Peaceful but huge and fast; eats small fish and plants as it grows.
374 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful but huge and fast; eats small fish and plants as it grows.
Pellets, vegetables.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Hard to sex; mature females are usually deeper-bodied than males, especially when full of eggs.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-scatterer · Hard
Not known to have been bred in home aquaria. It is an egg-scatterer with no parental care; farms induce spawning with hormones.
Buy several young fish as a group; they get large (up to 30 cm). Pairing is hard to confirm.
Very large tank or pond (1000 L+) with lots of space. Commercial farms use ponds.
Large space, warm water and rainy-season type changes; hormones are used on farms.
Thousands of eggs per female (about 12,500-15,800 in farmed broodstock of ~200 g); eggs hatched in about 23 hours.
Feed infusoria, then baby brine shrimp and crushed flakes. Fry grow fast on plenty of food. Sort by size to stop cannibalism.
Sold small, but grows to about 35 cm (standard length) and needs a tank at least 2 m long. Shops report it is one of the fish most often returned after outgrowing its tank. Described by Pieter Bleeker in 1854.
Pieter Bleeker described the tinfoil barb in 1854. Young fish are sold as small silver fish with red fins, but they can grow over 30 cm and need a big tank. In its home region it is also caught and eaten as a food fish.
First described by Pieter Bleeker in 1854.
16 facts checked with sources
Spelling fix only: Kottelat (2013) restored Bleeker's original spelling 'schwanefeldii' (no second n). 'schwanenfeldii' is still widely used in shops and some papers. Older names: Barbus schwanenfeldii, Puntius schwanenfeldii.
FishBase: Barbonymus schwanefeldii summary · Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldiiLegacy had no family; new value.
FishBase: Barbonymus schwanefeldii summaryBoth figures are SL (standard length); total length is longer. FishBase common length 20 cm SL; most aquarium fish reach 20-30 cm.
FishBase: Barbonymus schwanefeldii summary · Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldiiFishBase matches legacy exactly (22-25); Seriously Fish (preferred for husbandry) gives the wider 20-28.
Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldii · FishBase: Barbonymus schwanefeldii summaryFishBase matches legacy (6.5-7.0); Seriously Fish gives the wider 6.0-8.0.
Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldii · FishBase: Barbonymus schwanefeldii summaryLegacy had none. Seriously Fish 2-15; FishBase up to 10.
Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldii · FishBase: Barbonymus schwanefeldii summary210 x 60 cm footprint x 60 cm height = 756,000 cm³ = 756 L (Seriously Fish's own figure). Legacy 800 L is close and fine as a recommendation; the key point is a tank at least 2 m long.
Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldiiSeriously Fish minimum group is 6, legacy 5.
Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldiiPeaceful toward similar-sized fish but a predator of small fish (legacy 'prey' flag is correct). Needs robust, similarly sized tankmates.
Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldiiBenthopelagic = mid-water to near the bottom. It is a powerful jumper and needs a heavy lid (Seriously Fish).
FishBase: Barbonymus schwanefeldii summaryLegacy care 2 (medium). Seriously Fish rates it difficult, purely because of the tank size it needs; it is otherwise hardy.
Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldiiLegacy had no range. Singapore populations are introduced/feral (Seriously Fish).
FishBase: Barbonymus schwanefeldii summary · Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldiiSeriously Fish says there are no other obvious external differences.
Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldiiHatch time from a hormone-induced farm study in Indonesia (~23 h); legacy 24-36 h is close. FishBase assumes fecundity of 8,000-16,000.
Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldii · Kusmini et al. 2023, Indonesian Aquaculture Journal 18(2): 97-104 (doi:10.15578/iaj.18.2.2023.97-104)Legacy 'about' is correct. IUCN Least Concern (assessed 2019, per FishBase). Also farmed for food.
Seriously Fish: Barbonymus schwanefeldii · FishBase: Barbonymus schwanefeldii summary