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Red-tail Tinfoil BarbTinfoil Barb ~ Tall Barb Family: Cyprinidae
The Red-tail Tinfoil Barbs makes an excellent addition to a large aquarium, especially when you need large but relatively peaceful inhabitants!The Red-tail Tinfoil Barb can be confused with other members of its genus, especially the almost identical Tinfoil Barb Barbonymus schwanenfeldii. Though both these tinfoil barbs have a black marking on their dorsal fin only the Tinfoil Barb has red on this fin. The Red-tail Tinfoil Barb also is also missing black submarginal lines on the caudal fin. It is important to know which of these two species you are getting. One of the main reasons is the difference in size. The Red-tail Tinfoil barb is a much smaller fish and so is much easier to house. Though both of these fish get quite large, the Red-tail Tinfoil Barb will only reach about 8" (20 cm) while the Tinfoil Barb will rapidly acquire a length of 14 inches (35 cm) and is considered too large for most aquariums. The Red-tail Tinfoil Barb is hardy and undemanding. Being peaceful it makes a good community addition, though it is always important to house fish with similar sized tankmates so nobody gets eaten. It can also be be kept with some of the more tolerant cichlids. An aquarium best suited to this fish would be large and roomy with dense plantings along the edges. For more Information on keeping freshwater fish see:
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| Geographic Distribution Barbonymus altus |
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| Point data provided by FishBase.org |
Distribution:
The Red-tail Tinfoil Barb was originally described
by Günther in 1868 as Barbus altus but is now described as Barbonymus altus. They are found in Southeast Asia, Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, as well as Maeklong, Peninsular and Southeast Thailand river systems. They inhabit large waterways and rivers, and will enter flood plains.
Status:
These fish are not listed on the IUCN Red List.
Description:
Although The Red-tail Tinfoil Barb is very similar to its close relative the Tinfoil Barb B. schwanenfeldii in coloration, it does not get quite as large. In its natural coloration large adults have a silvery or golden yellow body. The dorsal fin has a black marking or blotch along the tip. The pelvic, anal, and caudal fins are also red.
Size - Weight:
These fish get up to 8 inches (20 cm).
Care and feeding:
Since they are omnivorous,
the Red-tail Tinfoil Barb will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep
a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. Even though
they like proteins, they need lots of vegetable foods. Vegetable supplements include vegetable based fish pellets, and also blanched lettuce or spinach.
An aquarium best suited to this fish would be large and
roomy with dense plantings along the edges. Due to their size a minimum 100 gallon tank is suggested.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.
Acceptable Water Conditions:
Hardness: 2-10° dGH
Ph: 6.5 to 7.5
Temp: 72 - 81° F (22 - 27° C)
Social Behaviors:
Although they are can be good community fish they will prey
upon smaller fish. Lively and fun to watch. One of the few fishes that
can be kept with cichlids.
Sexual Differences:
No external differences, though females are significantly rounder during spawning season.
Breeding/Reproduction:
The Red-tail Tinfoil Barb has not been bred in the aquarium yet.
Availability:
Through the mid-1990's, the Red-tail Tinfoil Barb was only showing up in the pet trade as a bi-catch mixed in with other fish shipments. Today it is being harvested (as well as cultivated) in their native countries and sold to the ornamental fish market. However, finding this fish is not so easy and it is not readily available. Most often the Tinfoil Barb B. schwanenfeldii is being sold as the Red-tail Tinfoil Barb. Be sure you know what you are getting. There is a huge difference in the adult size of these two fish.
Comments from people who have kept this fish:
I had a red tinfoil for awhile, and I accidentally killed it as I was cleaning the tank, On the top glass I used 4 drops of bleach to clear up the glass, and one slid down into the tank. About one minute later it was swimming upside down. When it died, I had it with about 20 1-week-old bluegill and one 2-pound blue gill (I have a bluegill pond next to my house). But before that it was in with another tinfoil, 2 bala sharks, and 2 silver dollars. A great family fish, except once a baby bluegill was chasing it around the tank and the tinfoil ate it.
I recently acquired (rescued) two 6-inch Red Tailed Tinfoils from a local pet store. I have them in a 75-gallon tank with 4 5-6 inch golfish of various colors, and they love each other! They all swim in formation at the front of the tank, and aren't skittish at all! I am militant about water changes, and the temp is at 73-74, so everyone is in an appropriate range. Eventually I will be getting a larger (100+) tank, so they all have room to grow. The Tinfoils seem extremely hardy, since when I brought them home they had already been at the store for maybe 4-5 hours, and the only means of transportation was in a pot used at my house exclusively for fish purposes (not cooking!=). Anyway, I floated it in my tank and one jumped clear out onto the carpet! I dunked my hands in water, grabbed him, and put him in the tank, and he acted as though he'd lived there his whole life! No harm no foul. Overall, a fantastic fish. If you have the room, get some.
I just bought a school of nine! I was in the market for a school of large fish to add to my 75gal which previously only housed a butterfly pleco, a Jack Dempsey, and a mutt-african cichlid. I don't have quite enough space for their full grown size, so I am now committed to buying a larger tank for them. But I couldn't resist all nine. When I saw them at the store they occupied only a third of the 30gal they were in because they schooled so tightly, seeing that there was no way I could break them up. Currently they get antagonized a little by the african, but the Jack acts as a sort of bodyguard. On that note I have noticed they do not get picked on (and in fact chase the antagonizer off) when the light is shut off. Perhaps good to note for those of you about to introduce them into a mildly aggressive tank. Enjoy their activity, but remember they are skittish and even their own reflections trip them up. Happy fish keeping!
Author: Clarice Brough, CFS
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