Fish Data : Tinfoil Barb

Scientific Name: Barbus schwanefeldi
Natural Habitat: Rivers in Thailand and Sumatra
Common Names: Tinfoil Barb, River Barb.
Beginner Fish: No. Tinfoil Barb needs a large aquarium.
Adult Size: 13 inches.
Life Span: 8-10 years.
Tank Size: 75+ gallon tank.
Tank Region: Middle to top.
Water Temperature: 75°F – 80°F
Water pH: 6 – 7.5

    “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.
    The Tinfoil Barb is imported in several other varieties as well. These include the familiar albino color form along with a glass variety. There are also blue, pink, purple, and orange color forms. Sometimes a specimen may be further destinguished as having a red or yellow tail, having black eyes, or a combination of these traits.

    The Tinfoil barb is a schooling species. You can keep at least 5 specimens together. By keeping a group of Tinfoil barbs you will make the fishes much less stressed in the aquarium and you will also be able to enjoy a much broader range of natural behaviours. Shoaling Tinfoil barbs are highly active and entertaining. They spend most of their time between the bottom and the mid-level of the aquarium. This fish are peaceful creatures and can be housed with other peaceful fish species. 

Aquarium Setup
    Minimum Tank Size: This fish is very active and requires plenty of space to swim. A tank with dimensions of 60" x 24" x 24"/150cm x 60cm x 60cm/566 L should be the minimum size considered to house a group.

• Brackish: No
• Water Movement: Strong
• Water Region: All
• Substrate Type: Any
• Lighting Needs: Moderate - normal lighting
• Temperature: 72.0 - 77.0° F (22.2 - 25.0° C)
• Range ph: 6.5-7.5
• Water Change : 1 Time per month

Tank Mate :

    

    The Tinfoil barb 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 many large Cichlids, such as the Oscar fish , Midas Cichlid . 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.

Feeding :

    This Fish is omnivorous and something of an opportunist; wild fish have been observed feeding on invertebrates, algae, smaller fish, plant matter both aquatic and terrestrial and even organic detritus from human settlements. In the aquarium, The Tinfoil Barb just as easily-fed and will greedily accept just about anything offered. For it to develop its best colours and condition offer regular meals of small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and Artemia along with good quality dried flakes, granules and plenty of vegetable matter. Shelled peas, blanched courgette, spinach and chopped fruit all make good additions to the menu. Larger specimens will also take chopped earthworm, prawn etc.

Sex Different :

    Mature Tinfoil Barb females are usually deeper-bodied than males especially when in spawning condition. Otherwise there are no obvious external differences.

Breeding / Reproduction

    This fish is a typical egg scatterer, the logistics of breeding a fish of this size is generally a deterence to most aquarists.

    The female Tinfoil barb can produce several thousand eggs per spawning. Sexing Tinfoil barbs is a bit tricky, since there are no obvious difference between males and females.  


When Tinfoil barbs grow so large, they are not easy to breed in captivity. According to unverified sources, a public aquarium has managed to breed Tinfoil barbs in captivity at least once, but as of 2006, no public aquarium has published any details regarding how to breed Tinfoil barbs. If you want to go about breeding Tinfoil barbs, you will need an outdoor aquaculture in a tropical climate or a really big aquarium.

    Since the Tinfoil barbs are egg scatterers, they will not care for their eggs. Chances are high that they will eat egg and/or fry if kept together in the same aquarium. If you plan to breed Tinfoil barbs, it can therefore be a good idea to arrange a separate breeding aquarium where the offspring can be raised without the presence of adult fish. If you instead want to let the offspring stay together with the adult fish in the large aquarium, you can promote a higher fry survival by including a lot of plants in the set up. Java moss will for instance produce plenty of hiding spots for young Tinfoil barbs since Java moss produce and abundance of bushy leaves. Tinfoil barb fry will instinctively seek shelter and try to stay away from adult fish in the aquarium, just like they would do in the wild.

credit :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tinfoil_barbs_01.jpg

http://www.tropical-fish-pictures.com/tinfoil-barb.html