How to Prepare a Tank for Tiger Barbs

The tiger barb is a small tropical freshwater fish that originates from Sumatra. This brightly colored fish, with its distinctive vertical black bars, is popular with both novice and advanced aquarists. The tiger barb is a social species and you should keep them in groups of at least five or more. They are hardy fish and will feed on all types of aquarium food, but tend to be aggressive. The tiger barb is an active swimmer and requires plenty of open spaces in the aquarium.

Things You'll Need

  • 40-gallon aquarium with stand and canopy
  • 6-oz bottle of Tetra AquaSafe chlorine neutralizer
  • Submersible aquarium filter and associated pump
  • Fistful of aquarium filter wool
  • 10-oz nylon bag of activated carbon
  • Aquarium heater
  • Thermometer
  • Aquarium sand
  • Driftwood
  • Tropical aquarium plants
  • Fresh water test kit, including pH adjustment products
  • 10 adult tiger barbs
  • Plastic peg
  • Syringe
  • Aquarium net
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the 40-gallon aquarium on a level stand in a draft-free location. Do not position the tank near a window, as natural sun light will cause the growth of unwanted algae.

    • 2

      Fill the aquarium with tap water.

    • 3

      Add 3 fluid ounces of chlorine remover to the water.

    • 4

      Rinse the nylon bag of activated carbon under cold running water until the water is dust free and clear.

    • 5

      Place a fistful of filter wool into the submersible filter the unit. Place the activated carbon on top of the filter wool. Close the filter and position it in one of the back corners of the aquarium.

    • 6

      Connect a vibrator pump to the submersible filter, using a 3-foot piece of air tubing. Plug the vibrator pump into a wall power source and turn on. Leave the water to circulate for 24 hours.

    • 7

      Set the thermostat on the aquarium heater to 75 F and place the heater vertically into the aquarium. Use the adhesive plastic suction cups to hold the heater against the glass. Use the thermometer to check the water temperature after 24 hours.

    • 8

      Place the aquarium gravel in a plastic bucket and rise under running water. Fill a long-handled aquarium net with gravel and place the net into the aquarium.

    • 9

      Use a long-handled aquarium tong to grip the bottom of the net and to tip the gravel onto the bottom of the tank. Repeat until you have a layer of gravel between one and two inches thick.

    • 10

      Place a number of pieces of driftwood in the aquarium.

    • 11

      Place six to eight tropical aquatic plants in the aquarium. Position the plants behind the driftwood in order to hide the containers in which they are planted. Group them together to leave a lot of swimming space for the tiger barbs.

    • 12

      Test the aquarium water, using the pH test kit. Add the pH adjustment powder to achieve a pH range between 6.0 and 8.0

    • 13

      Remove the elastic band that secures the plastic bag in which the tiger barbs were transported. Use a plastic peg to secure the bag onto the aquarium rim, to prevent it from sinking into the aquarium.

    • 14

      Use the syringe to draw up aquarium water every 15 minutes. Add this water to the bag to slowly acclimatize the tiger barbs to the aquarium water chemistry.

    • 15

      Catch the tiger barbs in a net after an hour and release them into the aquarium. Do not add any of the traveling water to the aquarium, in case the water contains diseased organisms.

    • 16

      Place the aquarium canopy onto the tank.