Barbs

What are barbs?

Barbs are a type of freshwater fish known from several different continents, including Europe, Africa, and Asia. They’re closely related to koi and other varieties of carp, though unlike their giant cousins they do best when kept in heated tropical aquariums. There are many different species of barbs that are commonly kept by fishkeepers, including small species, like tiger barbs and cherry barbs, and large species, like tinfoil barbs and denison barbs. Most types of barbs are known for their bright colours and interesting schooling behaviours.

How big do barbs get?

Not all barbs grow to the same size. Some of the smaller species, such as cherry barbs and tiger barbs, max out at 7-9cm and can therefore be kept in medium-sized aquariums that can hold ~70L of water. The larger species on the other hand, such as tinfoil barbs, can exceed sizes of 35cm! This means they need to be kept in very large aquariums (>300L) equipped with powerful, external filters capable of dealing with a high amount of fish waste.

How long do barbs live for?

On average, barbs live for 5-10 years. That said, it’s not uncommon to hear of some larger barbs living for more than 10 years when they’re kept in large, well-filtered aquariums and fed a diet of high-quality fish food. To make sure your barbs live long and healthy lives, it’s important that you provide them with lots of swimming room (shallow but wide aquariums are great for this) and keep them alongside others of their own kind. Do these things and you’ll enjoy keeping your barbs for years and years.

What are the best tankmates for barbs?

As fast and active fish, barbs do best when kept with other fast-moving fish, like tetras, danios, and swordtails. They make fantastic community fish too and are commonly kept in tropical community aquariums where they thrive alongside medium-sized cichlids like electric blue acara, severums, and other American cichlids. However, it’s important to note that barbs are known to nip the fins of long-finned, slow-moving fish. For this reason, we recommend you avoid keeping them alongside bettas and gouramis.