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Why Are My Tiger Barbs Dying? (4 Possible Causes)

Why Are My Tiger Barbs Dying? (4 Possible Causes)

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This post is written to the author's best knowledge and is not intended to be used in place of veterinary advice. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Tiger barbs are interesting fish that many beginners choose to buy. You might have bought them because you were told that they’re pretty good fish for beginners.

This is true since tiger barbs are fairly hardy. However, they aren’t invincible fish that will survive no matter what.

If you keep buying tiger barbs and they keep dying, it’s a sure sign that you’re doing something wrong. You likely know this, but you might not be sure what’s happening.

Below, you’ll learn about common things that can cause tiger barbs to die. This should allow you to determine where you’re going wrong so that you can keep tiger barbs alive instead of having them pass away.

Do Tiger Barbs Die Easily?

No, tiger barbs aren’t fragile fish that die easily. They are considered to be fairly hardy fish that can survive when you make a few mistakes.

This means that they shouldn’t be dying in your fish tank for no reason. Something must be going really wrong for the fish to die suddenly.

You’ll want to look at the information below to troubleshoot what’s going on. One of the situations below should shed some light on what’s happening in the fish tank.

1 – Water Quality Issues

Cleaning a Fish Tank

Water quality issues might be what is causing your fish to die. If you aren’t doing a good job of monitoring the temperature of the water and the pH balance, the fish could be suffering.

You need to keep the fish tank clean for the fish to thrive, too. Regularly cleaning the fish tank is an important part of caring for fish.

It’s also important to do weekly water changes. If you don’t change the water out every so often, it’ll get very dirty due to the presence of organic debris such as fish poop.

Tiger barbs do best when the pH balance of the water is kept between 6.0 and 8.0. The water hardness should be between five and nineteen dGH.

Keep the temperature of the water between 77 degrees Fahrenheit and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. If you monitor the condition of the water and keep the tank clean, your tiger barbs will be much more likely to survive.

2 – Disease

Diseases can cause fish to die. Perhaps the tiger barbs are getting sick for one reason or another.

When fish become stressed, they will be more susceptible to illnesses. Stress can be caused by water parameter issues, dirty water, living in a cramped environment, and many other things.

Some diseases that tiger barbs can contract will kill them if you don’t treat the fish in time. You should try to pay attention to the fish to see if anything is wrong.

If you’re an observant and proactive fish owner, you’ll likely see that the fish are sick early on. Note unusual symptoms and try to determine what is wrong so that you can treat the fish.

The fish could be infected or they might be dealing with parasites. There are many medications that can help fish to get healthy again, but you’ll have to figure out what’s wrong to know how to treat the fish properly.

3 – Bullying

Small Group of Tiger Barbs

Tiger barbs are fairly aggressive fish that can become territorial. These fish are known to fight among each other while they determine the pecking order of the school.

You’re supposed to keep at least six of them in the same tank to get optimal results. It’s normal for the fish to fight a bit.

Sometimes the tiger barbs might bully undersized or weak members of the group. This could lead to the fish being bullied to death.

Something like this shouldn’t be a common situation, though. The fish could be getting bullied by other types of fish if they’re in a community tank.

Tiger barbs aren’t great community tank fish, but they can be put in such tanks if you pick compatible tank mates. You might have put them in a tank with fish they aren’t compatible with, and those fish could be killing the tiger barbs.

4 – Starvation

Starvation can kill fish if you go long enough with feeding them. Typically, you’re supposed to feed tiger barbs once or twice per day.

If you choose to feed the fish once per day, it’s best to give them as much as they can eat in five minutes. When feeding them twice per day, you’re meant to give them as much as they can eat in two and a half minutes both times that you feed them.

Have you been forgetting to feed the fish quite often? Perhaps the fish are dying due to malnutrition or outright starvation.

You could be feeding them the wrong types of food or you might be feeding them far too little. Check to see if you’re feeding the fish properly to see if that’s why the tiger barbs in your tank are dying.

Why Do My Tiger Barbs Keep Dying?

Dead Sumatran Tiger Barb

Your tiger barbs might be dying because of disease. It could be that the water in your tank is contaminated with bacteria.

It’s also possible that you might not be maintaining proper water parameters. These fish have specific needs that must be met or they will not survive.

You might even simply be starving the fish to death. Think about what you’ve been doing and use the information above to determine what’s likely happening to make the fish keep dying in your aquarium.

How to Save a Dying Tiger Barb

Saving a dying tiger barb may or may not be possible. Either way, you need to understand what’s wrong to be able to save it.

Until you determine what’s wrong with the fish, you won’t be able to help it. If the fish isn’t being fed properly, you need to start feeding it better.

If the fish is sick, you’ll have to diagnose the problem and give it the appropriate medical treatment. When water parameter issues are to blame, you’ll have to fix the problems with the water quality so the fish can survive.

Final Thoughts

There are many things that can cause tiger barbs to die in a fish tank. It’s likely that your fish are dying for one of the reasons mentioned above.

Hopefully, you can turn things around and do a better job caring for your fish. Don’t beat yourself up about making mistakes.

You can get better at caring for fish and tiger barbs can thrive under your care in the future. It’s simply about putting in the effort to do a good job.

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