Tiger Barb

About

The tiger barb (Puntigrus tetrazona) is one of the most widely kept freshwater fish in the hobby, and also one of the most misunderstood. Native to Sumatra and Borneo, where it inhabits rivers and streams, it has been commercially bred for decades and the wild form is rarely what you find at your local fish store. That long history of captive breeding has produced a range of color variants, albino, green or moss, golden, platinum, and others, but it has also led to genetic weaknesses and physical deformities being common in lower-quality stock. Worth inspecting carefully before buying. The classic form is immediately recognizable: a deep, rhomboid body marked with four bold vertical black bars on a pale orange-gold base, with a mostly black dorsal fin and dark pelvic fins edged in red. What gets beginners into trouble is the notorious fin-nipping behavior, which is largely a function of group size. Tiger barbs form loose social hierarchies and direct most of their rivalry toward each other when kept in sufficient numbers. Eight to ten or more is the realistic minimum. Long-finned, slow-moving, or timid tankmates are genuinely poor choices. Pair them instead with robust, similarly sized fish that can hold their own, and tiger barbs settle into being a lively, interactive group that is genuinely entertaining to watch.