Tiger Barb

The tiger barb is one of the best-known barbs, with four black vertical bands on its golden-orange body and red-tipped fins. There are also forms such as "green" (mossy), albino and "GloFish". It is hardy, has a big appetite and is constantly on the move.

Its famous habit is fin-nipping. This habit appears mostly when the school is kept small: barbs kept in groups of 8–10 or more spend their energy chasing each other.

It lives in clear or slightly tannin-stained, oxygen-rich streams with moderate flow on Sumatra and Borneo. The bottom is sandy or gravelly and the banks are planted.

• Volume: at least 80 liters and 80 cm in length for a school of 8–10.
• Water: 22–25°C, a wide pH range. It likes oxygenated water and moderate flow.
• Decor: dense planting along the edges, plenty of swimming space in the middle.

Omnivorous with a very big appetite. Flakes and granules, spirulina food, vegetables, frozen and live foods. It never seems full; avoid overfeeding.

Playful and hierarchical with its own kind. In a large school it pays less attention to other fish; when kept in small numbers or when bored, it nips the fins of slow, long-finned fish.

Good companions: fast, short-finned fish: zebra danios, other barbs, platies, swordtails, corydoras, bristlenose plecos.

Avoid: long-finned and slow species — guppies, bettas, angelfish, dwarf gouramis, long-finned goldfish. These are the pairings most often reported as problems in community reports.

In the tiger barb, group size directly shapes behavior: at least 8, ideally 10–12 or more individuals. In a large school, barbs set up a hierarchy among themselves and play chase; the fin-nipping habit stays largely within the school. Small groups of 3–5, on the other hand, get bored and turn on other fish.

The sex ratio does not matter; a mixed group shows the most natural behavior.

Breeds easily. It scatters its eggs over fine-leaved plants or a spawning mop and immediately starts eating them; the adults should be removed after spawning. The eggs hatch in 1–2 days.

Hardy. White spot and tail rot in poor water may occur. Painted/dyed specimens may be sold in stores; dyed fish live shorter lives and should be avoided (GloFish are a genetic form, not dyed).

Males are smaller, slimmer and more brightly colored; in the breeding season their snouts and fin edges turn distinctly red. Females are larger and plumper.