Some kinds of animals have a highly visible range of physical features, depending on their gender.
Some others, including Tiger Barbs, don’t necessarily display extremely noticeable differences between male and female body features.
That is the main reason why it might not be so easy to spot their genders in an aquarium.
Differences Between Male And Female Tiger Barbs
While these differences are not so visible, they do exist.
Knowing them will greatly aid when determining if they are ready to mate or if they have already reached sexual maturity.
Here is a quick comparison table between the genders:
| Gender | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Colour of Scales | More colourful | More pale colours |
| Shape of the Belly | Slimmer | Rounder |
| Can have a red spot on the nose area | Yes | No |
| Direction of the Anal Fin | Angled towards the tail | Goes straight down |
| Behaviour of the Ventral Fins | Turn pale red or orangish | Turn bright red |
| Nipping intensity | Higher | Lower |
| Level of Aggressiveness | Slightly higer aggressiveness | Moderated Aggressiveness |
| Fighting Instinct | Fights other males | Don’t normally fight other fish |
| Ideal number in a tank | Only One if they fight | As many as the tank size allows |
Also, some females, as a consequence of selective breeding, can even come to display the same brighter colors on their scales and fins.
That is one of the reasons why it may be so hard to differentiate a male from a female with the precision you would like.
According to more experienced aquarists, these differentiative gender signs normally are unnoticeable or even inexistent before Tiger Barbs reach six or seven weeks of age.
Ironically, that is precisely when they normally reach their sexual maturity.
On the other hand, the fact that they start displaying their different characteristics in that specific period may be quite helpful since that’s when they should begin their spawning conditioning.
Read: Do Tiger Barbs Lay Eggs?
When male Tiger Barbs reach sexual maturity, some other physical features might also appear.
That is particularly useful because Tiger Barbs are egg scatters, so when the spawning period comes, it is highly recommended that the mating tiger barbs couple be put in a separate tank.
Don’t forget that Tiger Barbs eat their eggs and fry, so, once the eggs are laid and the male has already fertilized the eggs, it’s time to bring the couple back to the first tank.
Female Tiger Barb
Female Tiger Barbs’ bodies are normally rounder in the belly portion, and they can easily outgrow the males due to that particular characteristic.
They normally have a less colourful tone if compared to males and they lack the red spot on the nose area, which is a feature that belongs exclusively to males.
The anal fin is normally headed straight down and the ventral fins turn pale red or orangish.
Male Tiger Barb
Regarding male Tiger Barbs, they are normally thinner in the belly and their growing curve stops before females.
In a tank with only adult specimens of Tiger Barbs, it may be easier to spot the different genders due to the normally larger size females reach.
Concerning the difference between the color of the scales, male Tiger Barbs are, in general, more colorful than their female counterparts and the male is the only one to show the red spot on the nose area.
When it comes to the fins, there are good indicators of gender as well. Male Tiger Barbs’ anal fins are usually angled towards the tail.
There aren’t many differences between male and female Tiger Barbs when it comes to their behavior characteristics.
However, one of them stands out and it has to do with the renowned aggressiveness of this kind of fish.
Male Tiger Barbs are almost always a little more aggressive than females and that is the main reason why you will notice the males nipping on other fish fins, especially if they are long and flowy, while females rarely display the same level of aggressiveness.
Lastly, males, due to their higher level of aggressiveness, normally fight other males in the tank, especially if they are of the same size.
Read what will happen if there are more than one aggressive male tiger barb in a community tank.
Females, however, will do well with other kinds. That is why it is recommended that Tiger Barb schools only have one male while the number of females can range as much as the tank size permits.
