A General Guide to Barbs

Tiger Barb

Family: Cyprinidae Common name: Tiger Barb, Sumatra Barb, Rosy Barb,

Tinfoil Barb, Cherry Barb, Gold Barb, Albino Barb, many others…

Native to: Indonesia, Sumatra, Borneo

Average size: 3 inches

Average Life span: 6 years

Tank Region: Mid-Level

Temp: 68 to 78 degrees F

Semi-aggressive (depending) / Community (depending)

One of the most active community fish, the tiger barb features distinct black stripes on its diamond shaped body. The many varieties of Tiger Barbs include the Green and Albino variety. The Tiger Barb is best kept in groups of 6 or more, or it will furiously nip the fins of other fish. The long, swaying fins of the Angelfish are especially vulnerable to be nipped off from Tiger Barbs. I believe that Tiger Barbs are more active in larger groups, too. A tank full of a community of Tiger Barbs can create an exotic display by themselves. They are very fast swimmers and can be formidable mates (in large enough groups) for Oscars or Pacus in a large enough tank.

TANKMATES: NOT recommended to be kept with Angel Fish, Tetras, Glofish, Mollies, Platys, Guppies. Best kept with other barbs. Most members can be kept with other fish of the same size and temperament. Really good ones to keep are the Cherry barb, Rosy barb and all members from the families Rasboraand Bracydanio. Members from the species Puntius cannot be kept with calm, slow moving long finned fish, as they tend to nibble and nip on the fins. Some like the Tin Foil Barb and the Clown Loach will get too large for most community setups and others like Epalzeorhynchos bicolor (Red tail Black shark) should be kept as single specimens. It is imperative to research any fish before purchasing and adding it to your aquarium. Can hold their own, in a large enough tank, with most Cichlids, as these guys are fast. Groups are recommended!

Albino Barb

SCHOOLING: Unlike many other species of fish that won’t school with their exact own kind (Neon Tetras won’t school with Glowlight Tetras, Red Glofish Danios won’t school with Giant Danios, etc.), Barbs will keep together. In other words, 2 Tiger barbs, 2 Albino barbs, and 2 Green barbs will form to one school.

Green Barb

ENVIRONMENT: The tank should be set up in dark colors, densely planted, but leaving open spaces for swimming. They enjoy having plants to chase around and the quieter species appreciate hiding places. Adding bogwood to your aquarium is often a good way of keeping barbs happy, as well as maintaining the right water conditions.

Black Ruby Barb

Red Glass Barb

Tattooed Tinfoil Barb

Convict Cichlid Fish

Convict Cichlid Fish – The Care, Feeding and Breeding of Convict Cichlids:

Quick Stats:

Minimum Tank Size: 20 Gallons (29 Gallons recommended)
Care Level: Easy
Water Conditions: PH 6-8 and Soft to Neutral
Temperature: 68-80 F (20-27 C)
Maximum Size: 6 inches (15.2 cm) for males, and 4 for females (10.2 cm)

The convict cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) is found throughout Central America, inhabiting a wide array of habitats. It is commonly found in streams and rivers, but it is also known to live in ponds and lakes with thick plant cover. With that being said, it tends to prefers moving water, and is often found sheltering in submerged branches and rock formations.

The male convict cichlid grows up to 6 inches (15.2 cm) in length, while the female grows to an average length of 4 inches (10.2cm). When the females reach breeding maturity, the belly of the fish will take on red hue, making sexing quite easy in mature convict cichlid fish.

Housing:

Convict cichlids can be a messy fish, and should generally be housed in a spacious, species only tank. The minimum tank size for a non-breeding pair should be a 20 gallon (75 litre) tank , though the ideal size is closer to 29 gallons (100 litres).

If a person is planning to breed convict cichlids, or hopes (and I stress the word hopes) to keep them in a community tank, then they should be kept in at least a 55 gallon (208 litre) fish tank. A pair of breeding convicts will terrorize any tank that they are housed in, and will viciously attack anything that comes near their nest. It’s not unusual to see a breeding pair of cichlids take on a much larger fish, and some have been known to attack fish nearly twice their size.

Since convict cichlids constantly dig and rearrange their tank, their aquarium should be over-filtered with a strong HOB (hang-on-back) filter, or in ideal circumstances, a canister filter. For extra biological filtration, a second filter or a sponge filter can be added to the tank, which helps keep the water sparkling clean. This is especially useful if a person is planning to breed convict cichlids, as the fry need pristine water quality.

If choosing an HOB filter, I would strongly recommend choosing an Aquaclear Power Filter for a convict cichlid tank. This filter combines excellent filtration with a durable design, and it will keep your tank sparkling clear for years to come. You can also read the Aquarium Tidings Aquaclear Filter Review here.

Feeding:

In the wild, convict cichlids primarily feed on small insects, worms, plant matter and algae. In the home aquarium, they will greedily eat nearly anything offered to them. But a healthy diet should be made up of a high quality fish food, with occasional frozen foods added for treats. I prefer to feed my convicts New Life Spectrum Cichlid Formula and have had great success with this high quality food.

When it comes to frozen foods, their favorites are blood worms, daphnia and brine shrimp. They will especially appreciate any live food that can cultured or caught – with mosquito larvae and live black worms being particular favorites.

Breeding:

Convict cichlids are among the easiest tropical aquarium fish to breed. Unlike many other cichlids, they don’t selectively pair off, and any male and female in placed in an aquarium will usually breed within a matter of weeks.

Since convict cichlids prefer to lay eggs on rocky overhangs in the wild, the easiest way to simulate their natural habitat in the home aquarium is to provide them with overturned clay pots. Stacks of rocks will also work, and they have also been known to lay eggs in PVC pipe “caves”, but nothing seems to beat the simple clay pots.

Once an egg laying surface has been provided, the male and female will begin clearing the area around their breeding site. Any plants will be removed and the substrate will likely be excavated and moved around to their liking.

During this time, the convict cichlid breed pair will viciously attack any other fish in their tank, and few fish – even the armored pleco, can take this abuse for long. Needless to say, any breeding convicts should be kept in a tank without any other fish present.

Once their territory has been staked out, the female will deposit her eggs on a clay pot, and the male will fertilize them. The parents will diligently guard the eggs, with the male chasing away anything that comes close to the nest, while the female stays close to the eggs.

The fry will begin to hatch in a few days, and after about a week, the convict cichlid parents will begin to herd the tiny fry around the tank. At this point infusoria, and baby brine shrimp should be fed to the fry three times a day. If someone doesn’t want to go to the trouble of hatching brine shrimp or culturing infusoria, then there are a few commercial products available for feeding fry.

One of the most interesting aspects of owning convict cichlids is watching the level of parental care that they give to their offspring. While guppies and many other fish will make a quick snack of their offspring, convict cichlids are extremely caring parents.  They will dig paths through plants for their fry, stir up the substrate to uncover food, and quickly get the fry to safety anytime they feel threatened. Even in a tank with equal sized predator fish, it’s exceedingly rare to even lose even one convict cichlid fry.

Tinfoil barb feeding

Tinfoil barb feeding:

Wild Tinfoil barbs are chiefly herbivore creatures and will eat aquatic macrophytes, filamentous algae, submerged land plants and similar. They will however also eat insects, worms, crustaceans and small fishes. In the aquarium, Tinfoil barbs are usually happy eaters that readily accept most types of food. Healthy Tinfoil barbs will try to capture as much food as possible when you feed them. Avoiding over-feeding is important since obesity is unhealthy for all fishes. Keep your Tinfoil barbs on a varied dietcan consists of an herbivore base supplemented with occasional treats in the form of worms, crustaceans and similar.

Tinfoil barb tank mates

Tinfoil barb tank mates:

tin foils

Tinfoil barbs should always be kept together in a group consisting of at least five Tinfoil barbs. The Tinfoil bar group can be housed together with peaceful fish species of similar size or bigger. If you have a really large aquarium, you can for instance keep a group of Tinfoil barbs together with large cichlids, such as the Oscar fish (Astronotus ocellatus). Tinfoil barbs are also frequently kept together with shy and jittery fish species, since a calm Tinfoil barb group will make less tranquil fish species feel much more relaxed in the aquarium and encourage them to spend more time out in the open instead of staying hidden. Tinfoil barbs feed are chiefly herbivores, but should not be kept with crustaceans and small fishes since they can be considered food.

