Green Tiger Barbs not moving much.

Question
I just recently bought 5 green tiger barbs, but when I put them in my "isolation tank" they just hovered close to the bottom; their noses to the gravel. I inspected them carefully and found no signs of ick or heavy breathing. It almost looks like they are trying to swim to the bottom but don't move from where they are. When I fed them they ate very little. And I gave them blood worms! My other tiger barbs in my larger tank go crazy for the worms. Are they only stressed? I do plan on moving them to my larger tank if they get better.

Answer
Hi Mauricio;

They are stressed for sure. Getting a new home can be a pretty serious thing for many fish. Hopefully they will get better soon but there are a few things you can do to help them get through it;

Remove the food they didn't eat so it doesn't foul the water. If it was newly set up isolation tank or it hasn't had fish in it recently, it may be going through the 'break-in period' and toxins are building up just from their waste and respiration. It's very normal in a new tank. Test the water for ammonia and nitrite. If either are elevated, make a 25% water change to lower them. Change 25% every day that toxins are elevated. Be sure to use water conditioner and be sure the new water is the same temperature as the old to prevent further shock. Even though it seems counterproductive to change water in a tank of already stressed fish, the toxins could make them more sick or kill them if they aren't lowered. Just do your best to avoid fast movements and pour the new water in very slowly. If you can move some rocks or decorations from the main tank into the isolation tank, they will provide the beneficial bacteria that the isolation tank needs to process wastes.

In case you aren't familiar with the break-in period, here is a link to my page about it;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

I hope they do better very soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins