Description

Tiger Barb (Puntigrus tetrazona)

The Tiger Barb (Puntigrus tetrazona) is one of the most popular tropical freshwater fish in the aquarium hobby. Known for their striking black stripes, vibrant orange fins and energetic behaviour, Tiger Barbs make an eye-catching addition to larger community aquariums. These active shoaling fish thrive when kept in groups and are best suited to aquarists looking for lively, fast-moving tropical fish with plenty of personality. They have a bit of a bad reputation because of their nippy and boisterous nature, however this is rather unfair as Tiger Barbs can cohabit very well with many species, provided that their needs are met.

Tiger Barb Care

The Aquarium should be spacious with and well furnished with robust plants and rocks, wood or ornaments. It should be at least 75L and the temperature should be 21-26°C with pH around neutral. Delicate plants with soft leaves, such as Limnophila sessiliflora are likely to be nipped at by the barbs, but anubias, java fern and cryptocoryne will do well. The addition of bog wood and rocks will serve as enrichment and also break the line of sight between two quarrelling members of the shoal. There are no special lighting requirements or substrate needs, but we recommend proper planting substrate to help keep the plants in top condition.

Tiger Barb Behaviour

Tiger Barbs are often accused of being an aggressive species, which has given all barbs a bad reputation as a result, but this isn’t entirely accurate. They are in fact a highly social species that should be kept in large shoals of at least 8 specimens. They spend their days squabbling and re-shuffling the hierarchy continuously as their natural behaviour. If the numbers are too low, they will start to harass other tank mates as there aren’t enough of their own kind to keep them occupied.

Tank Mates

It is best to keep this species with other robust species that aren’t easily spooked. Ideal tank mates include larger tetras, other barbs, medium sized peaceful cichlids and rainbowfish. Avoid anything with long fins, such as guppies and angelfish as the barbs will not be able to resist such a temptation to nip. Mild mannered species such as discus should also be avoided as they may be spooked by this highly active species.

Tiger Barb Feeding

This is not a fussy species and will accept almost anything but the kitchen sink. Food can be offered in the form of pellets and fresh or frozen fish foods such as mysis, brine shrimp, blood worm and daphnia.

FAQs

How long do Tiger Barbs live?

In a home aquarium, they will live to 5-7 years so long as the conditions are correct.

Can you mix different types of Tiger Barbs?

Absolutely! Whether Green, Albino, Hong Kong, Platinum or Original flavour, they can all be mixed. The colour variations mean nothing to the fish as all, but the normal Tiger Barbs don’t exist in the wild. In essence, they are all just Puntius tetrazona and the fancy colour variants were bred by humans.

Are they easy to breed?

No. Whilst they breed readily, with each female producing around 500 eggs at a time, these fish will often eat their own eggs during and shortly after spawning. It is recommended that a separate breeding tank is used and a mesh partition or glass beads are placed in the bottom of the aquarium to deny access to the eggs. It is also best practice to feed the adults during spawning to distract them from the falling eggs. Once spawning is complete, the adults should be removed from the aquarium and returned to their home.

Can you keep Tiger Barbs with Betta?

Unfortunately, no. Bettas are exactly the kind of fish that will be nipped by the barbs. Other species that could suffer a similar fate are guppies and angelfish.

If you have any questions about keeping this Tiger Barb (Puntigrus tetrazona), please contact us and a member of our friendly store team will be more than happy to answer all of your questions

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