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New Denison barb hiding for past 4 days. Normal?

3402 Views 16 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Overwatch, 
O
I got a new small Denison barb and he has been hiding behind a driftwood wall for the past 4 days. Is this normal behavior for a new Denison barb or does this mean something is wrong?

Thanks.
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mooncon1
Denison barb are schooling fish do you just have one and what size tank do you have it in.
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mooncon said:
Denison barb are schooling fish do you just have one and what size tank do you have it in.
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The store only had 1 available.

The tank is a 55 gallon but there are some drift wood structures on one side where he is hiding.

I do have another Denison barb in my 75 gallon which I started out with 3 and ended up with 1. Possible due to a Bully fish.

So I was testing the waters on my 55 gallon tank to see if it would work ok.

The fish colors were faded to begin with so I don't know what is up with him.

Maybe he is scared without a schooling group?
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Mattb126
Overwatch said:
The store only had 1 available.

The tank is a 55 gallon but there are some drift wood structures on one side where he is hiding.

I do have another Denison barb in my 75 gallon which I started out with 3 and ended up with 1. Possible due to a Bully fish.

So I was testing the waters on my 55 gallon tank to see if it would work ok.

The fish colors were faded to begin with so I don't know what is up with him.

Maybe he is scared without a schooling group?
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Definetly get atleast 5 more for them to be comfortable.
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Nordic
You also need serious aeration for high oxygen (CO2 could actually help in this regard). Also, don't run the tank very hot.
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bigbadjon
I've seen single specimens kept without problem. I would check your water temp and nitratates. They need cool, clean water.
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Nordic
bigbadjon said:
I've seen single specimens kept without problem. I would check your water temp and nitratates. They need cool, clean water.
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Yep single one down at local LFS too for months now... their help accidentally killed the rest. Just too expensive for me.
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Coralbandit
These fish are meant and IMO need to be in schools or at least with some of their own.
They IMO are among few other fish [like my clown loaches] that will except another fish of their own species NO MATTER the size difference like a long lost friend!
No joke they are tight like that fast...Kind of like adding rummies to a school where they instantly blend together? The fish being without his own is stressing IMO...
I have 10 in my 180 with a gyre creating strong current for them and the loaches..They are 5+ years old....

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Coralbandit said:
These fish are meant and IMO need to be in schools or at least with some of their own.
They IMO are among few other fish [like my clown loaches] that will except another fish of their own species NO MATTER the size difference like a long lost friend!
No joke they are tight like that fast...Kind of like adding rummies to a school where they instantly blend together? The fish being without his own is stressing IMO...
I have 10 in my 180 with a gyre creating strong current for them and the loaches..They are 5+ years old....

Click to expand...
That is a NEAT-O tank you got there. What other fish will school with the Denison barb besides clown loaches. I have eco-complete(crushed lava rocks) which may not be good for clown loaches. Denison barbs are kind of hard to come by in my area. Once in a while a LFS might have only 1.

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Mattb126
Overwatch said:
That is a NEAT-O tank you got there. What other fish will school with the Denison barb besides clown loaches. I have eco-complete(crushed lava rocks) which may not be good for clown loaches. Denison barbs are kind of hard to come by in my area. Once in a while a LFS might have only 1.

Thanks.
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You can always ask the owner/worker of the LFS to order some denison barbs for you. Most likely they will be willing to, as it's a money making opportunity for them.

Sent from my iPhone 8 (Dev) using Tapatalk
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Nlewis
Overwatch said:
That is a NEAT-O tank you got there. What other fish will school with the Denison barb besides clown loaches. I have eco-complete(crushed lava rocks) which may not be good for clown loaches. Denison barbs are kind of hard to come by in my area. Once in a while a LFS might have only 1.

Thanks.
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You don't want to put clown loaches in a 55 unless you have a considerably larger tank to move them into down the road as they get massive.
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Mattb126 said:
You can always ask the owner/worker of the LFS to order some denison barbs for you. Most likely they will be willing to, as it's a money making opportunity for them.

Sent from my iPhone 8 (Dev) using Tapatalk
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You would be surprised how many companies and people will turn down money when it slightly deviates from the norm.

I know that Petsmart will not order fish and the employees say they don't even know what fish they are getting until they open the box.

Very ridged system however I will ask around.

Thank you for the suggestion.
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K
Overwatch said:
The fish colors were faded to begin with so I don't know what is up with him.
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Maybe it's a her! I have 4, 1 doesn't have much color at all. I figured it's 3 males and 1 female.
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Bananableps
Schooling fish need to be in schools. Very simple problem, very simple solution. Either buy more fish or give the ones you have to someone who can meet their needs.
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Mattb126
Overwatch said:
You would be surprised how many companies and people will turn down money when it slightly deviates from the norm.

I know that Petsmart will not order fish and the employees say they don't even know what fish they are getting until they open the box.

Very ridged system however I will ask around.

Thank you for the suggestion.
Click to expand...
If you have a pet supermarket around, they always special order for me. Even ordered an established pair of angels for me. You should try them.

Sent from my iPhone 8 (Dev) using Tapatalk
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Coralbandit
Overwatch said:
You would be surprised how many companies and people will turn down money when it slightly deviates from the norm.

I know that Petsmart will not order fish and the employees say they don't even know what fish they are getting until they open the box.

Very ridged system however I will ask around.

Thank you for the suggestion.
Click to expand...
PetSmart actually does carry roselines. They may just be off season as they are imported from Asia as only they have manipulated breeding in captivity.
Often they are on sale for a price that will upset many! [as low as $5.99 never more then $7.99]
But like you said they are not colored up as they are small and in a bad atmosphere.So hard to find..Read the labels for extra help...
They are the one fish I purchased from petsmart!
$5.99 each for my last 8 and well over $26 for my first 3. Not a hard choice to make for me.
I love to say "all of them" when employees ask me how many!
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O
Coralbandit said:
PetSmart actually does carry roselines. They may just be off season as they are imported from Asia as only they have manipulated breeding in captivity.
Often they are on sale for a price that will upset many! [as low as $5.99 never more then $7.99]
But like you said they are not colored up as they are small and in a bad atmosphere.So hard to find..Read the labels for extra help...
They are the one fish I purchased from petsmart!
$5.99 each for my last 8 and well over $26 for my first 3. Not a hard choice to make for me.
I love to say "all of them" when employees ask me how many!
Click to expand...
I purchased 3 from Petsmart( 2 died a few months afterwards) and 1 from Petco( they only had 1 for the longest time and never ordered more)

I went to the same Petsmart that I originally purchased from but they were still out. Hopefully I can get him a friend. :surprise:
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