Albino Tiger Barb

Albino Tiger Barb
Albino Tiger Barb
Albino Tiger Barb Female & Male
Albino Tiger Barb Female & Male

Albino Tiger Barbs are a beautiful golden fish featuring 4 white bars through them. Albino Tiger Barbs are a colour morph variation of the Tiger Barb. They are suitable for a tropical aquarium when kept in numbers of 6 or more.

Common Name(s) : Albino Tiger Barb
Family : Cyprinidae
Genus: Puntigrus
Species : Puntigrus tetrazona

Origin : Borneo, Indonesia, Sumatra
PH : 6.5 – 7.5
Hardness : Soft to Hard
Temperature : 18 – 28°C / 64–82°F
Maximum Size : 7cm / 2.8 inches
Lifespan : 5 years
Aggression Level : Low-Medium (3.5/10)
Recommended Tank Size : 30 Litres +
Strata : Visits all areas

DESCRIPTION

The Albino Tiger Barb has a round, deep body with a high back and a pointed head. They can grow to about 7-10 centimeters long (2.75 – 4 inches) although they are often smaller when kept in an aquarium.

The Albino Tiger Barb is cream and gold with white stripes and red/orange accented fins. They are a very lively, playful fish that prefers to be in schools of 6 or more.

TANK SET UP

Provide rocks, large pieces of driftwood, live or fake plants etc for lots of cover

SUITABLE TANK MATES

  • Angelfish
  • Dwarf Cichlids
  • Bristlenose
  • Corydoras
  • Danios
  • Siamese Flying Fox
  • Loaches
  • Mollies
  • Platys
  • Rainbows
  • Rasboras
  • Sharks
  • Silver Dollars
  • Snails
  • Swordtails
  • Tetras

DIET

Omnivores – Frozen, Live, Flakes, Pellets, Vegetables

SEXING AND BREEDING

The Albino Tiger Barb usually attains sexual maturity at a body length of 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in total length, or at approximately six to seven weeks of age.

Males feature a bright red nose with a distinct red line above the black on their dorsal fins. The females are generally larger with a rounder belly.

Tiger barbs have been documented to spawn as many as 500 eggs per female (Scheurmann 1990; Axelrod 1992). Females can spawn at approximately two week intervals (Munro et al. 1990).

Albino Tiger Barbs will readily breed in an aquarium. To successfully breed Albino Tiger Barbs you might like to set up a separate densely planted tank and after the eggs have been scattered (up to 500 of them!!) the adults should be removed as Albino Tiger Barbs have a tendency to eat their own eggs. Live plants such as Java Moss, Wisteria, even Ambulia are great suggestions for this purpose. These egg-layers tend to spawn several hundred eggs in the early morning in clumps of plants.

When the female Albino Tiger Barb is ready to spawn, she will appear swollen (or “gravid”) with eggs. The males will circle and chase the females, repeatedly nudging her head and belly area. Eggs are usually deposited in groups of plants, and the pair will attempt to eat any that they are able to locate. For this reason it is suggested both parents be removed as they do not feature any maternal instincts.

The young hatch in 24 to 36 hours, depending on water temperature. The eggs will hatch in one to two days and the fry are free-swimming after two more days. The fry and can be fed frozen baby brine shrimp. After five weeks, the fry will be about 1 cm long.

OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION

As mentioned, Albino Tiger Barbs do enjoy a densely planted aquarium. They can be a shy fish and will enjoy the cover of a canopy.

Barbs are hardy, active and mostly a peaceful fish that are best kept in groups of no less than 6 fish in a community tank.
Barbs are known to nip at fins therefore it is best not to keep them with long finned fish (eg Bettas) and also with small slow moving fish. Provide enough fish to school and the fin nipping tendency will be lessened.

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