TankBud

Tinfoil barb

Barbonymus schwanenfeldii

FreshwaterFish

Tinfoil barb (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii)
Mattia Nocciola · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
13.8 in
35 cm
Minimum tank
180 gal
680 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Egg scatterer
Rarity
Very common
Family
Cyprinidae
Origin
Southeast Asia (Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo)

Overview

The tinfoil barb is a big, fast, mostly peaceful schooling fish for the middle water of a very large tank. Its care is moderately demanding.

Did you know

The tinfoil barb is often sold as a small juvenile, yet it grows into a serious tank buster, putting on size fast. Many get bought on impulse and outgrow their tank within a year or two. That is why they end up needing a setup measured in hundreds of liters rather than tens.

Caring for the tinfoil barb

Give tinfoil barbs a long tank of at least 180 gal (680 L), with plenty of open swimming length. They are powerful, fast swimmers that cruise the middle of the water column and need room to move. Fit a heavy, tight lid, because they are strong jumpers that can launch themselves out of an open tank.

Keep the water at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.5, with strong filtration and good flow. Feed an omnivore diet with regular vegetable matter, such as blanched greens or spirulina, alongside pellets and frozen foods.

Keep them in a group of at least six, since a lone tinfoil barb gets nervous and jumpy. They are mostly peaceful, but they will eat any fish small enough to swallow, so pick tank mates of similar size.

Tinfoil barbs are egg scatterers, but breeding in a home tank is unrecorded. Commercial stock is raised in ponds or hormone-spawned.

Good to know

The tinfoil barb, Barbonymus schwanenfeldii, is a large cyprinid in the family Cyprinidae. With good care a healthy fish can live for many years, so it is a long-term commitment.

In the wild

Tinfoil barbs come from the larger rivers and flooded forests of Southeast Asia. Their range takes in the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. These are big, open waterways with steady current, where the fish move in fast shoals.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The tinfoil barb is a mostly peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a tinfoil barb need?

A tinfoil barb needs at least 180 gal (680 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a tinfoil barb need?

A tinfoil barb is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a tinfoil barb eat?

A tinfoil barb eats an omnivore diet. Give it regular vegetable matter, such as blanched greens or spirulina, alongside pellets and frozen foods.

How big does a tinfoil barb get?

An adult tinfoil barb reaches about 13.8 in (35 cm).

Does a tinfoil barb need a group?

Yes. A tinfoil barb is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a tinfoil barb breed?

Tinfoil barbs are egg scatterers, but breeding in a home tank is unrecorded. Commercial stock is raised in ponds or hormone-spawned.

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