Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Cyprinids > Green Tiger Barb

Green Tiger BarbMoss-banded Barb ~ Moss Barb

Family: Cyprinidae

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Puntius tetrazonaPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   A very lively 'fun to watch' fish, the Green Tiger Barb is one of the most striking varieties of this species!

     The Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb is one of the most notable color morphs or varieties of the regular Tiger Barb. They are truly striking with a deep fluorescent green or blue-green body coloring. Their aquarium requirements, behaviors, care and feeding are the same as their parentage. Like all of their cousins they do best kept in a group of 6 or more, and they are lively and active so need plenty of room to swim. They are hardy and a great fish for beginners, though they can be nippy with their tank mates.

     For a very attractive effect in your aquarium try adding some pretty Green Tiger Barbs to a school of regular Tiger Barbs. They provide a nice contrast of swift moving, darting color! Mixing even more varieties works equally well and creates a really exciting effect. Some of these include the Longfin Tiger Barb, and the Albino Tiger Barb.

     Though when mature, their colors do tend to fade a bit, a school of these playful and attractive fish in a nice sized aquarium makes an awesome display!

     These active fast swimming fish need company. These barbs do best in a school of at least six or seven fishes where they establish a "pecking order". They have been known to nip the fins of slower moving and long-finned fish such as gouramis and angelfish, but this problem seems to be demonstrated when they are being kept individually or in a smaller group. Presumably in a larger school they are too busy chasing each other to bother with their other tank mates.

For more Information on keeping freshwater fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:      The Tiger Barb was described by Bleeker in 1855. They are found in Indonesia, Sumatra, Borneo, and possibly Thailand. Many are captive bred for the aquarium industry and this variety, known as the Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb is a captive bred color morph.

Status:      There are no wild populations of this color morph.

Description:      The body of the Green Tiger Barb is truly striking, being a deep fluorescent green or metallic blue-green. The four very distinctive black stripes in the parent Tiger Barbs are missing. There is red on the outside of the dorsal fins as well as on the tail and ventral fins. When in spawning mode they have a bright red snout.

Size - Weight:      These fish get up to 3 inches (7 cm).

Care and feeding:      Since they are omnivorous the Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss 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. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat.
   An aquarium best suited to the Albino Tiger Barb should have a fine gravel bottom with plants around the inside perimeter along the sides and back, leaving lots of open swimming space. They are susceptible to ich.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:      These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium, but prefer the middle of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:      Hardness: 2 - 30 ° dGH (not demanding)
     Ph: 6.5 to 7.5 prefers slightly acid (to 6.5) for breeding
    Temp: 68 - 79 ° F (20 - 26 °) C

Social Behaviors:      The lively Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb makes a good community fish, especially with other fast moving fish. They have been known to get a bit nippy, especially when kept singly or in very small groups so it is a good idea to get at least six or seven. Then they bother each other instead of the other tank inhabitants.
     Some sources do not recommend them as a community fish because of this tendency to nip the fins of slow moving and long-finned fishes, such as gouramis and angelfish.

Sexual Differences:      The female is heavier especially during the spawning season. The males are more brightly colored and smaller. Durring spawning they will develop a very red nose.

Buy Green Tiger Barbs From LiveAquaria.com

Breeding/Reproduction:      The Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb are egg layers. See the description of breeding techniques in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:      The Green Tiger Barb, Moss-banded Barb, or Moss Barb is readily available both in stores and online. Prices range about $3.00 - $8.00 USD per individual, depending on size.

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Latest Comments
Hi there, 1 of my green tiger barbs is acting strange. It keeps flapping round the tank like its in pain or something like that. Anyone got info on why its doing it? plzzz tropical man 2010-01-21
Can I put green tiger barb with my goldfish, plz give me information about this. prachit 2010-01-12
You can absolutely not put any barbs with goldfish. Goldfish should only be kept with other goldfish. kyle 2010-01-12
Hi.. how will I know if my barb is female or male??? Can I breed them in my 25 gal. tank? thank you Noelle 2008-11-24
I have two green tiger barbs, one is named Fin, and the other one's name is Scare. Her name is Scare because she has a cut on her side form when she was born from damage of the egg she was in. Scare and Fin are always with each other and now Scare is pregnant! I cant believe it! She has made a small nest with some rocks under a small plant. She was smart in doing that so now no other fish can harm the eggs. I bet the babies will be cute! Austin Reitmire 2008-05-27
Some of the coolest comments:
I've noticed that my green Barb will turn a shimmery green when he is happy or being fed. He turns a dark rich black when he is fighting with the other barbs and doesn't want to back down, and will fade out in color almost instantly if my water isn't the perfect condition or if he is stressed. My tigers fade out or brighens up too, but not as drastically as my green. Jessie 2007-12-05
I had 8 Green Tiger Barbs & encountered a tragic event! One morning I awoke to find one missing the fin on its tail. I moved this injured fish to its' own tank. It did not survive. A month or so later I found a different Barb missing it's right fin & the muscle was entirely exposed!! I moved this fish to its' own tank. This fish survived and now has a tiny stump for a fin (quite cute actually). About ANOTHER month later my Plecostomus dorsal fin was attacked & the fin part was chewed away leaving the spines of the fin. I moved this pleco to the tank with the other injured Barb and both are fine and get along well. Now that I have a group of 6 Green Tiger Barbs, I have found no further injuries. The moral of my blurb is that 5 or 6 is probably a good number of fish. 8 may be too many. I had been warned when I purchased the fish not to put them in groups larger than 8 but also not less than 5. I certainly learned a lesson others may want to heed. (p.s. I have a 60 gal tank so it wasn't a space issue) Sarah Jane 2006-02-14

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