The green fish is the same barb carrying so much dark pigment that the bars nearly vanish. The green bronze sheen left behind only shows under decent light. Shops list it as Green, Moss Green or plain Moss barb, and small juveniles can look muddy gray before the sheen fills in. Green and normal tiger barbs shoal together happily, since the color changes nothing about how they behave.
In the wild
Green is a melanistic selection out of commercial breeding farms rather than anything collected from a river. No breeder, country or date is documented for it, so it is best treated as a farm line of uncertain origin. Wild tiger barbs are the banded orange and black form, and nothing green turns up in wild populations.
Good to know
Melanism here means the melanophores spread across the whole body instead of staying inside the four bars, so the pattern is still there, just buried. The green cast is a scattering effect over that dark layer rather than a green pigment, and hobby references name it as Tyndall scattering. It shifts with the lighting and the viewing angle. The form breeds true well enough to be farmed at scale, though depth of color varies within a batch.
Did you know
Green is a real bred color, unlike the painted barbs sometimes sold beside it. Tiger barbs are among the species subjected to dye injection, which Seriously Fish calls a cruel and painful practice. A moss green fish keeps its color for life, while a dyed one fades.
Common questions
Is a Green tiger barb a different species from the Tiger barb?
No. A Green tiger barb is a variety of the Tiger barb, Puntigrus tetrazona, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.
What size tank does a Green tiger barb need?
A Green tiger barb needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
How big does a Green tiger barb get?
An adult Green tiger barb reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).
Does a Green tiger barb need a group?
Yes. A Green tiger barb is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.
2.8 in (7 cm)29 gal (110 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
2.2 in (5.5 cm)29 gal (110 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)
2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
2.8 in (7 cm)40 gal (150 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
2.8 in (7 cm)24 gal (90 L)61–75°F (16–24°C)