Are Tiger Barbs afraid of aquarium lights? How to help Barbs come out of hiding & swim in the light?
Tiger Barbs usually hide & are not active in tank lights. Tiger Barbs are skittish when aquarium lights are turned on, & they may hide behind an aquatic plant or decoration. If lights are turned off, they may be happy & active.
My Tiger Barbs were active and they would swim when the lights were off. As soon as I turned on the lights, my 2 Tiger Barbs would soon disappear. Therefore, I added 10 more Tiger Barbs as I thought that Tiger Barbs prefer tank mates & they would love to swim in school when more barbs are introduced. However, this did not solve my problem as they were still hiding in a bright aquarium. I searched the internet, & someone suggested I turn on the room light first, before turning on aquarium lights as tank lights suddenly brighten the tank. Later, I used to turn on all of my room lights before turning on aquarium lights, & I noticed that Tiger Barbs were not skittish. However, still my Barbs did not enjoy the lights & I even noticed that they are happier during the night & hiding during the day. They used to shoal in schools during night, & were happier & active when I was not around, as they loved a quiet room.
When surfing the internet, I read a suggestion of setting up the aquarium in an open space so that Tiger Barbs can enjoy the natural light. Instead, I used to turn on all of my room lights to clearly see my Tiger Barbs & the whole aquarium. This solved my problem. However, I wanted to see the bright colours of my fish via aquarium light, so I searched even more to find a better solution.
My Tiger Barbs were shy & afraid of people. According to an expert suggestion, I shifted my Tiger Barbs to a bigger aquarium. My previous aquarium was only 10 gallons so I moved them to a bigger aquarium that was 3 feet wide with heaps of surface plants that would provide shade when room lights were on. Floating plants decrease the strength of lights, & decorations & submerged plants help Tiger Barbs feel home. I started feeding them when my lights were turned on so they are more confident. My Tiger Barbs liked their new aquarium, & they started to become more active & loved to swim in schools but still they preferred to hide beneath the floating plants & they liked the shadow of surface plants. My Tiger Barbs would swim in school, however, they still looked a bit stressed. I removed LED lights that were brighter & used only a built-in hood light that further solved my problem.
How to help Tiger Barbs stop fearing aquarium lights: Best Solution:
Finally, I added Rasboras to my aquarium, & my Barbs
came out from hiding & started playing in the open. They liked the company
of their new mates. My Rasboras were active & social in lights, & they
did not fear people that calmed down my Tiger Barbs. My Tiger Barbs started
learning from Rasboras. Now, my Tiger Barbs enjoy tank lights, & do not
fear me. They swim in schools during the day.
I keep my light on for 8 to 10 hours
a day as I have floating & submerged plants in my aquarium.
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