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Tinfoil Barb

Goldfoil Barb ~ Schwanefeld's Barb ~ Red-tail Tinfoil Barb

Family: CyprinidaeBarbonymus schwanenfeldiiPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Pavaphon Supanantananont

   Adult Tinfoil Barbs, in a very large aquarium, make an impressive and beautiful display!

   The Tinfoil Barb, Schwanefeld's Barb, or Goldfoil Barb is easy to keep but will grow rapidly. It will reach an intimidating size, up to 14 inches (35 cm) in length and is considered too large for most aquariums. Though they are generally peaceful they will eat smaller fish, so are not always suitable for a community aquarium. They can be kept with cichlids. An aquarium best suited to this fish would be large and roomy, with a fine gravel bottom, and dense plantings along the edges. They like to burrow so be sure to use hardy plants.

   The Tinfoil Barb can be confused with other members of its genus, especially the Red-tail Tinfoil Barb Barbonymus altus. Though both these tinfoil barbs have a black marking on their dorsal fin, the Red-tail Tinfoil Barb lacks the red, and it also lacks the black submarginal lines on the caudal fin.

  There are also several color varieties of this fish being imported, with the most familiar being the Albino Tinfoil Barb and the Golden Tinfoil Barb. Other varieties include glass, blue, pink, purple, and orange and then there are some that are further distinguished by varying fin or eye colors.

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

Habitat: Distribution / Background

   The Tinfoil Barb, Schwanefeld's Barb, or Goldfoil Barb was originally described by Pieter Bleeker in 1853 as Barbus schwanenfeldii but is now described as Barbonymus schwanenfeldii. They are found in Southeast Asia; Thailand, Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. They inhabit large waterways; rivers, streams, canals, ditches and will enter flooded fields.

Fish Keeping Difficulty

Description

   In its natural coloration a large adult Tinfoil Barb has a silvery or golden yellow body. The dorsal fin is red and has a black marking or blotch along the tip. The pectoral, pelvic and anal fins are also red. The caudal fin is orange or a deep red and has black lines submarginally on the upper and lower portions of each lob.

Tinfoil Barb - Juvenile

   You can see the color difference in the juvenile in the picture to the left. The juvenile is a rather drab young barb with a basic silver or tin plated look to the scales, thus the common name "Tinfoil Barb". As they get older they develop red pelvic and anal fins, along with a shaded tail and dorsal fin; shading from red to black often with a white tip on the dorsal fin.

   The Tinfoil Barb is imported in several varieties. These include the familiar Albino Tinfoil Barb and Golden Tinfoil Barb along with a glass variety. There are also blue, pink, purple, and orange color forms. Sometimes a specimen may be further destinguished as having a red or yellow tail, having black eyes, or a combination of these traits.

Foods and Feeding

   Since they are omnivorous, the Tinfoil Barb, Schwanefeld's Barb, or Goldfoil 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 substitutes suggested for these fish in the aquarium are cooked lettuce, spinach, or oatmeal.

References

Animal-World References
Freshwater Fish and Plants Tropical Fish ~ Freshwater Fish ~ Aquatic Plants

Aquarium Setup

Red-tail Tinfoil Barb Barbonymus altus Photo © Animal-World:

Social Behaviors

   Although they can be good community fish they will prey upon smaller fish and are much more likely to be aggressive than their cousin the Red-tail Tinfoil barb. Lively and fun to watch. One of the few fishes that can be kept with cichlids.

Sex: Sexual differences

  There are no visible external differences between the sexes.

Breeding / Reproduction

   The Tinfoil Barb, Schwanefeld's Barb, or Goldfoil Barb has been bred commercially and a variety of color forms have been developed.

Availability

   The Tinfoil Barb, Schwanefeld's Barb, or Goldfoil Barb is readily available. Prices range from about $2.50 - $10.00 USD per individual, depending on size.

Aquarium Care

Author: David Brough. CFS.

