Green Tiger Barb

The Green barb is a medium long barb of the minnow family (Cyprinidae) and the biggest scientifically measured Puntius semifasciolatus had attained a length of 7 cm (2.8 inches).

This fish has a complete lateral line, a posteriorly serrated last simple dorsal ray and a highly arched back. Just like its relatives, the Green barb has a set of highly sensitive barbells that is can use to navigate and search for prey in murky waters. The barbells are fairly short and positioned at the corners of the mouth on the upper jaw.

As mentioned earlier, Green barbs should always be kept in schools consisting of at least 5 specimens, preferably more. Even though wild Puntius semifasciolatus stay fairly small, captive specimens can grow much bigger than the 7 cm reported from the wild. You must therefore have a big enough aquarium to house them in and a 50 L aquarium is considered an absolute minimum. Green barbs are active and need a lot of swimming space. They will also need spots to hide in and adding plants is recommended since their native habitat is densely grown. Since they hail from fast rivers and streams, Green barbs are fond of some current in the aquarium.