URL : http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cyprinids/grntigbarb.phpFamily: Cyprinidae
Barbus tetrazona
This is a real lively, fun to watch fish. For a very attractive effect in your aquarium, try adding the gorgeous Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb along with the Albino Tiger Barb, to a school of regular Tiger Barbs. What a nice contrast of swift moving, darting color!
The Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb is one of the most notable color morphs or varieties of the regular Tiger Barb. They are truly striking with a deep fluorescent green or blue-green body coloring.
The Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb is very lively and playful, and does best in a school of at least 6 or seven fishes. Their aquarium requirements, behaviors, care and feeding are the same as their parentage and is discussed in more detail here, on the Tiger Barb page.
For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium
Care and feeding:
Since they are omnivorous the Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat.
Distribution:
Tiger barbs are found in Indonesia, Sumatra, Borneo, and possibly Thailand. The Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb variety is a captive bred color morph.
Size - Weight:
These fish get up to 3 inches (7 cm).
Social Behaviors:
The lively Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb makes a good community fish, especially with other fast moving fish. They have been known to get a bit nippy, especially when kept singly or in very small groups so it is a good idea to get at least six or seven. Then they bother each other instead of the other tank inhabitants.
Some sources do not recommend them as a community fish because of this tendency to nip the fins of slow moving and long-finned fishes, such as gouramis and angelfish.
Sexual Differences:
The female is heavier especially during the spawning season. The males are more brightly colored and smaller. Durring spawning they will develop a very red nose.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium, but prefer the middle of the aquarium.
Acceptable Water Conditions:
Hardness: 2-30° dGH (not demanding)
Ph: 6.5 to 7.5 prefers slightly acid (to 6.5) for breeding
Temp: 68-79° F (20-26°) C
Breeding/Reproduction:
The Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb are egg layers. See the description of breeding techniques in Breeding Freshwater Fish.
Availability:
The Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb is readily available.
Comments from people who have kept this fish:
These are truly beautiful fish! some are metalic green and others are really dark blue! As they are a different colour variety of tiger barb, they will shoal quite happily with normal tiger barbs and albino tiger barbs. When these fish are sexually mature, the males will show off to each other and their fins errect and show beautiful colouration, they scrap a bit to gain higher ranks in the shoal. In the community aquarium, it is best to keep at least 8 tiger barbs, so they will quarrel amongst themselves and will not bother other tank mates as much.
The picture on this site does not do this fish justice!! I have 2 of them and they are absolutely beautiful....like green jewels. I also have 2 "regular" tiger barbs and when I added the green ones to the tank, they instantly took to each other and began schooling together. PS...I also have a large Angel, 4 pink kissing gouramis, and 2 blue gouramis. Tiger Barbs dont really bug the other fish as long as they have friends of their own kind and lots of plants :)
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