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I have three what I believe to be Banded Barbs (they look like enlongater Tiger barbs but a bit paler) in a new (larger) tank with their old tankmates. To my knowledge they've never been too grumpy with each other before. However, since I've put them in this bigger tank, two of the three have started picking on each other--I don't know exactly how to describe it. They face off and swim in circles, pressing their mouths together. Sometimes one will aggrivate the other by pushing it's mouth against the other.

Is this typical barb-ish behavior...what exactly is going on? I just don't want them to hurt themselves.

I'm not too sure about barbs but my severums tug and push at one another, mouth to mouth. This is usually a precursor to breeding. They are trying to see if the other is an acceptable partner. This might be what's going on with your barbs.

Just a thought.

Daphnis

this is indeed typical barb behaviour.
The two are almost certain males, which have to establish a new pecking order in their new environmetn.
They do this by fighting and this is the way they do it.
You've probably noticed they also change color when they fight; they get darker and their stripes almost disappear.

The best way to solve it, is to introduce more individuals.
Three fish is not really a school and the barbs will certainly feel better when kept in a school of 7 - 10 individuals.
After all, you got a bigger tank, didn't you?

Hm...I never noticed them change color, but maybe I wasn't paying attention. And they're in a group of other barbs, with a total of 9 fishies of 3 species. I just had never noticed them doing this sort of behavior in their smaller tank.

Since I posted, I moved them back to their smaller tank (it needed cleaning and i didn't want to stress them too much about it, seeing as I had a major issue with the gravel) so i moved them to a newly filtered tank that had had a beta in it for testing. this is when they decided to display this behavior. Since then, with them moved back, i haven't noticed them mouthing one another, but maybe that is b/c the tank is too small for them to think about breeding? Or would they do it anyway?

Tinfoil is right. They need to be in a large school. I had 4 at one point and they fought all the time. Now that I have 7, they school together and are much more peaceful, though they do peck at one another still. I don't know if having them in a group of other barbs counts though. And I believe they establish hierarchy regardless of breeding.

But I have limited experience so maybe someone else can confirm or completely destroy my reasoning, hehe.

Daphnis

My tinfoils have exhibited a similar behavior, especialy as they have gotten larger. Two of them will start swimming quickly around the tank, sometimes biting at each other and going in circles and other times swimming around side by side like they are attached. It almost seems as if they are trying to see who is stronger and can push the other one over. It's kind of strange to watch. I don't know if they are establishing a pecking order or displaying breeding behavior. It's not super aggressive in nature and no one gets hurt so I just keep an eye on them.

Maybe your barbs don't act this way in the smaller tank because they are used to being to being in there and already have their territories/social order set up. New tank could equal new game.

- Meow -

Got a scientifc name for these fishes?

Only I've just checked Fishbase and there are - wait for it, no less than one thousand, one hundred and forty seven species listed as beginning with 'Barbus'. Go take a peek at all the world's Barbs listed before your eyes ...

Ordinarily, I'd have a scan through the lists to find your fish, but even someone with my penchant for scouring lists finds trawling through 1,147 species a little daunting ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

my guess is barbus pentazona, officially "five banded barb".

Coming back to the first posting: the should be much more colorful than tigers; deep red with black bands ...

It's not super aggressive in nature and no one gets hurt so I just keep an eye on them.

Mine do that too, every now and then. No harm done ...

barbs are such sweet fish