Tin Foil Barbs -
Information based on personal experience and research
My Tin Foil Barbs are the centerpiece of my tank. They are by far the most active fish I have ever owned. Not difficult by any stretch to keep. Since a lot of people come to my page looking for information on Tin Foil Barbs, I decided to create a page about them. Tin Foil Barbs are classified as Cyprinids,
and fall under the family of Cyprinidae. The Scientific name is Barbodes
schwanefeldii.
Feeding Tin Foil Barbs
Tin Foil Barbs are anything but picky when it comes to dinner time. I target my 2 Tin Foils for Flakes (I use TetraMin Color Enhancing, yet there are plenty other acceptable brands out there) and Cichlid Staples (I use Hikari Mini and Medium Size, but they will most likely accept anything.)
I also feed them JumboMin Cichlid sticks, (an Alternative to live food.) That is what I
intend
for them to eat, but they don't care much what I want. They will eat the Hikari Algae Wafers, (intended for the Red-Tailed Black Shark and Cory,) as well as the Wardley Shrimp Pellets, meant for the African Clawed Frogs, Red-Tailed Black Shark. They will also eat the Rosy Red Minnows and Guppies that I give them, intended for the Needlenose Gar and African Clawed Frogs, despite being
Herbivorous.
The truth is, as put by one of my friends, "no fish is truly
herbivorous in an aquarium, in the wild, yes, fishes are opportunistic, it is a matter of bite size or not." So true. These fish are known to munch on live plants so often that some will tell you it is impossible to keep them in a planted tank. I beg to
differ, as my Tin Foils have never touched any of my plants.
Fellow Inhabitants of Tin Foil Barbs
Tin Foil Barbs are not too
aggressive, and can be kept around most other community fish. They enjoy the company of their own kind; if possible, a group of five is nice. They will also enjoy anyone other fast-swimming
tank mates, I've heard Bala (Silver) Sharks and Silver Dollars mentioned more than a few times. My Silver Dollar has become a Tin Foil Barb, and is now schooling with them and eating just like them. Since they can grow to a size of 13 inches and are such fast swimmers, they need a large tank. It truly depends on the current size of the fish, but a 60 Gallon will do for a few. Opinions
differ on that subject though, so don't be surprised to find other
recommendations.
Even now that my Tin Foils have grown larger, they are still not very aggressive
fish. They are around 8 inches now, and although they will eat smaller fish when
given the opportunity, they will not harass them.
Breeding Tin Foil Barbs
Although breeding may be possible in a large public aquarium, there are no reports of it in the hobby, and details are unknown. The males can be
separated from the females
Growth of Tin Foil Barbs
When properly fed, Tin Foil Barbs can grow up to an inch a month until they reach the maximum size of 13 inches. Of course, to
achieve this growth rate, the fish will need the proper conditions. Good water quality, (see below,) fellow Tin Foil Barbs, a low stress level, and large space.
Mine have grown to be about 8 inches in 10 months and will probably not get much
bigger as the tank is only 12 inches deep.
Water Quality
The Tin Foil Barb prefers a temperature 72-79 degrees
Fahrenheit. It prefers a neutral pH, near 7, and is sensitive to foreign chemicals and ammonia.
Click here to see some pictures,
(soon) and videos (later.)
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