From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Tiger Barb
Puntigrus tetrazona
- Temperature
- 20–26 °C
- pH
- 6 – 7.5
- Min. tank size
- 75 L
- Lifespan
- 6 years
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- easy
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Puntigrus tetrazona |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Origin: | Borneo and Sumatra, Southeast Asia |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | easy |
| Diet: | omnivore |
| Max Size: | 7.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | semi aggressive |
| Min Group: | 8+ together |
| Varieties: | Several established colour strains, all the same species. The green or moss barb is a melanistic form in which the black banding merges into a dark iridescent green over the whole body. Albino tiger barbs are pale cream with faint bands and pink eyes; golden or leucistic forms are yellow-bodied with reduced banding. Platinum, blushing and black marble strains extend the range further, and coral red selects for intense fin and snout colour. The wild-type striped fish remains the most robust of them. Two cautions worth knowing before buying. Many of the fish in the trade today are genetically weak, prone to disease or physically deformed as a result of excessive inbreeding — a problem specifically noted for this species by specialists. Worse, some barbs are artificially dyed, injected with colour to produce shades no fish naturally carries. Mortality from the process is high. If a barb is an implausible purple, blue or pink, it has been dyed, and the trade in them only continues while people buy them. |
| Lifespan: | 6 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Medium
- Min Tank:75 L
- Substrate:Gravel or sand; open swimming space with planted edges
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:Moderate to high (enjoys current)
Tiger Barb (Puntigrus tetrazona) is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is native to Borneo and Sumatra, Southeast Asia. The tiger barb is the fish that taught a generation of aquarists what a fin-nipper is. It comes from Borneo and Sumatra, and it is a genuinely handsome animal: a deep orange-gold body crossed by four black bands, with red edging on the fins that intensifies in dominant males. It reaches about 6–7 cm. Seriously Fish describes it as "notoriously aggressive with a reputation for biting the fins of other fishes" — unusually blunt language for a species profile, and earned. What is less widely understood is that the aggression is manageable and largely a function of numbers. A tiger barb in a group of four is a menace to the whole tank. A group of ten spends its time working out its own pecking order and mostly leaves everything else alone. Kept properly, in numbers, in a long tank, it is one of the most entertaining fish in the hobby.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- semi aggressive
- Keep in
- Groups of 8+
- Swims
- middle
- Fin nipper
- Yes
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Tiger Barb
Matched on family, then category, then water type