fishies

Question
Hey I have 2 tiger barbs in my community tank and they are always chasing eachother around. im not sure if its a game or what but anyways, one day it went to far and the biggest tiger barb ended up biting the tailfin compleately off of the other tiger barb. will it grow back? what should i do? please help.


Answer
Hello!

Tiger barbs are the most agressive cyprinids you'll ever see. They are not community fish, and should only ever be kept in a community tank despite what the fish store employees tell you (they are trying to sell a product, they'll tell you anything).

The only way to curb agressive slightly is to put them in large schools so the agression is spread out between all the fish. Normall you would never keep tiger barbs in schools made up of less than 20 individuals, but if your tank is already stocked I wouldn't keep less than 10.

Still, your best bet is to take them back to the store. They will never stop fighting. And yes, the tail will grow back if the water is kept clean. It may take awhile though.

-Nick