Tiger barbs are great fish to own for many different reasons. If you’re looking for fish that aren’t that hard to take care of, you’ll really enjoy having some of these in your fish tank.
Not only do tiger barbs look really nice, but they’re also easy to care for. These are considered to be very good fish for beginners.
Before you go out and buy some for your new aquarium, it’s best to learn a bit about them. For example, you’ll want to know how big tiger barbs get.
Are these fish that grow to be fairly large at maturity? Or are they going to stay somewhat small?
Read on to learn everything that you need to know about tiger barbs and how large they will get. This should make it easy to determine if these fish are right for your aquarium.
Tiger Barb Max Size
You’ll find that tiger barbs aren’t very big fish overall. They’re fairly small as far as barb fish go.
These fish will grow to be between two and a half inches and three inches long at maturity. They’re big enough that they won’t be eaten by many fish that you’d want to keep in your fish tank, but they’re small enough to keep in somewhat small fish tanks.
Many people keep tiger barbs in groups because they aren’t very big. These fish do best when they’re kept in groups of six or more.
If you don’t have room for a very large aquarium in your home, tiger barbs will be a good option for you. These fish aren’t overly big, but they can still be a lot of fun to own.
Being able to keep six of them in a fish tank will be convenient for most people. If you like the way tiger barbs look, it’ll be worth looking into buying some.
Often, you’ll find tiger barbs being sold in groups. You can find online fish stores that sell tiger barbs in packs of six or eight.
They aren’t expensive fish either. You will be able to get a group of these fish without having to break the bank.
How Big Do Tiger Barbs Get in a Tank?
It’s true that tiger barbs that are kept in fish tanks will be a bit smaller than wild tiger barbs. However, the difference isn’t that much when you get down to it.
Tiger barbs that are kept in fish tanks will grow to be between two and a half and three inches long. They aren’t very big, but they aren’t that small either.
Wild tiger barbs have the potential to grow close to four inches long. They can be one and a half inches wide, too.
Of course, not all wild tiger barbs are going to be so big. Many of them will grow to be the same size as captive tiger barbs.
It’s simply possible for wild tiger barbs to grow a bit larger than captive ones. There are some wild tiger barbs that have been found that have grown even larger than the numbers given above.
However, these larger tiger barbs don’t appear to be typical. Even the largest tiger barbs ever found in the wild are only several centimeters larger than normal.
How Fast Do Tiger Barbs Grow?
You’ll find that tiger barbs don’t grow rapidly as some other types of barbs do. Every six weeks, the fish should grow around a quarter of an inch.
Sometimes the fish might grow a bit more than this. It takes tiger barbs between 6 and 12 months to reach their maximum growth potential.
This means that you don’t have to wait too long for juvenile tiger barbs to mature. They might not grow as fast as some barbs do, but they still aren’t slow-growing fish.
Some of the fish might get bigger than others. This is normal, and you don’t need to worry if certain fish appear to be a bit behind others in growth.
So long as you’re feeding the fish properly, they will be able to grow strong. Take care of the tiger barbs as you normally would to get optimal results.
How Can You Encourage Tiger Barb Growth?
Encouraging tiger barb growth simply involves feeding them normally. Tiger barbs are meant to be fed once or twice per day.
It really doesn’t matter whether you choose to feed them twice per day or if you’d rather only do it once. You just need to change how much you’re giving the fish at once if you choose to break things up into two feedings.
When feeding tiger barbs, you’re supposed to give them as much as they can eat within five minutes. If you feed the fish twice per day, divide that in half and feed them as much as they can finish in two and a half minutes.
Tiger barbs are omnivores that aren’t picky eaters. Even so, you want to feed them the right things that will give them the nutrients that they need.
These fish enjoy eating flakes, but you should also give them frozen food and live food from time to time. It’ll be good to give these fish beef hearts, bloodworms, and brine shrimp occasionally.
So long as you’re feeding the fish properly, they’ll be able to grow at a steady pace. It should be easy enough for the tiger barbs to reach their maximum growth potential.
Females Are Larger Than Males
Another thing to keep in mind is that female tiger barbs are larger than males. Generally, the female tiger barbs are the ones that will grow to be three inches long in the tank.
Male tiger barbs will often grow to be two and a half inches long. Sometimes a male tiger barb might grow to be a bit larger than normal.
Even so, the females are the larger fish in the tank. Not only are they longer than the males, but they’re also going to be rounder.
