Overview of the barbs with lots of pictures

LA
At the other end of the size spectrum, you'll find the red-tail tinfoil barb.

LA
Most people buy their tinfoil barbs at this under two-inch size. This one's a yellow tail.

Schoolers. Most barbs school with their own species – not the tight formations of the tetras – but in loose groups that hang together. Color makes no difference. For instance, all of the tiger barb varieties hang together.

Tiger Barbs. Barb breeders have transformed the original attractive tiger barb into a small rainbow of different colored tiger barbs. You now also see:
   ●  Albino tiger barbs
   ●  Blushing tiger barbs
   ●  Moss green tiger barbs
   ●  Black tiger barbs

Young tiger barbs look pretty good. Adult tiger barbs are striking. Their oranges and reds literally glow – especially when you feed them color foods. Their blacks grow quite intense. They color up even more at breeding time.

Black Ruby Barbs. Closely resembling tiger barbs when small, the black rubies turn nearly jet black as adults. The males turn ruby red when breeding. The little spangles add to their looks. Good looking fish.

T-Barbs. Also called “spanner barbs,” due to the pattern on their side that resembles a “T” or a “spanner” (Brit-speak for crescent wrench), these interesting little barbs add action to any tank. They make a good addition to but not the foundation of your barb tank.

Six-Zone Barbs. These guys feature more of a torpedo shape with six bars. They remind you of a skinny, stretched-out tiger barb without the bright oranges and red pigments.

LA
Male cherry barbs turn bright red as they mature. Still quite young. Not quite 1.5 inches.

Cherry Barbs. These little barbs stay too small to pick on any other fish. Adult males turn a rich crimson color. The juveniles in stores are only a hint of their potential. Females never develop the brightest colors, but without them your males will never achieve their true “cherry” colors.

Albino Cherry Barbs. Obviously, these are a variation of the cherries without any black pigments. These make good mixers with the originals. They add an additional color to your school of cherry barbs.

Checkered Barbs. When we get in small checkers, they sell slowly. Big (still under two inches) ones sell fast. Both sexes sport a checker pattern. Males get much darker and develop orange fins.

Gold Barbs. Want to add the color of real gold to your tank? These guys do it. The males are smaller and have an added black pattern. Golds will also put up with colder temperatures. By the way, the original “golds” were green. You rarely see the greens these days. We saw them last in the 80s. Go to the gold barb page to see how their colors develop.

LA
Male rosy barbs pop right out and hit you in the eye. They mix with many American cichlids.

Rosy Barbs. Now we’re getting into the medium barbs – up to four inches. Adult male rosies are extremely colorful. And this is another barb with lots of versions:

Five-Striped Barbs. Most barbs are barred (up and down). These larger, torpedo-shaped, long-striped barbs make a nice contrast to the barred barbs.

LA
Rhombo barbs could also be called five-barred barbs, but the name's taken already.

Rhombo Barbs. We have not as yet seen the adults of these perky little barbs. The little guys look good in loose schools. The adults should look even better patrolling a well planted tank. Their bars resemble the bars on the aurulius barbs.

Aurulius Barbs. These barbs grow a long, graceful dorsal fin. Keep these in larger tanks.

Clown Barbs. So named for their attractive polka dots, these mid-size barbs show up well in larger tanks.

LA
Too small (nearly 1.25 inches) to see what they look like. We'll try to find larger flying barbs.

South Indian Flying Barbs. Whether they really fly or not, be sure to cover these guys. They look more like a danio than a barb. Why not? They are pretty close relatives. Their barbels extend to the middle of their bodies.

LA
Silver horned(?) sharks. Silver I see. Horned I cannot detect. Disappointing.

Silver Horned Sharks. Here’s another so-called shark. Most of the freshwater “sharks” are really barbs or catfish. As sharks go (or barbs, for that matter), these particular guys score high on the Dullometer. In addition to terminal plainess, they love to pick on large angelfish. Maybe the adults look better? And at the price, one of the most over-rated fish on the market.

Anthony Lam, Malaysia, September 12, 2006
I'm from Malaysia and I frequently visit aqualandpetsplus.com for pet
profiles and have found it very informative.
I'd just like to let you know more about the "silver horned barb" which you
have categorized under "barbs"...
Here in Malaysia it's known to be a very pricy fish. And even though it
looks kinda boring or dull, it really looks quite impressive when it reaches
adult size. The "horn" can be more clearly seen as it reaches a length of at
least 1ft, but it can grow bigger than 2ft or 3ft. At full adult size, the "horn" will often be bigger than the rest of its head. And it will have a very nice blue colouration on its body. Of course, the "horn" will only be found on males, not females, just like cichlids. They grow really really slow. And a 7-8 inch specimen could cost close to USD100.
Some people here call it the "mekong dolphin" as it grows really huge and is
supposedly native to Thailand's Mekong River.
ok. That's bout all I guess. I can give you more information if you need to know anything else. Thanks...

A: Thank you for the info. I added it to my barb page. The adults sound more interesting. Unfortunately, all the youngsters I've seen look like plain ol' "bait." LA

LA
Mixed in with black ruby barbs we see arrow sharks (?).

Arrow Sharks? Arrow sharks look much more like barbs than sharks. We suspect they’re really barbs.

LA
Spotted barbs are new to us this year. Haven't seen adults.

LA
Almost as soon as we typed the above, someone traded in this pair.

Spotted Barbs. Their colors are subtle and probably increase with age. They stayed right out front from day one. They grow very attractive when fed well in the right surroundings.

LA
Half-grown schwanefeldi barbs -- tinfoil barbs

LA
Tinfoils love eating plants, but check the mouth of the guy in the middle.

LA
The two males are trying to spawn this chunky four-inch female. They all eat like piggies.

Tinfoil Barbs. Now we’re into foot-long plant eaters. Tinfoils eat every plant that is not hornwort or plastic. Some of our customers say theirs also eat hornwort. These high-bodied, shiny lunkers with large scales (and usually red tails, although there are several tail colors) require large tanks. They demand more oxygen than most fish. If your filter stops, they will die. Nearly a half dozen varieties of these guys (and gals) can be found at different times.

Gold Sharks/Silver Sharks. Another foot-long barb, this guy sort of resembles a “shark” in shape. It also has a splash of red on it. Does it jump? You bet. Cover it or lose it. You won’t see these very often.

LA
1.5-inch male odessa barbs next to anacharis on left. Female above next to giant danio.

Odessa Barbs. New to us in 2003, the odessas came in as drab as baby checker barbs. Two days later, they swam out front and knocked our eyes out. Can’t wait to see these a year from now.

LA
1.5" panda barbs -- another new one (for us) in 2003. Male ( bottom) probably gets redder.

Feeding. Barbs eat any food you offer them. They are always at the front of the chow line. Several small meals per day work best. All barbs respond very well to color foods. Color foods bring out their reds, oranges, and blacks.

LA
Hampala barb at 3.5 inches. Extra fin belongs to another hampala barb. They like each other.

Décor. Schools of barbs (except tinfoils) look best in planted aquaria – especially densely planted aquaria. Thick planting in the background provides a feeling of security that brings out their potential colors and causes them to swim (fast) front and center -- especially at chow time. LA.