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fishintermediate
Tiger Barb
Puntigrus tetrazona
A striped little torpedo with a personality to match — lively and beautiful, but a notorious fin-nipper in small groups.
2.5–3 in6–10 years
Habitat
Enclosure
20 gal long minimum · schools of 8+
Temperature
75–80°F
Humidity / Water
Freshwater · pH 6.0–7.5
Heating & lighting
Reliable heater; they like it warm. A long tank with open swimming space spreads out chasing.
Diet
Feed these
- Flake food
- Micro pellets
- Frozen brine shrimp
- Blanched vegetables
Never feed
- Slow, long-finned tank mates
- Groups smaller than six (nipping gets worse)
- Overfeeding
Feed twice a day. Choose tank mates that are fast and short-finned — speed is armor against them.
Cohabitation
Can live with
Other tiger barbs — schools of 8+ Rainbow sharks — big tanks Silver dollars — big tanks
Never house with
Betta — fins shredded Angelfish and guppies — nipped relentlessly Neon tetras — nipped
The classic fin-nipper. In groups under six they turn bully — in groups of eight-plus they mostly chase each other instead.
