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Hi guys....got one for you...Usually at night (but not always), a large pair of my Tiger barbs do this funny little dance. They appear to be "kissing" and then they go nose to tail with each other and swim in a circle...this goes on for quite awhile...it's funny to watch. Soooo what are they doing? I haven't had Barbs too long, so I'm not familiar with their habits, except that they feed like monsters! (water splashing everywhere!)

they're fighting. or at least play-fighting. that's what tiger barbs do... and that's why so many people like to keep them (myself included).

just make sure you have a bunch, cuz if you only have like 3-4 some will take more of a beating than the others and will ultimately be killed.

Last edited by i_spaz_out at 20-Sep-2005 21:01

They do seem to assault each other a lot. Males will harrass females as if to provoke them by biting tail fins, shimmying and nipping, and then the females sometimes go to work on them with bites all over, and often for quite lengthy periods of time.Its almost as if taking a beating is what the males go through to impress a female. Noticeably the largest male who is the most successful breeder generally takes the most beatings, but it doesnt seem to bother him much, and he usually tries to get a beating on purpose.I have a vague suspicion that male tiger barbs may be masochists.

Tiger barbs under such sustained attacks will often puff up a bit , often looking like they have dropsy or bloat, but return to normal after the fighting stops. I couldnt resist the urge and poked one that was a bit puffed up and it felt like a miniature pine-cone, so generally they are well protected.

Mine have been doing it for years and even in their frail dotage (lol , theyre huge and fat ) theyre still doing it. Obviously this is why it recommended that you keep as many specimens as your tank will safely sustain, as it evens out the violence a bit.

The most serious fights that have broken out seem to be between males fighting for position when a female is in the process of submitting to be mated with. Under those circumstances males will often spin around each other and occasionally lock jaws. This is the only time ive witnessed any serious injury.

Its possible that the male to female ratio is important to tiger barbs, ive kept three batches of them over the years, and the first split -4 males to 2 females ended in the deaths of 2 males. The second split 3 males and 3 females saw fighting but no breeding,and the 3rd split ,4 females to 2 males has been going successfully for 4 years with no losses and lots of babies. Perhaps a bit too much male competition can be stressful for the fish, but the competition between 2 males seems to get things up and running.

The last group of 2 males and 4 females also shows no fin nipping activity to other fish, so perhaps its the way forward.




Last edited by longhairedgit at 20-Sep-2005 22:28

Mine used to to the same & i also think that they where fighting & not mating.


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mines use to look peacefull, i've never seen the fights i just know they happend because of the bites on the tails... I supose that my two younger barbs (they were like 1/4 of the size of the bigger ones) got killed during that fights...

Thanks for the feedback everyone! It is a hoot to watch them...they're very active fish. I have a school of 7 right now. 4 are regular Tigers and the other 3 are the green variety. The so called play fighting is usually between 2 of the striped fish. They appear to both be male. Anyway...thanks again!