Short Body Green Tiger Barb
Puntius tetrazona var. "Green Short Body"
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 6 cm
- Minimum tank
- 72 litres
- Temperature
- 20–26 °C
Species profile
Rosy Barb
Pethia conchonius
Common names: Rosy Barb, Red Barb
Recognized speciesBarbs
Adult size
Up to 10 cm
Typical adult length 8–10 cm.
Up to 10 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- A cooler or unheated aquarium of good length
- A robust community with active fish
- A keeper who wants a very hardy shoaling fish
Think carefully if
- You keep warm-water tropical fish
- You have delicate plants
- You keep long-finned or very small fish
A hardy, cool-tolerant barb from South Asia that grows larger than many expect. Males turn rosy red when ready to spawn, and it may nibble on soft plants.
Appearance and Identification
A deep, silvery to bronze body with a dark spot near the tail. Males develop a strong rosy red colour with dark fin tips, while females are golden and plainer.
The dark spot near the tail plus a rosy flank are the key features. Long-finned and neon forms are the same species.
Males are smaller, slimmer, and more colourful than females. During spawning, males develop tubercles on the head and snout.
Tank Requirements
- Suggested filter
- About 360–450 litres an hour
- Minimum tank volume
- 90 litres
- Minimum tank length
- 100 cm
- Minimum group size
- 8
- Recommended group size
- 10
- Activity level
- Very active
- Flow preference
- Moderate
- Planting preference
- Moderately planted
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- Moderate
Provide long swimming space and hardy plants, because soft plants may be nibbled. A lid helps to stop this active fish from jumping.
Behaviour and Tankmates
Very active, with frequent chasing inside the group. Larger groups keep this energy within the shoal.
Keep at least 8 to 10.
Not territorial, although males display and chase during spawning.
Good with other cool-tolerant, active fish such as gold barbs, odessa barbs, and danios. Avoid long-finned fish and very small fish or shrimp.
Water Parameters
A subtropical fish that prefers cooler water. Keep the water clean and well oxygenated.
Parameter caveat
Long periods in warm water are not ideal for this fish. Acclimate slowly.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Herbivore, Insectivore, Omnivore
- Feeding frequency
- Once or twice daily
- Preferred foods
- Quality flake or small granulesUse as the daily staple and scatter it so every fish in the group can reach food.
- Frozen or live bloodworm, daphnia, and brine shrimpOffer a few times a week to improve condition and colour.
- Spirulina flake or blanched vegetablesBarbs graze as well as hunt, so include some plant matter each week.
An omnivore with a good appetite for plant matter as well as small invertebrates.
Plenty of plant matter in the diet can reduce nibbling on aquarium plants.
Breeding
- Breeding type
- Egg Scatterer
- Breeding difficulty
- Easy
- Brood or egg count
- Often several hundred eggs
- Incubation
- 2 days
- Parental care
- None
- Baby foods
- Infusoria or parameciumNeeded for the first days after fry become free-swimming, because the fry are very small.
- Fine powdered fry foodUse sparingly as a supplement, and siphon out anything left uneaten.
- Newly hatched brine shrimpIntroduce once the fry are large enough to swallow it, usually after several days.
- MicrowormsA useful next step for fry that are still too small for brine shrimp.
An egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care. Adults may eat their eggs, so remove them after spawning. Eggs hatch in 24 to 48 hours, and fine-leaved plants or mesh help protect them.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, South Asia
- Natural habitat
- Freshwater River, Freshwater Stream, Lake, Pond
- Aquarium contexts
- Breeding Aquarium, Temperate Aquarium
- Audience level
- Beginner
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Pethia
- Family
- Cyprinidae
- Species group
- Barbs, Fish
- Previous scientific names
- Puntius conchonius, An older name still widely used in shops and books.
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Snakeskin Barb
Desmopuntius rhomboocellatus
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 5.5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 72 litres
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C
Snyders Barb
Puntius snyderi
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 7.5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 81 litres
- Temperature
- 18–24 °C
Spanner Barb
Striuntius lateristriga
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 15 cm
- Minimum tank
- 304 litres
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C