New aquarium setup and fish

Question
Chris-

I just wanted to follow up with you and let you know that both neons died the same day and the 2 tiger barbs are doing great.  They are so funny.  Whenever my wife, son or I approach the aquarium they immediately swim to face us in the front of the tank.  It seems to be their way of telling us hello and they are hungry.  I am using Tetramin flakes and feed them small amounts for breakfast, lunch and at dinner time.  they are very active and if it were not for the lid on the tank, I think they would fly out of the aquarium when they go charging at the food floating on top.

Ok, now for my small questions.  

The water is getting a little green tint to it.  It has only been a couple of weeks and I dont know if I should change any water out yet or not.  

Also, when changing the water out, how much should I siphon out and do I want to take tap water in another container a day or two beforehand and add conditioner to it and use that as the fresh water?

Lastly, are the Tetramin flakes causing the green tint to the water and should I change to a different food type?

You have been a great help in giving advice and support throught this startup process.  Your former customers are lucky to have had you around.

Oh. almost forgot.  My son was asking me about getting a very small bottom feeder to keep the tank clean and get any yuck off the rocks.  With having the 2 tiger barbs in there and only a 2 gallon aquarium, is this needed and possible?  If so, what do you recommend?  I have an undergravel filter in there now.

Thank you for everything.  Sorry if I am being a bother.

Scott Levin  

Answer
Hi Scott;

So sorry to have delayed answering your questions. I was very sick with the stomach flu for the last day or so. Finally feeling more human today. Thanks for your patience.

Make a weekly water change of 25% to 50%. Vacuum the gravel in the tank every 2 to 3 weeks along with a water change. Just use regular tap water, regulating the temperature with the hot/cold faucets to get the new water the same temperature as the old water. Use a water conditioner too. Put enough to treat 2 gallons into the tank right before you slowly pour the new water in. Don't remove the fish to make a water change. It only stresses them out needlessly.

The green water is a symptom of overfeeding and/or from too much light. If the tank is close to a window, move it to a darker place. Feed twice a day and no more than they can consume from everywhere in about 2 minutes or less. They will beg when they see you because in their little fishy brains, person = food. They are hungry all the time and will eat until it literally won't go in their mouth anymore. Nature tells them to eat as much as they can now because food might not be there tomorrow. We know they will get plenty so we monitor their portion size for their own good health. TetraMin is fine to feed them. It's the portion size and frequency that's important. The label may say to feed several times a day, but remember that fish food companies are in the business of selling food. The more you feed, the more profits they make.

Those poor tiger barbs are just the wrong kind of fish for that size tank. There is really not room for them by themselves, much less adding a catfish or something. They each get to be almost 3 inches long and sooner or later one will probably kill the other one to make room for itself. If you see tattered fins or injuries, it's time to do something. They need a tank of 20 gallons or larger and more of their own kind to distribute their aggression and hyperactivity in a school of 5 or more. They can live with other fish like larger types of tetras, gouramis, cory cats, etc when in groups like that. It would be even more fun to for your 4 year old to watch with more fish in a larger tank too.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins