Tinfoil Barb care guide
Tinfoil Barb (Barbonymus schwanefeldii) — minimum tank 500 L, temperature 22-27 °C, pH 6.5-7.5.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
The Tinfoil Barb (Barbonymus schwanefeldii) is a large, fast-growing cyprinid from the major rivers of Southeast Asia. It displays a silvery, deeply scaled body with red-tipped fins and is widely farmed for food across its range.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cyprinidae
- Genus: Barbonymus
- Scientific name: Barbonymus schwanefeldii
Habitat
Native to fast-flowing main channels and large tributaries of the Mekong, Chao Phraya and Sumatran and Bornean river systems, often in deep water with rocky or sandy substrates.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 500 L (132.1 US gal)
- Adult size: 20-35 cm
- Temperature: 22-27 °C (72-81 °F)
- pH: 6.5-7.5
- GH: 5-15 °dGH
- Water flow: strong
- Lifespan: 8-15 years
- School size: ≥5 individuals
Diet
An omnivore with a strong vegetarian leaning. Offer pellets, flakes, blanched vegetables, leafy greens and occasional live or frozen invertebrates.
Compatibility
A peaceful but very large active schooling species that must be kept in groups of at least five in a very large aquarium (500 L minimum). Suitable tankmates are robust mid- to large-sized peaceful species. Plants will be uprooted or eaten.
Breeding
An egg-scatterer; breeding is largely confined to commercial aquaculture due to the adult size and space requirements.
Tinfoil Barb Breeding Guide (Barbonymus schwanefeldii)
Overview
The Tinfoil Barb (Barbonymus schwanefeldii) is a very large cyprinid, growing up to about 36 cm. It is an egg-scattering species with no parental care and has not been recorded as bred in private aquaria; instead it is reproduced commercially through aquaculture and hormone-stimulated spawning.
Sexing
There are no obvious external sex differences. Females tend to be deeper-bodied than males, especially when gravid, but otherwise the sexes are difficult to tell apart.
Spawning Behavior
Reproduction is by egg scattering, with a single female capable of releasing several thousand eggs in one spawning event. No parental care is provided.
Common Challenges
Home breeding is impractical. A successful attempt would require an enormous aquarium, a method of preventing the adults from eating the eggs, and the facilities and contacts needed to raise and distribute hundreds of fish. The species' large adult size is the principal reason it is rarely bred for the aquarium trade. For general care, documented water conditions are 20-28 C, pH 6.0-8.0 and a wide hardness range.