The Tiger Barb, Puntius tetrazona, is a very popular little fish. Another common name is the Sumatra Barb. Other scientific names that have been used for this fish are: Barbus tetrazona, Capoeta sumatraus, Barbodes tetrazona, and Capoeta tetrazona. This fish grows to about two and a half inches long (7cm). It comes from Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Peninsular. It might have been native to some other places in South East Asia including Cambodia but it has been introduced into places and it is not always clear which are native populations and which are recent introductions.
Water Conditions
Tiger Barbs come from tropical areas. They are a tropical fish that has a slightly better tolerance to lower temperatures than a lot of tropical fish. 24 degrees C (75 degrees F) is a suitable temperature.
Varieties
There are many colour variation of the Tiger Barb. These include the Moss Green Tiger Barb, also called the Green Tiger Barb, and the Moss-banded Barb. This pretty fish is highly melanistic, but does not appear completely black. The scattering of light due to the Tindal Effect makes it appear dark green. It is clear that different people see the color of this fish slightly differently. A variation of this color variety is the Platinum Moss Green Tiger Barb. Another popular variation in the Albino Tiger Barb, often called the Golden Tiger Barb. Some people consider that the Albino Tiger Barb is less aggressive than the wild type. I have not observed any difference.
Food
The Tiger Barb is an omnivore and is easy to feed, eating all normal fish foods. They like live food like Daphnia and Mosquito larvae. In the absence of live food, they benefit from the occasional feeding of frozen foods like Blood Worms.
Fin Nipping
The Tiger Barb has the reputation for being the worst of all small fish for nipping the fins of other fish. This reputation is partly deserved. In some circumstances they can certainly be a problem. However, if you keep a school (At least 6) the problem is reduced. I have known cases where people have bought just one of this species in the mistaken belief that one will be less dangerous than a group. In fact the opposite is the case, and one or two will usually be much worse than a school.
Once, in our shop, I saw that a single male Guppy had got into a tank of Tiger Barbs. It must have been in for several hours, but it was swimming quite happily and the supposedly aggressive little fish were ignoring it.
Companions
Tiger Barbs should be kept in a school. The various varieties all seem to school together. Even with a school of these pretty fish, avoid slow moving fish with long fins like Siamese Fighting Fish, Guppies Endlers Guppies. Some suitable companions are: Rosy Barbs, Paraguay Tetras, Pristella Tetras, Buenos Aires Tetras, Colombian Tetras, Rummy Nose Tetras, Harlequin Rasboras, Scissortail Rasboras, Lemon Tetras, Black Widow Tetras, Emperor Tetras, Head and Tail Light Tetras, Glass Bloodfin Tetras, Swordtails, Platies, Mollies, Zebra Danios, Glowlight Tetras, and White Cloud Mountain Minnows, as well as the Corydoras catfish like the Peppered Catfish. Also avoid larger predatory fish that might eat the Tiger Barbs.
Breeding
The Tiger Barb is a fairly easy fish to breed. The females tend to be plumper than the males. The male has a redder nose and have a red line above the black part of their dorsal fin.
Keep a school of the fish and allow them to form their own pairs. The prospective parents need to be well fed with live food like Daphnia or other rich foods.
Hobbyists normally breed them in a separate Breeding Tank. The water in this tank should be soft and slightly acidic. They are egg scatterers giving no parental care and will eat fish eggs including their own. They also eat baby fish so it is usual to remove the parents after spawning.
The Breeding tank should have fine leaved plants, either real or artificial. Some breeders use tanks with nothing on the bottom, but others prefer to use large (perhaps half an inch diameter) round gravel or marbles to stop the parents getting at their eggs.
The adults will often spawn early in the morning of the day after they are put in. If they have not laid their eggs after a few days, try a partial water change with water a little warmer than the breeding tank.
Typically, the female will lay about 200 eggs. These should hatch in about a day and a half, and the babies will be free swimming after five days. The young can be raised on commercial fry food, supplemented when possible with suitable sized live food. The babies need plenty of space to grow quickly, and you need to watch the water quality while feeding them frequently.
The fry grow quickly and if they are well fed, could be over an inch long in eight weeks. These young fish are potentially big enough to breed.
Pest Fish
The Tiger Barb has been introduced to many countries, including Australia, Colombia, Singapore and Suriname as well as Asian countries they are not native to. They have the potential to cause considerable damage to aquatic ecosystems. Care should be exercised with Tiger Barbs as well as other types of fish to not allow them to escape into the wild.
Daphnia information is at http://www.bettatrading.com.au/Daphnia.php. Steve Challis has many other fish fact sheets and other articles on http://www.bettatrading.com.au.
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