BALA SHARK TANK MATES

                      BALA SHARK TANK MATES:

                                       It is important to know which fish go together when populating your aquarium. If they don’t get along you may end up with fish disappearing over night or fish that stay in hiding all the time and you never get to see them. Bala Sharks fit well into a community of peaceful fish, although they may get aggressive if you don’t care for your bala sharks properly. Some fish that bala sharks get along with include, but are not limited to:

• Angel fish
• Gouramis
• Barbs (including the tinfoil barb)
• Rainbow fish
• Guppies (smaller ones)
• Spiny eels
• Danios
• Tetras (when the balas are full-grown they may eat the small tetras, like the neon tetra)
• Clown loach schools
• Even include oscar but u should watch carefully

reason they will eat smaller fish when they are full grown is because the smaller fish can fit in their mouths. It’s one of those cases where just because you do it doesn’t make it a good idea, but Bala Sharks do it anyways. It’s something to keep in mind.

• Vallisneria
• Sagittarius
• Plastic plants (are better than none at all)
• Red tailed black sharks (very territorial)
• African Cichlids

You may also want to consider which types of plants the Bala Shark feels comfortable around, they include:

It is also good to know which bala shark tankmates may not be the best choice.

BOX FISH

Minimum Tank Size: 70 gallons Care Level: Expert Only Temperament: Semi-aggressive Reef Compatible: With Caution Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025 Max. Size: 10" Color Form: Black, Blue, Orange, White Venomous: Poisonous When Stressed or Dies Diet: Omnivore Compatibility: View Chart Origin: Hawaii, Maldives Family: Ostraciidae

OVER VIEW:

The Boxfish is also referred to as the Spotted Boxfish, Blue Boxfish, Black Boxfish, or Whitespotted Boxfish. The various names are due to the dimorphic appearance of the male and female. The male is the more colorful of the two, with a vibrant blue body and a wide black swath covering the top of the body like a cap. The entire body is speckled with dots, white on black and black on blue while a thin horizontal stripe of orange adorns the tail. The female is entirely black with white dots.

This is a very difficult fish to keep in the aquarium setting by any other than the most experienced aquarist. It should have a minimum of a 50 gallon tank. Use caution if placing the Boxfish in a reef tank as they will often nibble at tubeworms. When stressed, the Boxfish releases a poisonous substance, called ostracitoxin, from its mucous glands which will kill other fish in the tank very quickly.

Very little success has been achieved in breeding these fish in an aquarium. When first introduced, the Boxfish can be fed a diet of live brine shrimp or bloodworms. After acclimatization, chopped squid, clams, mussels, and herbivore preparations can be fed.

Approximate Purchase Size: Small Female: 1" to 2"; Medium Female: 2" to 3; Large Female: 3" to 5"; Male: 3" to 4"

TIN FOIL FISH

Tinfoil Barb Factoids
Origin	Southeast Asia
Temperature	70 to 80F
Size	16 inches, 12 more likely
Age	10+ years
Substrate	Immaterial
Security	Speed and schooling
Foods	Omnivore -- not picky
Breeding	Easy with hormones
Threats	Low oxygen

Red-tail schwanefeldis look most attractive. 
Name:  “Tinfoil” refers to the metallic sheen of their scales.  “Barb” refers to the two sets of barbels that grow from their mouths.  Originally called red-tail tinfoil barbs because of their red tail and red fins, tinfoils now come in several different varieties -- all attractive in their own right.  A school of tinfoil barbs -- young, medium, or mature adults -- never fails to catch your attention.  Their colors, size, and speed make them a classic favorite and a good mixer with many varied species.

At 10 inches, tinfoil barbs are formidable eating machines.

Origin:  Tinfoil barbs are widespread across much of Southeast Asia.  They consider them a tasty food fish and a small sport fish.  Most of our tinfoils come from fish farms in this region.

 
Looks like these guys bashed into the ends of their tank too many times.
Smacked Noses:  Startled tinfoil barbs tend to jump out or run into the ends of their tank.  You can avoid smashed mouth tinfoils by putting plastic plants at the ends of their tank.  Avoid desiccated tinfoils by covering your tank tightly.

