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Common name: Tiger barb, Green tiger barb, Sumatra barb
Scientific name: Puntius tetrazona
Synonyms: This species was originally described by Bleeker in 1855 and has been known under a number of names including Barbus tetrazona and Capoeta tetrazona. Puntius tetrazona is currently considered the correct name for this species.
Size: Up to 8cm/3" and rather stocky under good conditions. Most fish on sale in the shops are about 1-2cm, so you can expect them to grow at least three or four times larger.
Origin: Sumatra, Indonesia; Singapore and Malaysia. Hardly any wild fish are imported these days, as the species is easy to breed and commercially produced in a number of different selectively-bred forms, including the Green phase shown in the picture above.
Diet: Accepts most aquarium foods including flakes, granules, frozen foods such as bloodworm and daphnia and the odd bit of plant leaf. Stomach analyses on wild fish have shown that they feed on crustaceans, insects and plant material.
Water: Not fussy, providing extremes are avoided. Captive-bred fish should be fine in unadjusted tapwater, whatever its chemistry.
Aquarium: The Tiger barb is a small shoaling fish and really does need to be kept in a group in the aquarium. If you can, go for around 10 or more. If you do this you'll find that the fish establish a natural pecking order among the shoal and fight among themselves, rather than with other fish. In smaller groups you might find that they nip the fins of long-finned species, such as gouramies. They should never be kept alongside anything with very long fins, such as guppies or Siamese fighters, Betta splendens. These fish are an easy target and you're asking for trouble if you attempt to mix them.
Notes: The Tiger barb comes in a number of different varieties. The wild-type fish has a yellow-gold body with a series of, often broken vertical stripes. The Green tiger barb is a selectively-bred fish and develops a metallic green colour as it grows. The albino or xanthic variety has a yellow base colour, and often develops striking constrasting orange fins. The one to avoid is the Halloween Tiger barb, which is generally blue or purple in colour. These are dyed and should not be purchased.
Availability: Captive-bred and very commonly available in the shops. You should be able to find these for sale at any aquarium shop.
Price: Expect to pay anything from 75p upwards for small fish, but a couple of quid for larger specimens.
This article was written exclusively for the Practical Fishkeeping magazine website.
Matt Clarke
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