonia source) or with very few hardy fish. It is also possible to use many, many plants because they feed on ammonia and act as filters.

Unless you are using filter materials from an established tank, something nasty is happening in your tank: the fish are swimming in water that is becoming more toxic every day. This will kill a number of them in the next weeks if you don't take action. 

The best thing you can do is ask someone with a running tank for some filter material and gravel fresh from their tank. The yuckier the better. This will kick-start the growth of your bacteria.

If that is not possible, observe your fish very closely. At the slightest sign of distress or fish deaths, change fifty percent of the water (to lower the ammonia concentration). Don't forget the Stress Coat stuff. You may have to do this often within the next few weeks, so fresh used filter material would be better.


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## FastFly67 (Mar 10, 2009)

you fish/snail won't eat live plants. you don't NEED live plants. for beginners, they are usually more of a hassle than beneficial because they don't do enough research. just because your friend has had a big tank before donesn't mean she's an experienced and knowledgeable fish keeper. 
i think you have a lot of research ahead of you. 3 of your fish are schooling fish, snails require specific water quality and a good diet to be healthy and grow. a pleco can grow to be very VERY large depending on what type it is and it also needs a specific diet. 
I suggest you first read up on cycle a tank and then start researching each type of fish you already have. i can guarantee you that 2 things you have in your tank require very VERY different water parameters.


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## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

my friend had a couple of tanks before. EVEN SALTWATER!!! she IS (and i MEAN experieced) plus biger tanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Aquarist_Fist (Jul 22, 2008)

FastFly67 said:


> you fish/snail won't eat live plants. you don't NEED live plants. for beginners, they are usually more of a hassle than beneficial because they don't do enough research.


Yes, but plants make maintenance so much easier, especially when it comes to algae and water quality. Provided the plants are low maintenance of course. A couple of Hygrophila, Cabomba (if legal in your state), and Cryptocoryne - done. 



fishcrazy09 said:


> my friend had a couple of tanks before. EVEN SALTWATER!!! she IS (and i MEAN experieced) plus biger tanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Large tanks tend to be easier to maintain than small ones because they are more stable. Saltwater is something completely different. Go ahead and consider the things I wrote above. Also read this little page: http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling.htm

And most importantly, go and get a book. The internet is fine for research, but nothing beats a good introductory book.


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## FastFly67 (Mar 10, 2009)

Aquarist_Fist said:


> Yes, but plants make maintenance so much easier, especially when it comes to algae and water quality. Provided the plants are low maintenance of course. A couple of Hygrophila, Cabomba (if legal in your state), and Cryptocoryne - done.


 again, most people don't do enough research to know what is/is not low maintanance. they'll want the prettiest, most colorful plants which are usually high light and then they've got dead decaying plants in their tank which then sends their water quality out of control.


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## fishcrazy09 (Jun 16, 2009)

OKAY!!!!! goodness!!!! I DO NOT WANT LIVE plants! now is MY cherry barb SICK OR WHAT?


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## Superedwin (Jan 19, 2009)

^^ Dude relax.... they are just trying to help you and telling you the things you have to know about an aquarium. Just read what they are telling you so you can be informed. As for your barb he/she most likely sick, i just posted about it and i don't think you read it , go back on page one. And ask me if you don't know something, because ill know!  

We are all just trying to help


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Closed for moderation.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Closed permanently. Find yourself a fish website or go to the pet store and ask them whats wrong with your fish. At what point did you think a planted tank website was here to diagnose fish issues? WE have helped the occasional passer-by but its clear that you do not want to hear what is offered, nor will you do your own research to help you fish.

Good luck and I hope it works out for you.


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