The Tiger Barb is one of the mainstays of the aquarium hobby, and it's striking striped pattern, with red fins, gives obvious reason why. Tiger barbs have also been developed into a large number of colour morphs, including the "Green Tiger Barb," which is almost entirely black or green, albinos, all reds, and even golden forms. Long finned varieties are also available, but Batfish Aquatics recommends these be avoided.
Tiger Barbs are nippy fish, and can be particularly aggressive, especially when kept alone. In a shoal of 6-10 fish, or more, they tend to bicker only among themselves, and leave other aquarium residents alone. This natural bickering seldom results in harm to the fish, and is part of their natural behaviour -- they will show their best colouration in large shoals. However, Tiger Barbs should not be maintained in aquaria with long finned fishes, such as Angelfish, domestic bettas, or many Apistogramma, as they will nip fins. Similarly, long finned varieties are a rather stupid idea -- their long fins tend to quickly be trimmed by other tiger barbs in the shoal!

Older records indicate that Tiger Barbs may reach between 4-6", though individuals of this size are unheard of today.