• Tinfoil Barb : $14.99

Red Tail Tinfoil Barb Offered By: PetsMart Price: $14.99

Lastest Comments on Tinfoil Barb View all 56 comments on Tinfoil Barb Add Your Comment

mark - 2012-02-15 These fish are a shoaling species that should not be kept alone, they need to be kept in a group. Beware... these pictures do not show B. schwanenfeldi, they show B. altus Clarice Brough - 2012-02-16 Yes, like the Red-tailed Tinfoil Barb B. altus, the B. schwanenfeldii do like to school. The individual in the photo above was submitted by a photographer from Thailand. It is most likely a juvenile that's not yet developed the black shading, or possibly it's an albino or gold colorform. The picture toward the bottom of the page is a B. altus. If anyone has a picture of a specimen showing the normal adult colorform (shaded tail and dorsal fin and black lines on the upper and lower portions of the caldal fins), we would love to feature your photo here. nishith - 2012-05-05 How much time will the tin foil barb fish take to grow from 2 inches to 8 or10 inches? Reply

Laura - 2006-03-12 These are great fish and very entertaining. but, they eat ALL of the food in the tank! So far I am down 2 fish b/c the barbs hog all the food. gighi - 2012-02-22 They hog all the food because they're omnivores and they're growing ALL the time. Reply

Jesse - 2012-04-05 I would like to know how to tell the sex of my 3 Tin foil barbs. Also someone stated that if someone had photos of tinfoil barbs showing their red fins and tail to post them but not sure how to post them here. Charlie Roche - 2012-04-06 There are really no tell tale visual differences between the male and female. You will just have to wait and see what happens. To post just click and follow the directions POST PHOTO Reply

Fish_Lova12 - 2008-10-19 I have had my Tin Foil Barb, Cosmo for a little over a month and it has grown really fast and bites my Spotted Silver dollar, but hes still alive. My Red Platy is dying, I think because of my tin foil barb. The red platy's tail is all messed up. I recommend this fish for a big tank like 30 or 40 gallons. Cosmo is fun to watch, especially when he eats. Sometimes he'll splash me. But, I'm gonna get rid of him this week. Any suggestions... Prabha - 2012-02-02 Buddy I gave him at the the same pet store in which I bought him a year ago....He was 3 inches when I bought him...now he is 8 inches. :) He killed every fish I kept with him...to your surprise he even killed my oscar too....stupid fish....Get rid of him first otherwise your precious silver dollar will be dead....his way of attacking is way more better...first he will bite off other fishes eyes and then he will target fins...then the end Reply

Christopher Stoute - 2011-08-29 I have had a hard time with Tinfoil Barb in the past couple of months. Every time I clean my tank they will die. I lost two the first time thought it was something that i had done so I did some research on cleaning the thank with the type of filter that I have. Just yesterday I clean the thank did not use any chemicals at all and lost my last three. Any comments on what happening or did anyone have this happen to them and what can I do. Thanks Chris Toby Jungle - 2011-08-30 I would think there has to be something with water or water conditions. Untreated they all died. Treated - then some died. Temperature, chlorine, Not sure but sounds like water. Maybe chemicals james - 2011-10-19 What I do with mine is I let the water evaperate on its own and when its 20 percent gone I fill it up with treated water and clean out the filter every time it needs to be cleaned. They are hardy but mine tend to stress during this time so don't put them under a lot of stress hope you have some better succes if you deside to get more sorry for your losses though fish man - 2012-01-26 It's the water it has to be almost the same temp as well as chlorine free. Get a bucket put a drop of prime everytime you fill it up. They are being stressed so put something in the way to catch the water so you wont have a big splash Reply

monika - 2011-04-06 Hi. I also have what I believe is a red tail tin foil barb. it is now 5.5 inches in a 30 gallon tank. I got it when it was very small and had no idea how fast and how big they grew. When is the tank too small for this guy? i want him to be happy (although, he seems happy) anyone? Alex Burleson - 2011-10-09 This species of fish can reach a size of 8 inches to a foot long. The best minimum aquarium size is 75 gallons. You could consider purchasing another aquarium, or re-homing your fish. Do understand, keeping the fish in a smaller aquarium could stunt your fish. A larger aquarium would make him/her happy! John - 2011-10-09 I'm no expert, but I think it's a matter of if your filter can cope with the waste which your fish produces. I used to lose fish when I used a small internal filter, but since buying a larger external filter have hardly lost any at all. Regularly changing some of the water in your tank is a must though. "John" Reply

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