People really enjoy keeping tiger barbs in their home aquariums. They’re very pretty fish that aren’t all that big.
At maturity, these fish grow to be between two and a half and three inches long. You can keep six of them comfortably in a 40-gallon fish tank.
If you’re thinking of getting some of these fish, you likely want to know how hardy they are. Are these fish that are hardy enough that beginners will have an easy time with them?
Continue reading to learn about the hardiness of tiger barbs. You’ll learn about these fish and how easy they are to care for.
Once you’ve read all of the information, you can make a decision on whether they’re right for your home. It’s always best to have all of the info before you purchase fish.
Tiger Barbs Are Quite Hardy
Tiger barbs are quite hardy and are considered to be very beginner-friendly fish. If you’re relatively new to caring for fish in your home, tiger barbs will be good options for you.
These fish aren’t incredibly picky when it comes to water parameters. They do have preferred water parameters, but they aren’t the type of fish that will die if things are off just a little bit.
They aren’t picky eaters either. These are omnivores that will eat many different types of food.
You should be able to take care of these fish without it being a big deal. Getting used to meeting the care needs of your tiger barbs won’t feel like a hassle.
Of course, you’ll have the best experience if you put some effort into caring for the fish optimally. If you do your best to look after the tank, these fish will live for quite some time.
Below, you’ll get some information about tiger barb care. This will help you to have an ideal experience.
Water Parameters
The water parameters for tiger barbs aren’t too strict overall. To keep the tiger barbs healthy, you’ll want to keep the water temperature set between 68 degrees Fahrenheit and 79 degrees Fahrenheit.
The pH balance should be 6.5 if you want to keep things just right for the tiger barbs. It’s said that they can tolerate pH balance ranges between 6.0 and 8.0, though.
This makes it easy to keep them in community fish tanks with compatible fish. Since they can tolerate different ranges of temperatures and pH balances, they won’t be as picky as some fish.
It’s also good to know that tiger barbs prefer moderate water flow. If you can set the tank up properly, they’re likely going to thrive under your care.
Tiger Barbs Are Schooling Fish
Another thing to know is that tiger barbs are schooling fish. These fish do best when kept with a group of their own kind.
To keep things safe, it’s recommended to keep at least six tiger barbs in the same tank. If you keep too few tiger barbs in the tank, they might become aggressive toward other fish.
These fish are known to be fin nippers. They will go around and nip at the fins of their tank mates.
This doesn’t occur when you keep tiger barbs in groups of six or more. They just scuffle with each other to establish dominance and leave the other fish in the tank alone.
As you can tell, it’s important to keep these schooling fish in groups that are large enough. If you plan to keep tiger barbs in community aquariums, it’s imperative to have enough tiger barbs in the tank.
Don’t Overcrowd the Tank
Don’t overcrowd the tank when you’re putting these fish in community aquariums. Six tiger barbs will fit fine in a 40-gallon aquarium, but you’ll need a larger tank if you want to put other fish in there.
All of the fish need to have enough room to move around comfortably. If you cram the fish tank with too many fish, it’ll cause all of the fish to experience stress.
Research how much space each fish is going to need. Once you have the right information, it’ll be wise to buy a tank that has enough space.
Note that you don’t have to keep tiger barbs as community tank fish either. If you only have enough space for a group of six tiger barbs, that’ll be perfectly fine.
How Long Do Tiger Barbs Live?
You’ll find that tiger barbs will live for quite a long time if you care for them well. They have the potential to live between five and seven years in a fish tank setting.
Some have said that tiger barbs can live slightly longer in the wild. Since these fish are easy to care for, you should have a pretty simple time getting them to live for many years in your aquarium.
As you’d expect, giving the fish better care will make it more likely that they’ll survive for longer periods of time. This means monitoring the water conditions and ensuring that you feed the fish well.
If you don’t look after the fish properly, it could easily die much earlier. Five to seven years is the expected lifespan, but a fish could die early due to getting sick or human error.
What Should You Feed Tiger Barbs?
Tiger barbs aren’t incredibly picky when it comes to eating. You will likely be feeding them fish flakes most of the time.
It’s good to vary the diet of these fish to keep them healthy, though. They’re omnivores that should be given meaty foods from time to time.
You can feed the tiger barbs frozen brine shrimp, bloodworms, and beef hearts every so often. People also feed these fish cooked veggies sometimes.
Do your best to give the fish high-quality food so that they will thrive under your care. It should make it more likely that they will grow strong and live long lives.
Common Tiger Barb Diseases
Sadly, tiger barbs can sometimes get sick even when you do things right. These fish might become exposed to certain diseases due to new additions to the tank or the water getting too dirty.
Tiger barbs have been known to encounter issues with conditions such as ich. They can also get serious conditions such as dropsy.
Other diseases such as velvet and fin rot can be problems for tiger barbs. If you wish to keep your fish safe, it’s important to keep the fish tank clean.
Avoid stressing the fish and try to give them an ideal environment. This is the best way to prevent issues with common diseases.
Final Thoughts
Overall, tiger barbs are very hardy fish that you’ll have an easy time caring for. These are good fish for beginners that will look amazing in your fish tank.
They’re meant to be kept in schools since they’re schooling fish. You should keep at least six of them in the fish tank to get the best results.
Tiger barbs will live between five and seven years in your tank on average. If you do a good job caring for the fish tank, you’ll be enjoying them for a long time.
Be sure to feed them well and clean the fish tank regularly. So long as you do the basic stuff that you’re supposed to do, it’ll be easy to get good results when caring for tiger barbs.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.