They have rounder bellies than their male counterparts. This is the easiest way to tell males and females apart at a glance.
There are other ways to distinguish between male and female tiger barbs. For example, male tiger barbs are more colorful than females.
What Is the Best Tank Size for Tiger Barbs?
You learned that tiger barbs don’t grow to be too large overall. They can fit in somewhat small tanks, but you should still endeavor to give them more than enough room.
Tiger barbs are semi-aggressive fish that do better when placed in aquariums with ample space. For this reason, it’s better to avoid cramming too many of them in a small fish tank.
Technically, tiger barbs can fit into a 20-gallon fish tank. However, this isn’t going to be the ideal size.
Earlier, you learned that these fish do better in small groups. It’s recommended to keep them in groups of six or more.
If you wish to buy six tiger barbs for your fish tank, it’ll be best to put them in a 30-gallon aquarium. You might even want a bigger tank than that if you plan to put other fish in the tank as well.
Tiger barbs aren’t the best community tank fish, but they can get along with specific other fish. Give them enough room so they can do well under your care.
Are There Other Types of Tiger Barbs?
There aren’t any other types of tiger barbs that you need to worry about. You will find tiger barbs being sold in different color variations, but they’re not different genetically.
Some types of fish have variations that are quite significant. There are simply some tiger barbs that have been bred in such a way that they have different colors.
For instance, there are albino tiger barbs that you can buy at pet stores. You can also find green tiger barbs.
All of these fish are going to be the same size as standard tiger barbs. You don’t need to be concerned about tiger barb varieties that will grow to be smaller or larger than the standard fish.
Tiger barbs are already a specific type of barb fish. There are many other barbs out there that you can look into.
You will find a lot of size variation among different barb fish. Some will be smaller than tiger barbs while others will be larger.
Will Tiger Barbs Fight Each Other?
Yes, tiger barbs are known to fight each other. This will actually be a lot worse if you keep tiger barbs in groups that are too small.
This is why it’s recommended to keep tiger barbs in groups of six or more. If you keep only two or three tiger barbs in the tank, you’ll wind up dealing with more aggression issues.
It’s normal for tiger barbs to fight a bit no matter what. They do this to establish the hierarchy of their group.
You’ll also find that males are the most likely fish to fight with each other. They will chase and nip each other as they jockey for position.
It shouldn’t be a big problem if you have enough tiger barbs in the tank. The aggression of these fish should be easy enough to contain.
How Long Do Tiger Barbs Live?
If you do a good job of caring for tiger barbs, are they going to live for a long time? Or are they fairly short-lived fish?
The average life span of captive tiger barbs is between five and seven years. That means that these fish have the potential to live for quite a while in your home aquarium.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that the fish will live this long. If you want the fish to survive, you’ll need to take care of them properly.
Although tiger barbs are hardy fish overall, they’ll still die if you don’t take care of the tank. Like other fish, tiger barbs will get sick if you don’t monitor the water parameters.
It’s important to keep the temperature of the water in the right range. You also have to monitor the pH balance of the water.
Make sure that you take the time to clean the fish tank on a regular basis, too. If you don’t, it’ll be more likely that the fish will get sick due to living in dirty water.
Regular water changes will be a big part of protecting the fish. It’s best to change 15% of the water each week to keep tiger barbs safe.
Getting into the habit of regularly doing tank maintenance will help a lot. You should have a good experience if you dedicate yourself to the process.
Final Thoughts
After learning about tiger barbs and how large they get, it’ll be easier to decide if they’re right for you. These are amazing fish that you will enjoy taking care of.
Not only are tiger barbs easy to care for, but they’re also rather pretty. These fish look nice in just about any fish tank setting.
Since they only grow to be between two and a half and three inches long, it’s easy to keep them in your home. You can keep six of them in a 30-gallon fish tank and have a good experience.
You always want to keep tiger barbs in groups of six or more. If you have too few tiger barbs in the tank, it’ll make their aggression issues much worse.
Remember that you want to care for these fish well to keep them alive for a long time. They aren’t hard to keep alive, but you should monitor the conditions in the tank.
It’s also important to feed the fish well. Feeding the fish properly will help them to grow strong and remain healthy.
You can feed tiger barbs once or twice per day. Don’t overfeed the fish since that can lead to various health issues.
Enjoy owning tiger barbs and let your friends know what you learned about them today. If you know anyone who is on the fence about buying tiger barbs, learning about how large they get and how to care for them might help out substantially.
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.