Will Tinfoil Barbs Eat Moss?

Tinfoil barbs often sell as tiny youngsters and then grow to an adult size of over a foot, complicating their aquarium care. On top of this, they like to eat many aquarium plants, limiting your options for live plants. However, mosses can usually handle life with tinfoil barbs, as long as you select the right mosses.

  1. Tinfoil Barbs

    • Tinfoil barbs (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii) live throughout southeastern Asia. They have tiny barbs on their mouths that contain sense organs they use to help find food. These barbs school in the wild for protection. Because of this, they need to live in groups of at least four in captivity or they will become stressed. Thanks to their large size, these fish need an aquarium with at least 225 gallons' capacity.

    Relationship with Plants

    • Tinfoil barbs have an omnivorous diet. They lean toward vegetables and will readily browse on soft-leaved aquarium plants. They can decimate an aquarium that features only softer aquarium plants. While mosses lack woody stems or stiff leaves, they can regenerate fast enough to withstand the pecking of fish like the tinfoil barb, making them one of the few plants that can share an aquarium with these fishes.

    Picking the Right Moss

    • Pet shops sell different species of aquarium moss. Aesthetics aside, the biggest difference between moss types is temperature tolerance. Most aquatic mosses can tolerate a wide range of water chemistry but will not thrive outside their desired temperature range. Since tinfoil barbs come from the tropics, this means they need water between 72 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Java moss and Singapore moss can both thrive in this range and can hold up to tinfoil barbs' browsing. You should avoid Christmas moss, which needs lower temperatures to thrive.

    Caring for Moss

    • Mosses adapt extremely well to aquarium life. Unlike the majority of aquarium plants, mosses do not need extra fertilizer or carbon dioxide supplements. In fact, mosses seem to totally ignore these additions. You should not keep mosses in aquariums with bright lighting, unlike most aquarium plants. More than 2 watts of light per gallon will encourage the growth of algae that can choke out the moss. Never keep moss in a tank with bright lighting unless other plants in the aquarium need it. Unlike moss, other aquarium plants will outcompete algae for nutrients, preventing it from overrunning an over-lit tank.