Temperature:  Room temp to 80F works well for tinfoil barbs.  Higher temps can take the oxygen out of their water -- more on this later.

Most people buy their tinfoil barbs at this under two-inch size.  This one's a yellow tail.

Here's a small albino tinfoil barb -- one of eight or so varieties available today.
Tinfoil barbs easily grow to "eatin' size."

Size:  In the wild, tinfoil barbs top out at 16 inches.  Happily, they max out at a smaller size in our tanks.  Their size and speed make them a small sport fish where they come from.  They never come close to the lunker catfishes they grow over there, but they fight well and are tasty.  Huge lunkers are rarely the tastiest fish in the pond. 

Not a lot of color at four inches.Age:  Most tinfoil keepers shed themselves of their former charges before they approach anywhere near their full potential.  They trade them in at somewhere around six inches, never coming close to seeing how attractive these large barbs (the largest barbs, by the way) can become.

Tinfoil barb right in the melee's middle.  They mix with many American cichlids.Schoolers:  Sure, you can keep one tinfoil barb in your tank if you are so inclined.  But you’ll enjoy them more if you keep several.  They hang together like Goths, Slackers, and Tokers.  When one zips off, the others are in close pursuit.  Singles may tend to nip a bit instead of hanging with their own kind.  

Three-inch tinfoil barb co-existing with a five-inch electric yellow (several of both in this tank).

Half-grown schwanefeldi barbs co-existing with arowanas.

Mixers:  Of course you can mix Tinfoil barbs with other barbs.  You can also mix them with non-fancy goldfish.  They might pester angels and long-finned goldfish, but they get along great with most of the local toughs -- oscars, dempseys, and many assorted American cichlids.  They also mix with many of the African cichlids (at least the sissy ones like peacocks and electric yellows).

Substrate:  Probably their substrate makes more difference to their owners than it does to the tinfoils.  A darker substrate darkens or intensifies their colors.  Use a substrate that permits good filtration.

Security:  Tinfoil barbs rarely hide.  They don’t need to.  They are faster than most predators.  They are more effort for predators to catch than most predators are willing to put forth.  Tinfoils also school, which further confuses predators.  Like in the cartoons where the dumb villain asks:  “Which way did he go?  Which way did he go?”

Water Conditions:  Schwanefeldi originally came from soft, slightly acid waters.  They adapt instantly to our Des Moines moderately hard, slightly basic water.  However, their waste products can convert our water to yellow, slightly acid water.  They do appreciate frequent water changes.  They eat like piggies and excrete like piggies.

Tinfoils like both vegetation and meaty foods.  They're true omnivores.

Tinfoil barbs chowing on the peel of a zucchini left by the silver dollars.

Tinfoils love eating plants, but check the mouth of the guy in the middle.

Feeding:  While your other fish are still looking over your wine list, your tinfoil barbs have already devoured their rations and are saying:  “Please, sir, may I have another?”  Your tinfoil barbs will always be first, second, and third in the chow line -- depending on just how many of the hungry little beggars you keep in your tank.

The two smaller males tried to spawn this chunky four-inch female.  They all eat like piggies.

Breeding:  Of course, you can breed tinfoil barbs.  The pros breed them like the DNR guys at our Spirit Lake Walleye Factory.  Tinfoils are ready to rock and roll at two year of age.  You need two males per plump female.  Each female spews 5,000 eggs on average.  You condition them with CPE (Carp Pituitary Extract) and HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadatropin), knock 'em out with Quinaldine, squeeze the eggs and sperms out, and aerate the fertilized eggs in those conical cylinders.  If you can get the ingredients, the rest is simple.  You will also need a micro-hypodermic needle and a good scale.  Good luck with your 5,000 baby tinfoils.

Threats:  You never see it mentioned in the literature but these guys need well aerated water.  If your power goes off, your tinfoil barbs die first, then your bala sharks, and so on.  If you move a batch of fish in a bucket, your tinfoils belly up first.  Maybe none of the others even look uncomfortable.  If you forget and leave a tank draining while you get distracted, your tinfoils, balas, and iridescent sharks are all on the “Most Likely to Croak” list.

Last Words:  If you have the room and  the patience, tinfoil barbs make excellent aquatic residents.  They’re not expensive, they just look expensive.