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First of all, here are my specs as of Aug.30.

Ph - 7.0
Nitrate - 8.0
Nitrite - 0.0
Ammonia - 0.0
Temperature - 78*F

I have 3 male Tiger Barbs and 1 female Tiger Barb alone in a 29 gallon (taking it slow putting fish in). Well, today I noticed that my female's belly was bloated... I know that females are bigger than males, but I never noticed her this big before. Also, where her belly is big, you can clearly see some sort of a pouch, and it's a bit darker than the rest of her body...

Here's my question... Am I going to have a few more barbs than I had expected? And should I get some sort of net or case to put the female in, to protect the babies (if she's going to have any)?

Your female is full of eggs, but they're not fertilized yet. If they're "in the breeding mood" the female will lay the eggs and the male will immediately fertilize them. If you're wanting a successful spawn, move the female into a breeding tank with a very thin layer of substrate, or even none at all. They prefer leafy plants to spawn in. Add a male (does she seem to favor one of them?) a bit later, and *hopefully* the chase will be on. After the eggs are laid, remove the parents since they will eat them They'll hatch within 48 hours.

Reading all that makes me want to try it now Good luck

Sources:
[link=http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/tigerbarbs.htm]http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/tigerbarbs.htm" style="COLOR: #CD2626[/link]
[link=http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile20.html]http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile20.html" style="COLOR: #CD2626[/link]
[link=http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/cyprinids2/p/tigerbarb.htm]http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/cyprinids2/p/tigerbarb.htm" style="COLOR: #CD2626[/link]

Heres hoping that she's gravid , but if my experience is anything to go by, shes probably just that fat. Some female tiger barbs can be pretty huge without ever spawning, often breeders try to foster this look rather as they do with platys and goldfish. Given that you have such a high male to female ratio though, youll probably find out soon enough. Make sure you seperate any eggs or fry as soon as poss , cos they will stand almost no chance of survival if left with the parents.

PS, probably worth checking it isnt worms- tiger barbs can be martyrs to them.
Good luck.

Last edited by longhairedgit at 31-Aug-2005 12:02

Male tiger barbs also have a cherry red nose as opposed to the normal orange of the females, another way to tell.

I've had the best luck with marbles as substrate and anacharis/foxtail as plants/hiding spots. Just make sure the plants don't die or you might get an ammonia spike and kill the li'lins.

Good luck, and i must applaud you on your excellen choice of fish

yah, i love the tiger barbs... definately my favorite type of fish. i just got 2 albinos today, so that makes it 4 regs and 2 whites.

i call them the greasers and the socs (TERRIBLE JOKE!)

Last edited by i_spaz_out at 31-Aug-2005 15:11