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".
The
Tiger Barb 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. 24̊ C (75̊ F) is a suitable temperature.
Tiger Barbs
tolerate a wide range of conditions. I try to keep the pH about neutral
(7), but some people prefer to use slightly acidic water. They come
from soft water, but do not appear to mind some hardness in the water.
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 Tiger Barb in the mistaken belief that one
will be less dangerous than a group. In fact the opposite is the case,
and one or two Tiger Barbs 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 Bards. It must have been in for several hours, but it was swimming quite happily and the Tiger Barbs 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, GuppiesEndlers Guppies.
Some suitable companions are: Rosy Barbs, Paraguay
Tetras, PristellaTetras, 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 or other rich foods.
Hobbyists
normally breed Tiger Barbs in a separate Breeding Tank. The water in
this tank should be soft and slightly acidic. Tiger Barbs 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 toaquatic ecosystems. Care should be exercised with Tiger Barbs as well
as other types of fish to not allow them to escape into the wild.
Sources
I am grateful to the following sources for information about Tiger Barbs: SG Forums, Badman's Tropical Fish, Home & Garden and Aquatic Community.
Steve Challis
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Tiger Barb Fact Sheet
