Tiger Barb

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Categories : English, Aquarium, BARB - BARBUS, Tiger Barb, Tiger Barb - Albino, Barbus tetrazona, Tiger Barb - Green, Barbus tetrazona

Tiger Barb
Puntius pentazona


Also Known As:	Tiger Fish, Belted Barb, Sumatran barb, Fiveband Barb, Sixband Barb(also refers to a subspecies of tiger barb), Banded Barb; Capoeta tetrazona, barbus tetrazona

Species / Type:

Community [General] types almost always require a medium to large group of fish of similar species to be happy. Community fish may become overly stressed if not provided an adequate number of compatible tank-mates.

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Community [General]

Care Difficulty:
Easy

Length:
3 in (8 cm)

Tank Size:
20 g (76 L)

Region:
Southeastern Asia

Tank Environment:

Planted tanks generally require some type of plants to either create hiding places or territorial boundaries for fish.

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Planted

Food:

Opportunistic Eater. May eat meat, insects, or plant matter.

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[Omnivorous] Flakes, frozen foods, live foods etc.

Temp:
68-77°f (20-25°c)

Breeding:

Moderate difficulty

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Medium

PH:
6.5-7.5

Photo Provided By: Pyrowolf

General Information:

The Tiger Barb is from Central Sumatra. It is the typical bard shape, but somewhat longer. The female is much fuller in the belly and paler in color. Male is slimmer and has beautiful color. The male also sports a red nose, lacking in the female.

Barbs are easy to obtain, the tiger barbs should be looked over carefully before purchase (as all fish) to be sure they are a strong and vibrant strain. Soem fish farms seem to aim for only quantity, and not quality. Check the fish over carefully before purchase, and stay away from those that are deformed, such as bent backs or missing gill plates. Many of the artificial variants(moss green, albino etc.) are often weak and susceptible to disease. Its best to stick with the normal variety. Some of the barbs are also dyed red, green, and other colors. This process shortesn their lifespan, and the color wears out anyway. If you arent sure a fish is dyed, be sure to ask.

Care Information:

The Tiger bard needs good lighting, and a layer of sand or gravel on the bottom(fish generally show better on darker colors, so keep this in mind). A little bit of cover with ample vegetation is needed as well. Keep the rest free-swimming place. Keep these fish in loose schools. A school of 8 works best, as smaller schools result in aggression. Tigers are notorious for being fin nippers(occasionally harassing them so that they look to the carpet as a better place to live) , but in schools of the said number, the aggression is spread out among all the barbs. Tiger barbs are not fussy on water chemistry, as long as it is not to far off from neutral. Breeding, however, is best done in water with lower ph. Tiger barbs are not picky at all, eating flakes, frozen food, and other things with gusto. Be sure all the others get a fair share of food.

Breeding Information:

Tiger barbs are rather easy to breed, so as long as you can meet the requirements. A 20%20 gallon tank is needed, and should be furnished with a spawning grid for the eggs to fall through, or lots of plants like java moss. The tank should be kept open, as barbs, like many other cyprinids, make runs through the tank.

It is best to breed barbs from different sources to prevent inbreeding which weakens the resulting young. The pair should be introduced at about nightfall, and in the morning, when the tank receives the first rays of sunlight, the barbs will often spawn.

Failing that, tweak the temp up a couple degrees and see. If after 5 days one still has no success, remove the pair and try again later. The eggs are very small, about 1 mm globules. They hatch after about 2 days, and the resulting fry are very small. They should be fed on infusoria, and later on baby brine shrimp. The rearing tank should be large, and kept clean. They get there little stripes very early in life, resembling mini tigers.

Suggested Resources:

Some information courtesy of:

Simon and Schusters Guide to Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Fishes [Buy On Amazon.com]

Exotic Tropical Fishes Expanded Edition - 1996: T.F.H publications inc.

Axelrod H., Emmens C., Burgess W., Pronek N.

Tiger Barb

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