Tiger Barb
Puntigrus tetrazona
Cyprinidae
About
The tiger barb is a stocky, boldly striped cyprinid from the streams and floodplains of Sumatra and Borneo, almost always sold as commercially bred stock today. Endlessly active and boisterous, it is one of the hobby's most notorious fin-nippers, so it demands careful stocking. Kept in too small a group it turns its energy on tankmates, harassing slow or long-finned fish; kept in a large, busy shoal that aggression is spread among its own kind and the fish shine as a lively mid-water display.
Care
Keep in an active shoal of at least 8 (ideally 8-12) in a long, roomy tank to disperse its notorious fin-nipping. Avoid slow, timid or long-finned tankmates such as bettas, angelfish and guppies.
Diet
Non-selective omnivore; feed varied dry foods with frozen or live meaty foods and some vegetable matter, scattered so the whole shoal feeds.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (9)
Possible with care (90)
Avoid (10)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.