tiger barbs

Question
I have tiger barbs and I have been back and forth to the store returning them because I get them home and they just hang nose down in the tank...they don't swim around much they look lime they have a weight on their nose. Do you know what could be causing that.the tank is new is it because the amonnia is high and the Bio cycle isn't set up yet? Or something else

Answer
Steve, It could be the fish are already not doing well when you bought them. Ammonia, will cause the fish to get sick and possibly die. If you have another pet store you can go to try them. They might get their fish from a different breeder. When we set up tanks, it is best to have no fish in the tank until it has cycled. When I set up a new tank, I wait about a week and then started putting fish food in to get the ammonia going. The fish could be responding to the ammonia and nitrites that are in the water. There are 2 bacteria blooms that happen during the cycle process. The first bloom is the bad stuff that starts within the first two weeks. Once this one clears, about 2 weeks later, the second, beneficial bloom comes in. This is the one the tank and fish need to stay healthy. I think that since the tank is still in the cycle process, you will continue to have problems. Some people say is it ok to have tiger barbs in the tank while it is cycling. All you can do now is test the water every day for ammonia and nitrites. If you get any reading at all, do a 25% water change. Once you have tested for a week to 10 days straight with no ammonia or nitrites in the water, you are safe to start adding fish. Only add 2 at a time so that the filter does not get over run with waste.