Terrific Tigers for your Tank!

The Longfin Tiger Barb is aptly named, sharing its golden color and black stripes with a vastly more terrifying jungle cat. Tiger Barbs are incredibly hardy and beautiful schooling fish that have been aquarium keeping for decades. Over this time and thousands upon thousands of generations of aquaculture, many variations of them have bred into existence and this variation, with the normal coloration, but longer, flowing fins, is one of the new variants.

The wild fish most commonly known as Tiger Barb are classified scientifically as Puntigrus tetrazona. This being said, they have been given a few different nomenclatures over the years, and we won't get into all of them. However, one of the names this species was once classified as is Puntius tetrazona, and there is some debate as to whether the all the aquacultured variations of Tiger Barbs should still bear this name. As a result of this confusion, and the sometimes-slow adoption of the international community to adhere to nomenclature updates, these fish are still listed on our website as Puntius tetrazona. Rest assured that you are buying the same fish, even if the nomenclature is a bit confusing. Very infrequently, these Barbs will get called Sumatra Barbs, but other than that, there really aren't any other common names for P. tetrazona that are regularly used in English speaking countries.

As we referenced, the Longfin Tiger Barbs are a schooling fish. We're bringing it up again, because this is one of the most important aspects of their husbandry. When kept in schools of at least six (and we suggest a dozen or more if you have space) they will dart about, interacting with each other, maintaining a hierarchy and will do very little damage to each other, or other fish. These schools should always have more than one male (which should happen naturally if you get six or more). This is important for them socially, but it will also result in all the fish showing better color and activity as competition for mates happens. They swim quickly and even if kept in large groups should usually be homed with other fish that don't have long flowing fins like freshwater Angels. Opt instead for other Tiger Barbs, or fast swimmers like Danios and Rasboras. Other good choices include fish that don't share the middle of the water column like Plecos, Siamese Algae Eaters, Corydoras and the like.

Like most aquacultured fish, these fish are very accustomed to processed foods. In house we feed them the Nutramar Freshwater Complete Pellets. You can also diversify their foods to include some thawed meaty food like Gamma Bloodworms, Mysis, Brine Shrimp and the like and this may help them achieve their best colors and encourage spawning behavior. Even though we feed twice a day, in your display, a once-a-day schedule with a quality pellet like the one we utilize is a totally healthy and adequate diet.

How big of an aquarium do you need for a six Longfin Tiger Barbs? You could keep a group this size in a tank as small as 30 gallons, but we'd suggest getting more fish and going bigger, think more like a dozen fish in a 40- or 55-gallon tank. The 55 would allow you to have more (different species) fish too. The Barbs will be the most colorful and get along with each other the best in tanks that have fairly dense décor. Utilize things like tall rocks and very branchy driftwood. Tiger Barbs of all sorts are great in planted tanks, especially ones that feature a good number of taller plants. They will not be picky about substrate, but many hobbyists swear by using darker materials because it enhances the color of the fish.

Water quality should be good and so filtration needs to turn over the whole volume of the tank at least five times per hour. Regular water changes will also aid in maintaining the clear, clean water they thrive best in. Having been aquacultured for decades, Longfin Tiger Barbs aren't tremendously picky about the actual water chemistry. Water temperatures could be anywhere from the upper 60s all the way up to 78 or so. Shoot for a fairly neutral profile both in acidity and hardness. Softer water, lower acidity (and warmer temps) can all work as a trigger for spawning, so for those of you interested in trying your hand at that, this may come in useful.

When it comes to spawning them at home, Longfin Tiger Barbs are notorious for consuming eggs. If your display is densely planted you may start to see fry show up without any special effort, but for the rest of you, or for those of you who want to attempt this more intentionally, you should set up a spawning tank. Utilize a sponge filter, and either a netting that will let eggs fall through, but prevent adults, or use a substrate like marbles that will allow some of the eggs to get deep enough so that adults can't reach them. Some people report good success using spawning mops as well. When they are ready to spawn, females will be noticeably fatter. Move the females and an equal number of males to the spawning tank. Once they have spawned, move the adults back to the display tank. Fry should hatch within a day or two and will need very small food to start with. Check out our article on Homegrown Food – Infusoria elsewhere on the website.

There is a little bit of irony here in that Tiger Barbs have a reputation for being somewhat pugnacious, and having a penchant for nipping long, decorative fins and now this variation of them has this exact feature! This reputation has come about mostly from keeping these excellent aquarium fish in tanks that are too confined and/or in groups that number too few. Point being, keep enough Longfin Tiger Barbs and they'll keep their nice long flowy fins (and look mighty graceful at the same time)!

If you're looking for a gorgeous group of schooling fish to add to your display and you have a suitable tank and tankmates, the Longfin Tiger Barb is a stellar choice. Honestly, so are all the other Tiger Barbs we have available too! Head to your Local Fish Store and ask them about getting you a dozen of them from Aquatropic today!