ORIGIN

POTENTIAL ADULT SIZE

TEMPERAMENT

DIET

WATER TEMPERATURE

WATER QUALITY

pH LEVELS

SPECIES

LIFE SPAN

COMPATIBILITY

GROUPING

VARIETIES

My Freshwater Tiger Barbs

A 29 Gallon Glass Tank holds 6 Tiger barbs of various coloration along with some Red Tailed Black Sharks, 1 Bicher, 1 Reed/Rope Snake, 1, 8" inch Pleco. They all appear to get along all right. I made a "novice" mistake by purchasing 6 Red Tailed Black Sharks thinking they were a schooling fish. This discussion is continued on the Red Tailed Black Sharks Section but I will say that you should only buy 1 per tank. "They can't stands their own kind". I started out with 13 Barbs but due to a recent problem with some Live Blood Worms I lost quite a few, but again that's another page. These 6 are what are known as Kool-Aid Barbs as some were injected with dye in S.E. Asia before they were shipped so they have unnatural colors such as Pink, Blue, Orange and Purple. I thought this was great when I saw it in the LFS (Local Fish Store) but soon learned that not only are these poor lil guys subjected to being injected with dye they also usually have shorter life spans and are more susceptible to illness (all 6 fish lost during the blood worm plaque were Kool-Aid). The ones I now have left are mutated Green Tiger Barbs that have an emerald appearance. Very pretty and they survived a lot! A novice Aquariumist, the "Live blood worm plaque" and large spiky snake things. I would say that is something.

 

Their color and temperament make them fun for an aquarium. They are very lively and entertaining to watch. Most of the Tiger Barbs I have ever brought home generally have ICK and I have to quarantine them for the first couple of days. They only other fish that I have had a problem with this is my Iridescent Sharks.