Photo: Adrian Tync, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tinfoil barb
Barbonymus schwanefeldii
35.5 cm
Adult size
950 L
Minimum volume
5
Minimum group
15 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Barbonymus
- Diet
- omnivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
Sold as “tinfoil barb”, like its cousin B. altus, this large silvery barb with red fins is almost always offered at 5 cm, with no mention of its adult size, which exceeds 30 cm.
- Scientific name
- Barbonymus schwanefeldii (Bleeker, 1854)
- Classification
- Cypriniformes › Cyprinidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Southeast Asia: Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in medium-sized rivers that overflow in the rainy season and then moves onto the flooded plains and forests to feed and spawn; it is also found in canals and artificial lakes.
Behaviour
Not aggressive, it nonetheless eats small fish and disturbs calm species with its activity. A shoaling fish, it needs a huge aquarium and sturdy tankmates of the same size. Mostly herbivorous, it also eats invertebrates and accepts all foods, plants included.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth