Tiger Barb

The flashy colorful Tiger Barb is not only hardy and easy to keep but is a real lively, fun to watch fish!

Tiger Barb Contents
Habitat: Distribution / Background
Description
Fish Keeping Difficulty
Foods and Feeding
Aquarium Care
Aquarium Setup
Social Behaviors
Sex: Sexual differences
Breeding / Reproduction
Availability
References
Once called the "Sumatranus" because it came from Sumatra, the Tiger Barb has been a popular fish for a long time. It is a standard favorite in the aquarium world. It will eat all all kinds of foods and is fairly easy to breed. A great fish for the beginner and advanced aquarist alike, though they can be nippy with their tank mates.

The Tiger Barb is the largest of the 'banded barbs' and has a gaily colored yellow to red body with four very distinctive black stripes. There are several varieties and 'color morphs' of this barb, some of which are also now very popular. These include the Albino Tiger Barb, the Longfin Tiger Barb, and the Green ('moss') Tiger Barb.

Though when mature, their colors do tend to fade a bit, a school of these playful and attractive fish in a nice sized aquarium makes an awesome display!

These active fast swimming fish need company. The Tiger Barb does best in a school of at least six or seven fishes where they establish a "pecking order". They have been known to nip the fins of slower moving and long-finned fish such as gouramis and angelfish, but this problem seems to be demonstrated when they are being kept individually or in a smaller group. Presumably in a larger school they are too busy chasing each other to bother with their other tankmates.