Six-banded Tiger Barb (Desmopuntius hexazona) Care Guide
Desmopuntius hexazona is a small banded barb from blackwater peat swamps of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, kept as a peaceful soft-water schooler.
Overview
The Six-banded Tiger Barb (Desmopuntius hexazona) is a small cyprinid named for the dark bars on its yellowish, laterally compressed body. It is a peaceful relative of the tiger barbs and is most often kept as a soft-water schooling species. It can be confused with the closely related Desmopuntius pentazona, from which it differs in the arrangement of its body bars.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cyprinidae
- Genus: Desmopuntius
- Scientific name: Desmopuntius hexazona
- Common synonyms: Barbus hexazona, Puntius hexazona, Systomus hexazona
Habitat
The species is native to the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo, with records from Singapore. It lives in peat swamps and slow blackwater streams where the water is stained brown with humic acids and naturally very acidic, sometimes down to a pH of 3.0-4.0, over a bed of leaf litter.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 5.0-6.5
- GH: 1-6 °dGH
- School size: 6 or more individuals (8-10 preferred)
- Lifespan: 3-5 years
Diet
Desmopuntius hexazona is a micropredator and omnivore. It feeds on small insects, worms and crustaceans in nature. In aquaria it does best on daily meals of small live and frozen foods such as Daphnia and Artemia, complemented by good dried foods, which bring out its strongest colour.
Compatibility
This is a peaceful, mid-water community fish. Being a true schooling species, it should be maintained in a group of at least six, with eight to ten or more giving the best behaviour. It pairs well with other small, soft-water Southeast Asian fishes and should not be combined with hard-water species or boisterous tankmates.
Breeding
It is an egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care. Eggs typically hatch within 24-36 hours, and the fry become free-swimming after a further 3-4 days.
Conservation status
Although relatively widespread across its range, the species is considered threatened in Singapore, where habitat loss has reduced local populations.