Aquariumbarb · freshwater
Tiger Barb: adult size, tank size & tankmates
The Tiger Barb (Puntigrus tetrazona) grows to about 2.8 in (6 cm SL). It needs a tank at least 31 inches long and about 19 gallons. Keep at least 8 together, at 68–79°F.
How big it really gets
Drawn to scale against common tank lengths. Green bars meet the minimum tank length from our sources.
Needs special care. Often sold into general community tanks alongside long-finned fish (bettas, guppies, angelfish) whose fins it bites.
Will it fit your tank?
Quick facts
- Adult size
- 2.8 in (6 cm SL)
- Minimum tank
- 31 inches long and about 19 gallons
- Temperature
- 68–79°F
- pH
- 5–8
- Hardness
- 1–20 dGH
- Group size
- 8+
- With other fish
- semi-aggressive
- With its own kind
- semi-aggressive
- Swims
- middle of the tank
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- beginner
- Lifespan
- not stated in sources
Watch for: nips fins · eats shrimp
Tiger Barb tankmates
Checked with the same rules as our tank builder: temperature overlap, pH and hardness, predation and mouth size, fin-nipping and temperament. Tank size is left out here; check it in the builder.
Good tankmates
- Harlequin RasboraAdult ~2.1 in · 70–82°F
- Cherry BarbAdult ~2.4 in · 68–81°F
- Rummy-nose TetraAdult ~2.4 in · 73–79°F
- PlatyAdult ~2.4 in · 68–79°F
- Bolivian RamAdult ~3.8 in · 75–82°F
- KribensisAdult ~4.7 in · 75–81°F
- Bronze CoryAdult ~3.5 in · 70–81°F
- Panda CoryAdult ~2.4 in · 72–77°F
- Julii CoryAdult ~2.6 in · 72–79°F
- Sterbai CoryAdult ~3.2 in · 75–82°F
Use caution
- Neon TetraTiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Neon Tetra.
- Cardinal TetraTiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Cardinal Tetra.
- Ember TetraTiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Ember Tetra.
- Chili RasboraTiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Chili Rasbora.
- Celestial Pearl DanioTiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Celestial Pearl Danio.
- Black Neon TetraTiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Black Neon Tetra.
- Glowlight TetraTiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Glowlight Tetra.
- Lemon TetraTiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Lemon Tetra.
Avoid
- BettaNeeds careTiger Barb nips fins, and Betta has long fins.
- German Blue RamNeeds careTiger Barb (68–79°F) and German Blue Ram (81–86°F) need different temperatures.
- Cherry ShrimpTiger Barb will eat Cherry Shrimp.
- Amano ShrimpTiger Barb will eat Amano Shrimp.
- Boesemani RainbowfishTiger Barb (68–79°F) and Boesemani Rainbowfish (81–86°F) need different temperatures.
- Bamboo ShrimpTiger Barb will eat Bamboo Shrimp.
- Crystal Red ShrimpTiger Barb will eat Crystal Red Shrimp.
- Ghost ShrimpTiger Barb will eat Ghost Shrimp.
All 105 species we checked against the Tiger Barb
| Species | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin Snail | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Bala Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Black Skirt Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Bleeding Heart Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Blood Parrot Cichlid | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Bolivian Ram | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Bristlenose Pleco | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Bronze Cory | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Buenos Aires Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Cherry Barb | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Clown Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Clown Pleco | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Common / Comet Goldfish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Common Pleco | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Convict Cichlid | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Denison Barb | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Diamond Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Electric Blue Acara | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Electric Yellow Lab | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Firemouth Cichlid | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Forktail Blue-eye | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Giant Danio | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Glass Catfish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Gold Barb | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Harlequin Rasbora | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Head-and-tail-light Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Hillstream Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Japanese Trapdoor Snail | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Julii Cory | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Kribensis | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Kuhli Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Malaysian Trumpet Snail | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Molly | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Nerite Snail | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Odessa Barb | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Panda Cory | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Paradise Fish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Pea Puffer | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Pearl Danio | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Peppered Cory | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Pictus Catfish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Platy | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Pristella Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Rainbow Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Ramshorn Snail | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Red-Tail Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Rosy Barb | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Rummy-nose Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Scissortail Rasbora | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Serpae Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Siamese Algae Eater | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Silver Tip Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Sterbai Cory | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Swordtail | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Three-spot Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Tinfoil Barb | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Upside-down Catfish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Variatus Platy | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Weather Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Yoyo Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Zebra Danio | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| African Dwarf Frog | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful African Dwarf Frog. |
