The barbs can rightfully be called the favorites of the vast majority of aquarists. They are nimble and agile, constantly in motion: they either catch up with each other, or simply seek out something at the very bottom. They are funny and unpretentious. The maintenance of fish barbs and caring for them is within the power of even beginners. Therefore, they became the favorites of aquarists around the world. In addition, they can be purchased at almost any pet store.
The most common can be considered ten varieties of barbs. They are most often found in home aquariums around the world.
Origin
Barbuses belong to the same genus from the family of cyprinids. Primarily distributed in Asia and the African continent, and aquarium representatives are mainly brought from Southeast Asia. Caring for barbecue fish and keeping them in an aquarium is quite straightforward, so they are often advised to beginners.
External features
The total number of species and subspecies of barbs is quite high, and each of them is very popular. But despite the diversity, representatives have similar external data:
- elongated, slightly elongated body;
- bilobed tail;
- a mustache that is above the upper jaw.
Females of the barbus, as a rule, are larger and larger, with a large round belly. Males are smaller in size, but differ in a brighter, more saturated color, which becomes even more intense during the spawning period. Barbs are considered to be useful for the aquarium fish. They are omnivores, eagerly picking up the half-eaten leftovers from the bottom.
Barbus fish: maintenance and care
Even beginners can take care of these aquarium pets. Some types of barbs can live in aquariums, the volume of which is 30 liters, although for most you will need a "house" larger - from 50 liters.
The optimal conditions of detention can be considered water with a temperature of 23 to 26 ° C, water hardness is in the range from 8 to 18 units, the pH level is about 6.5-7.5. Of the special requirements, only two can be distinguished:
- The need to change 20% of the total water volume at least once a week.
- Very good filtering system.
Food
In nature, a glass barbus feeds on phyto- and zooplankton and small invertebrates. In the aquarium, he takes pleasure in dry food. To improve the color and well-being of the fish, you need to diversify your diet, feed them daily with live and frozen foods: brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, and tubule. With full nutrition, males may show orange hues in color.
Features of behavior and life
Almost all types of barbs are more correctly kept in flocks of 5, 6 or 7 individuals. At the same time, the vegetation in the aquarium should not be too dense. For these extremely active fish you need a lot of open space.
Small-sized species live for about 5 years, larger ones (shark ball) live up to 10. Barbuses rarely get sick, and the main problem is their compatibility with other fish species.
The activity of these aquatic animals can lead to the fact that they involuntarily jump out of the aquarium, which, in turn, may end not very well for them. To avoid such situations, it is preferable to keep them in aquariums with lids.
Varieties and description of barbs in the aquarium
If you decide to give preference to precisely these aquatic inhabitants, then first of all you need to choose the species that is most attractive to you.
The Sumatran barbus, for example, is one of the most common aquarium fish in the world. It grows to 7 cm, has a round body, slightly flattened on the sides. The color of Sumatran barbus fish (pictured below) is silver-white with 4 vertical stripes of dark, almost black color. The ends of the dorsal and ventral fins are orange. The color of males, as a rule, is brighter and more saturated, and during the spawning period it becomes even more intense. It was the external attractiveness of this species that made it the most popular among other aquarium inhabitants. Keeping fish and barbs is simple, regardless of their type.
Breeding these barbel in captivity is simple, so today there are many selective forms. In terms of care, they are almost no different from natural species.
In aquarium shops you can meet the following inhabitants:
- albinos (characterized by the presence of orange stripes on the sides);
- emerald green mutants;
- genetically modified red, green and yellow.
The Sumatran mutant barbus (a subspecies of the previous one) has a very attractive appearance, but a more severe character. He gets along very badly with other fish with long fins. In addition, these active, curious small fish are able to kill other, leisurely and phlegmatic inhabitants of the aquarium, tear off their mustaches to snails, and eat coils and shrimp.
The fiery barbus attracts attention with shiny scales with a golden tint. Females of this species are more yellow, and males more red. They are calmer and slightly less active.
Cherry barbus can be considered one of the most peaceful. It is smaller, with rich reddish scales.
Denisoni is perhaps the largest, up to 12 cm in length, fish with silver-white scales. The shape of the body resembles a torpedo, along each side there is a horizontal black stripe, and above it there is a shorter red line that ends in the middle of the body. In character resembles the Sumatran barbus. In terms of compatibility, she is a little more loyal to guppies.
