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My small red barb, I had two and one died about 2 days ago, now the other is fighting so hard from being a floater.. his tail above him and he has been fighting so hard to stay down, my tank is a few weeks old and everything is ok except nitrAtes are a tad high... other fish in the tank are fine: 1 jelly bean convict, 2 mollies, and 2 algae eaters; 50 gallon tank, his tail is all frayed as well almost deteriorating and no one in the tank has been nipping, any clue what I can do?

i have a few theorys. the main one involves the convict...am i mistaken in that they are an extremely agressive species? the frayed fins and such make me wonder.

he may have a infection or something causing his behavior, but keep in mind that the way barbs show submission to other fish is by tilting their heads down...at least every barb i have dealt with has shown that display.

also, any measurable nitrate is VERY bad. have you done emergency water changes? is your tank literaly 3 weeks old or have you just had the fish in it 3 weeks??? if the tank is and water and filtration is only 3 weeks old with that many fish in it, i would say you have experienced the tank going through a normal cycling process which is why you wait 2-4 weeks to add any fish into the tank.

my guess is its a combination of thinks. the high nitrates are affecting the red barbs and making them seem sickly and die, and in their weakened state your convict is nipping at them because they are literally floating punching bags in their current condition.

you can try an emergency water change to drop the nitrates and quarantien the barb to a previously set up sick tank if you have one, but its prolly too late.

i would have to agree, if the tank wasnt properly cycled before adding fish, the stress and lack of bacteria, and then sudden on-rush may have caused the stress that led to deaths...

how old is the tank, what other fish did it contain before this, and when was the last time you did a water change?

*Chelle*
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I love the fishes cuz they're SOOO delicious...

Step up water changes that will help with any water quality issues. If the fin deterioriation is due to fin rot and not nipping it'll show up as looking worn rather than raggad. I'd be hesitant to add meds to a newly cycled tank if you're not sure that it's an issue that should be treated with medication rather than moving the fish somewhere it wont be picked on.

As for the buoyancy problems. Depeneding on what you've been feeding you may want to offer some veggies. Something as simple as constipation can causes that issue before leading to other problems and offering veggies such frozen peas (thawed rolled between your fingers and offered it to fish) can help.

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the same exact thing happened to my clown barb. i just added some rock salt and the barb was fine in a matter of days. i have no clue what it was, but i hope your barb lives too.

thanks for your help!~ he died tho