Tiger barb (Puntius tetrazona)

Scientific name: Puntius tetrazona Bleeker, 1855

Tiger barb (Puntius tetrazona)
Photo: https://en.aqua-fish.net/fish/tiger-barb

The Tiger barb (Puntius tetrazona) is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae that grows to about 6 cm (2.4 in). It is easy to keep and peaceful, suits community aquariums and needs a tank of at least 75 L (20 US gal), water at 18–25°C (64–77°F) and a pH of 6.5–7.5. Native range: S.E.Asia, Streams and rivers of Sumatra, Indonesia, and Borneo.

Tiger barb care at a glance

Care level
Easy
Temperament
Peaceful
Community tank
Good
Adult size
6 cm (2.4 in)
Minimum tank
75 L (20 US gal)
Temperature
18–25°C (64–77°F)
pH
6.5–7.5
Hardness
3–10 dGH (54–178 ppm)
Diet
Omnivore. Accepts flakes, frozen foods and live foods.

Biology

Feeds on worms, small crustaceans and plant matter. Aquarium keeping: in groups of 5 or more individuals; not to be kept with long-finned fishes; minimum aquarium size 60 cm.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Puntius tetrazona
Family
Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps)
Order
Cypriniformes (Carps)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
7.0
Environment
Freshwater;; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19 benthopelagic
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Asia: Sumatra and Borneo. Introduced widely and has been reared in several countries in facilities for breeding aquarium fishes.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Aquarium: highly commercial
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (tm

More barbs, danios & rasboras

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Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Aquarium care parameters compiled, checked and converted to metric and imperial units by Guppies.za.net.

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