| Angelfish | Caution | Tiger Barb nips fins, and Angelfish has long fins. |
| Black Neon Tetra | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Black Neon Tetra. |
| Bumblebee Goby | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Bumblebee Goby. |
| Cardinal Tetra | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Cardinal Tetra. |
| Celestial Pearl Danio | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Celestial Pearl Danio. |
| Chili Rasbora | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Chili Rasbora. |
| Chinese Algae Eater | Caution | Chinese Algae Eater grows 5× longer than Tiger Barb and may treat it as food. |
| Clown Killifish | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Clown Killifish. |
| Congo Tetra | Caution | Tiger Barb nips fins, and Congo Tetra has long fins. |
| Discus | Caution | Tiger Barb and Discus only share 79–79°F. That's a tight window. |
| Dwarf Gourami | Caution | Tiger Barb nips fins, and Dwarf Gourami has long fins. |
| Ember Tetra | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Ember Tetra. |
| Endler's Livebearer | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Endler's Livebearer. |
| Fancy Goldfish | Caution | Tiger Barb nips fins, and Fancy Goldfish has long fins. |
| Glowlight Tetra | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Glowlight Tetra. |
| Guppy | Caution | Tiger Barb nips fins, and Guppy has long fins. |
| Honey Gourami | Caution | Tiger Barb nips fins, and Honey Gourami has long fins. |
| Kissing Gourami | Caution | Kissing Gourami grows 4× longer than Tiger Barb and may treat it as food. |
| Lambchop Rasbora | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Lambchop Rasbora. |
| Lemon Tetra | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Lemon Tetra. |
| Marbled Hatchetfish | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Marbled Hatchetfish. |
| Moonlight Gourami | Caution | Tiger Barb nips fins, and Moonlight Gourami has long fins. |
| Mystery Snail | Caution | Tiger Barb (pH 5–8) and Mystery Snail (pH unknown) prefer different pH.; Tiger Barb (1–20 dGH) and Mystery Snail (unknown dGH) prefer different water hardness. |
| Neon Tetra | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Neon Tetra. |
| Otocinclus | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Otocinclus. |
| Pearl Gourami | Caution | Tiger Barb nips fins, and Pearl Gourami has long fins. |
| Penguin Tetra | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Penguin Tetra. |
| Pygmy Cory | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Pygmy Cory. |
| Silver Hatchetfish | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Silver Hatchetfish. |
| Sparkling Gourami | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful Sparkling Gourami. |
| White Cloud Mountain Minnow | Caution | Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful White Cloud Mountain Minnow. |
| Amano Shrimp | Avoid | Tiger Barb will eat Amano Shrimp. |
| Bamboo Shrimp | Avoid | Tiger Barb will eat Bamboo Shrimp. |
| Betta | Avoid | Tiger Barb nips fins, and Betta has long fins. |
| Boesemani Rainbowfish | Avoid | Tiger Barb (68–79°F) and Boesemani Rainbowfish (81–86°F) need different temperatures. |
| Cherry Shrimp | Avoid | Tiger Barb will eat Cherry Shrimp. |
| Crystal Red Shrimp | Avoid | Tiger Barb will eat Crystal Red Shrimp. |
| German Blue Ram | Avoid | Tiger Barb (68–79°F) and German Blue Ram (81–86°F) need different temperatures.; Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Ghost Shrimp | Avoid | Tiger Barb will eat Ghost Shrimp. |
| Iridescent Shark | Avoid | Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Tiger Barb only grows to about 2.8 in. |
| Oscar | Avoid | Oscar eats small fish, and Tiger Barb only grows to about 2.8 in. |
Care notes
Needs: Keep in a group of 8-10 or more to spread nipping within the group; do not house with slow, timid or long-finned fish.
Group: SF says buy at least 8-10; in smaller numbers or cramped tanks the fin-biting toward other fish gets worse. Males spar constantly for rank within the group.
Temperament: semi-aggressive toward other fish, semi-aggressive toward its own kind. Lives in the middle of the tank.
Common questions
How big does a Tiger Barb get?
About 2.8 inches (6 cm SL) as an adult, according to seriouslyfish.com.
What size tank does a Tiger Barb need?
At least 31 inches long and about 19 gallons. The smallest standard tank that meets that is a 40 gallon breeder.
How many Tiger Barbs should be kept together?
At least 8. SF says buy at least 8-10; in smaller numbers or cramped tanks the fin-biting toward other fish gets worse. Males spar constantly for rank within the group.
What fish can live with a Tiger Barb?
Species that passed every check include Harlequin Rasbora, Cherry Barb, Rummy-nose Tetra, Platy, Bolivian Ram, Kribensis.
Gear for a Tiger Barb setup
TankSmallest standard tank that meets its minimum: 40 gallon breeder (36 in long).Find on Amazon →HeaterAbout 200 W for 40 gallons, holding 68–79°F.Find on Amazon →FoodA quality flake or micro-pellet as a staple.Find on Amazon →Test kitCheck ammonia, nitrite and pH. Cycle the tank before adding fish.Find on Amazon →
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Related guides
Sources
Values come from these pages, in our own words. Status: verified (independent spot-check). Last reviewed 2026-10-12.
- seriouslyfish.com /species/puntigrus-tetrazona/
- fishbase.se /summary/Puntigrus-tetrazona.html