Tiger Barb

Looks how to spot one

Scaled, deep-bodied cyprinid (barb)

A compact, fairly tall-bodied little fish with a golden to silvery-tan base colour crossed by four bold black vertical bands: one through the eye, one just in front of the pelvic fins, one above the anal fin and one at the base of the tail. Wild-type fish have red-tipped fins and a reddish snout. Males tend to be slimmer, smaller and more intensely coloured, with a redder nose, while females are fuller in the belly.21

Personality what they are like

An energetic, boisterous schooling fish that is always on the move in the middle of the tank. In a good-sized group the fish chase and spar mostly with each other, which keeps them busy. They have a reputation for nipping fins, so they are best matched with equally lively, short-finned companions rather than slow, long-finned fish.123

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Very active mid-water swimmers that need plenty of open swimming space along the length of the tank alongside planted areas.124

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Undemanding about water as long as it is clean and stable. Suggested ranges: about 20-27 C, pH 6.0-8.0 (Seriously Fish allows 5.0-8.0), hardness roughly 5-19 dGH. Regular partial water changes keep them at their best.321

Home where they are happiest

FishBase gives a 60 cm minimum tank; Seriously Fish suggests a base of about 80 x 30 cm (around 72 litres) for a proper group. Provide fine gravel or sand, some rocks and wood, and plants around the sides while leaving open water for swimming.324

Food basics what goes in the bowl

An omnivore that eats worms, small crustaceans and plant matter in the wild. In the aquarium it eagerly takes quality flakes and small pellets, plus small live or frozen foods such as bloodworm, brine shrimp and daphnia, and some vegetable matter. Enthusiastic eaters at feeding time.3214

Company who they like around

A true schooling fish that should never be kept alone. FishBase recommends at least 5, Wikipedia at least 6, and Seriously Fish 8 to 10 or more; a bigger group spreads their playful chasing among themselves. Good tankmates are other active fish such as danios, other barbs, loaches, plecos and catfish; avoid slow, long-finned species like bettas, angelfish and gouramis.3124

The story where it all began

Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker described the tiger barb in 1855 under the name Capoeta tetrazona. Over the following century and a half it moved through several genera, including Barbus, Puntius and Systomus, until the new genus Puntigrus was created in 2013 for it and a few close relatives from Borneo. Its species name combines the Greek words for 'four' and 'band', describing its four black bars. The tiger barb became one of the most widespread fish in the aquarium hobby; in 1992 it ranked tenth among ornamental fish imported into the United States, at about 2.6 million fish. Today almost all aquarium tiger barbs are farm-bred rather than wild-caught, and breeders have developed green, albino, gold and other colour strains that have grown in popularity in recent decades. Because wild fish rarely reach the trade, specialists note some uncertainty over exactly which Puntigrus lineage the commercial aquarium strains descend from.12

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Assessed as Least Concern (13 April 2020)3

FishBase

Listed as highly commercial in the aquarium trade3

Popularity Ranked tenth among ornamental fish imported into the US in 1992 (about 2.6 million individuals)1