Tiger Barbs are active cyprinids from Southeast Asia, recognisable by the four black bars on a gold body.
They are hardy and energetic but earn an intermediate rating for one reason: their tendency to nip fins.
Kept in a large enough group, they direct that boisterous energy within the shoal rather than at tankmates.
Get the group size or tankmate choice wrong, and they become a persistent problem for slower fish.
Housing
Provide a tank of at least 110 litres (30 gallons) so a proper shoal can establish a pecking order and burn off energy.
Target 22-26C (72-79F), pH 6.0-7.5, and soft to moderately hard water in a fully cycled, well-filtered setup.
They appreciate some current, open swimming space, and planted edges or driftwood for cover.
A secure lid is essential, as active barbs can jump, and good filtration handles their appetite and waste output.
Diet
Tiger Barbs are enthusiastic omnivores that do well on a varied diet.
Offer a quality flake or sinking pellet as the base, rotated with frozen or live bloodworm, daphnia, and brine shrimp, plus some vegetable matter or algae-based food.
Feed small amounts once or twice daily.
Their eagerness at feeding time makes overfeeding easy, so measure portions to what they clear in about two minutes.
A varied diet keeps colour rich and reduces food competition.
Health
Tiger Barbs are generally hardy and suffer mainly from stress-linked disease when understocked, overcrowded, or kept in unstable water.
Ich and fin rot are the common complaints, often appearing after temperature shifts or when nipping injuries become infected.
Maintain stable parameters, quarantine new arrivals, and keep nitrate low with regular water changes.
Watch for clamped fins and white spots, and address persistent in-group bullying, which can weaken a targeted individual.
Temperament
Tiger Barbs are lively, fast, and semi-aggressive, and they nip fins when kept in small groups.
A shoal of eight or more keeps interaction internal and markedly reduces harassment of tankmates.
Do not house them with long-finned or slow fish such as bettas, angelfish, or guppies.
Suitable companions are similarly active, robust species like other barbs, danios, and larger tetras that can hold their own.
A good fit for
Keepers wanting an active, characterful species
Robust community tanks of fast fish
Aquarists who can commit to a large group
Those past the absolute-beginner stage
Common mistakes to avoid
Keeping too few (increases fin-nipping)
Mixing with long-finned or slow fish
Undersized tanks restricting the shoal
Overfeeding the fast, greedy eaters
Is your enclosure big enough?
Minimum volume110 litres (29 US gallons)
CompanyCannot be kept alone. The minimum is 6, and the space above is for that group.
In a fish tank the patient is usually the water. Test before you treat — dosing a healthy tank for a disease it does not have makes things worse.
Go now
Any detectable ammonia or nitrite in a stocked tankLarge water change now with dechlorinated, temperature-matched water. Stop feeding. Test again in 12 hours. Both are directly toxic. How toxic the ammonia reading is depends on pH and temperature, so the same number can be harmless or lethal.
Now
Fish gasping at the surface, or crowding the filter outflowIncrease surface agitation immediately, then test the water. Either the oxygen has crashed or the gills are being chemically burned. Both are hours-scale problems.
Now
Sudden deaths, more than one fish in a dayTest ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and temperature before doing anything else. Do not add medication yet. Multiple simultaneous deaths point at the water or the equipment, not at a pathogen.
Now
Today
Flashing — repeatedly scraping against decor or substrateTest the water, then look closely for parasites. Irritation is either chemical or parasitic; the test tells you which before you medicate.
Today
White salt-grain spots over the body and finsBegin the appropriate treatment today and check the temperature. The parasite's life cycle is temperature-driven, and it multiplies with every cycle you wait.
Today
Soon
Clamped fins, hiding, or refusing food for more than two daysTest the water and review recent changes. Usually the earliest visible sign of a parameter drifting.
A few days
Never add a new fish to a tank that is not fully cycled, and never treat blind. A test kit is cheaper than the fish.
This is general guidance for a healthy adult, not a diagnosis. An exotics vet who knows your animal always overrides it — and the time to find one is before you need one.
What it really costs
Setup, monthly, first year and across a whole life, itemised and with the electricity worked out from the actual wattage. Published figures for the same animal disagree by a factor of four, so the calculator shows ranges rather than picking one.
Beginner
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate