Tiger barb

Tiger Barb

About Tiger barb:

• The Tiger barb or Sumatra barb, is a species of tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Puntius genus of the minnow family.
• Scinentific name for the Tiger barb is Puntius tetrazona.
• Tiger barbs may sometimes be confused with Puntius anchisporus, which are similar in appearance.
• Tiger barbs have been reported to be found in clear or turbid shallow waters of moderately flowing streams.
• Their average lifespan is six years.
• The tiger barb, an active schooling fish, is usually kept in groups of five or more.
• If they are kept alone they feel like loss of security and they start to hide themselves between plants or stays at corners.
• They are often aggressive in numbers less than five, and are known fin nippers.
• Injured fish should ideally be quarantined since the Tiger barbs are known to attack wounded fish.
• Fish with exceptionally long and flowing fins are not recommended as companions for Tiger barbs.
• When kept in a shoal, the Tiger barb is a very active species that will spend most of its time in the water's mid-level.
• Selective breeding has produced many interesting varieties of tiger barb, including long-finned, albino, golden, rosy, red and green strains. These varieties can all interbreed with one another.
• Figures from 1992 showed that 2.6 million Tiger barbs where imported to the United States that year, which made the Tiger Barb number 10th on the list of the most frequently imported ornamental fish species.
• Tiger barbs will eat flakes, frozen, freeze-dried, and live foods, such as bloodworms, glass worms, brine shrimp, Tubifex worms and Daphnia. They are omnivores, eating both meaty and plant based foods.

Tiger barb in my tank

Tiger barb habitat and range:

• Tiger barbs originate from South-East Asia and are native to Indonesia and Malaysia.
• They are found in Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo and also in many other parts of Asia.
• The typical Tiger barb habitat is a shallow and medium fast stream in the tropics where the water temperature is high.
• They live in tropical climates and prefer water with a 6.0–8.0 pH, a water hardness of 5–19 dGH, and a temperature range of 77 - 82 °F or 25 - 27.8°C.

Green tiger barb/moss barb

Physical Description:

• It grows upto 7 centimeters in length and in width it goes upto 3 centimeters.
• It has 4 stripes in their body and their normal color is silvery to brownish yellow,the fins are of a vivid orange shade.
• It is even in green color and  it is known as green tiger barb or moss green tiger barb/moss barb.
• Green tiger barbs that reflect green over their black because of the Tyndall effect.
• The green color varies from fish to fish.
• Albino barbs are a light yellow with four barely visible stripes.

Tiger barb setup:

• The shoal should be given plenty of room for swimming, but hiding spots should also be included.
• Ideally keep the aquarium well planted. Rocks and driftwood will also be appreciated.
• Tiger Barbs are commonly sold to pet stores when they are around three months old.
• Tank-mates for tiger barbs should be chosen carefully as their fin-nipping and aggressive behavior, fish such as angelfish, bettas, and gouramies should be avoided as their fins are too much of a temptation for eager tiger barbs. Fish with a very small adult size such as neon tetras and dwarf rasboras should also be avoided as the tiger barbs will most likely outright kill them over time.

Tiger Barb breeding

Tiger barb breeding :

• The tiger barb usually attains sexual maturity at six to seven weeks of age.
• The females are larger with a rounder belly and a mainly black dorsal fin, while the males have a bright, red nose with a distinct red line above the black on their dorsal fins.
• Females can spawn at approximately two week intervals.
• Female tiger barbs can lay as many as 1000 eggs in a day.
• First step for breeding is to seperate male and female barbs.
• During this period you need to feed the barb with the food rich in protein and the food which induce spawning.
• Live foods are more considered during this period.Freeze dried Tubifex is known to induce spawning in Tiger Barbs.
• The temperature of the aquariums where you keep tiger barb should be maintained around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
• After 3-4 days leave the male and female in the same tank,the male chases the female then female lays eggs while seeing this male releases the sperm.
• After spawning seperate the fish from the eggs to prevent eggs being eaten.
• Spawned eggs are in average of 1.18 ± 0.05 mm in diameter.
• The fry will start swimming from 5th day.
• Feed the fry with brine shrimp
• If you want to breed freshwater Tiger barbs in captivity, the best method is to keep a shoal of Tiger barbs together and let them form their own pairs.