While South America is greatly represented by Tetras, in the old world tropics it’s the Barbs and their relatives that dominate the region’s rivers and lakes. Schools of barbs and other minnows inhabit the many vegetated waterways of many old world countries such as Sumatra, Thailand, India, Borneo, and more. Barbs can exhibit some very interesting behaviors that differ from tetras, and some species don’t necessarily need to be kept in large schools. In some species, it’s the male that exhibits the most colouration, which is most present when breeding. This being said, a good-sized group with a larger female ratio can make for some enjoyable fish watching.

Among these sexually dimorphic species the Ruby, cherry, and Rosy barb are most popular, and have even been bred for attributes such as brighter colours, and longer fins. In some species such as the Tiger, and Gold barbs, males and females are identical in colouration. Some species are among some of the more peaceful fish in the hobby today while others can be rather rambunctious toward other fish, especially those slower swimming or with longer fins. A perfect example being the highly popular Tiger barb, which are notorious fin nippers, are better suited to community tanks with faster more boisterous residents such as Danios and other Indian and Asian counter parts.