Tinfoil barb (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii) care guide

Group
Freshwater fish
Other names
Tinfoil
Family
Cyprinidae (Cyprininae)
Origin
Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo; medium-sized rivers, floodplains and canals, moving into flooded forest and fields in the wet season.
Water
freshwater
Maximum size
35.5 cm
Temperature
20–28°C
pH
6–8
Hardness
Soft to medium, 2–15 dGH
Minimum tank
378 litres
Care level
intermediate
Temperament
semi_aggressive
Lifespan
10–15 years years

Care

The tinfoil barb is often sold as a small silver fish, but it grows into a heavy-bodied fish of around 35 cm. It is only suitable for very large aquariums. It lives in big shoals in nature, so keep a group of at least six; on its own it becomes nervous and can turn aggressive. A tank with a base of at least 210 × 60 cm (around 378 litres) is a sensible minimum for adults, and bigger is better. Decor matters less than open swimming space and water quality. Use a few large, rounded rocks and sturdy driftwood, firmly placed, and leave the middle of the tank open. Soft plants will be eaten. It is skittish and a powerful jumper, so a heavy, tight-fitting lid is essential. Keep the water at about 20–28 °C, pH 6–8 and soft to medium. A group produces a lot of waste, so use one or two large external filters giving four to five tank turnovers an hour, good oxygenation and regular large water changes. It is silver to slightly golden with red fins. The dorsal fin has a black tip, and the red tail has a white edge and a black stripe along each lobe. The similar Barbonymus altus, also sold as tinfoil barb, lacks these black tail stripes and has a more golden or bronze body. Males and females look alike, though ripe females are deeper-bodied. Gold, "blushing", albino and leucistic forms are bred for the trade. Avoid any fish that have been artificially dyed, which involves repeated injections and is harmful to the fish. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. It is also farmed and fished for food in its home range. The species name is often spelled schwanenfeldii, but schwanefeldii is the spelling now used by Seriously Fish and FishBase. Sources: Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/barbonymus-schwanefeldii/); FishBase (fishbase.se/summary/Barbonymus-schwanefeldii.html); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinfoilbarb). Checked October 2026.

Diet

A greedy omnivore that is mainly a plant-eater in the wild. Feed a good-quality pellet or large flake with plenty of vegetable content, plus live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, krill and shrimp, and fresh vegetables such as peas, courgette and spinach. It will eat soft aquarium plants and any small fish it can swallow.

Breeding

Not recorded in home aquaria; it is bred commercially in Asia and elsewhere using hormone injections, mainly for aquaculture. It is an egg-scatterer with no parental care, and one female can release several thousand eggs at a time. Its size, the lack of obvious differences between the sexes and the problem of rearing hundreds of young that grow so large make it impractical for most fishkeepers to breed.

Compatibility and tank mates

Not aggressive towards larger fish, but it will eat small fish and its size and boisterous feeding upset shy species, so it is not a community fish for ordinary tanks. Keep it only with robust fish of similar size in a very large aquarium, such as oscars and other large cichlids, large catfish, large characins and other big cyprinids.

Last updated 5 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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