The Schubert barbus is a fish with a golden color of scales and a scattering of small black spots on its sides. Peaceful and prefers to live in a pack of their own kind. It is a selective form of green barbus. Very similar to him in character and style of behavior.
Odessa barbus stands out from the group of brothers with olive color and red spraying on its sides. The scales are large, with bright outlines resembling a grid. By nature, it is closest to the Sumatran barbus.
These are just a few varieties of this genus from the family of cyprinids.
Who is better with?
By the behavior of the barbs can not be called aggressors. Naturally, even within the same family, difficulties can arise with mutual understanding, which lead to a sharp reaction or problems with joint coexistence, but most often they are harmless. So who gets along with barbs?
If the male is in a bad mood and decides to pat the tails of the neighbors in the aquarium, then the nimble guppies can easily escape from angry barbel, which can not be said about slow scalars or vaule-tails.
Not the most compatible neighbors can also be called laliuses and astronotuses. The former are too shy, and the latter will begin to compete.
The simplest solution is to have a flock of barrels of one or several types. You can also choose neighbors from Pecilia or Molliesia for them. They have similar character traits and are similar in lifestyle, which will allow them to coexist comfortably in one territory. They have excellent compatibility with barbs.
For example, the Sumatran species is most compatible with swordsmen, iris, glass tetra, thorns, phylogenes, labeos, non-predatory catfishes and cichlids, but it will not get along with goldfish, gouras and fish with long veil fins.
Breeding tactics
These mischievous barbel is not difficult to breed in an aquarium. Although it is necessary to provide for some nuances, and to create suitable conditions.
For some varieties of barbs, a separate spawning is required. It is made as follows:
- a reservoir of 10 or 20 liters is taken;
- water is poured into it, 2/3 of which is taken from the aquarium, and 1/3 is fresh, but previously settled water;
- vegetation is placed at the bottom: pinnacle, Javanese moss and cabomb;
- at a height of 2-3 cm from the bottom is a separator grid.
Some types of barbs are able to reproduce in the general aquarium, subject to three rules:
- the presence in it of dense, abundant vegetation;
- maintaining the temperature at 26-28 degrees;
- the absence in the aquarium of fish of other species or more aggressive representatives of one species.
Aquarium breeding
Barbuses can spawn in a common aquarium. It is even useful for ridding females of eggs, because if they do not spawn for a long time, then they die. When spawning in a common aquarium, caviar and fry are likely to be eaten. If you want to save fry, then for breeding fish you need a separate aquarium.
For breeding, you will need 6 individuals, which first need to be placed in an aquarium of 100 liters for the period of quarantine. It is better that there are 2 females per 1 male.
When buying barbus fish in an aquarium shop, you need to examine each individual. Pay attention to its color, size, fins, make sure that the body is not damaged. Give preference to more beautiful males and more chubby females.
Training and spawning
The main difficulty in breeding barbs is that they are rightfully considered very poor parents. They can eat their eggs during spawning, therefore isolation of eggs or adults is crucial for the survival of fry. There are two main methods of dilution, which will be described below.
First breeding method
For the first method, you need a reservoir of 75 liters of water. It is necessary to maintain the temperature at around 25 degrees, install a powerful filter and ensure constant aeration.
If it is supposed to remove caviar from the aquarium after spawning, the bottom should remain bare. Firstly, it is easier and more convenient to collect eggs, and secondly, you will not miss eggs that accidentally fall into the thickets.
Prospective parents need to be fed immediately after moving to a separate aquarium. Best for this is animal feed (shrimp fillet). It is necessary to pour enough feed so that the fish do not begin to compete for food.
After 24 hours, which are necessary for adaptation, you need to install a separator in the aquarium. So the space will be divided into two parts. Such a separation will ensure the necessary circulation of water and limit the access of fish to each other.
In the next five days, you need to change 10% of the water daily, and then remove the separator. The breeding of barbs lasts about 2 hours. After all eggs have been fertilized, either the parents or the eggs should be removed from the reservoir.
The second method of breeding
First you need to carefully prepare the spawning ground. To do this, you will need a capacity of up to 20 liters, filled 50% with water from the aquarium and 50% with fresh water. Water temperature should not be lower than 25 degrees. The bottom is covered with plants, such as a cabomb, which must be crushed with a load and bunches of moss. Before spawning, males and females should be kept separately from each other and receive high-quality food.
The male and female are placed in a common aquarium in the evening, and in the morning they turn on diffused light. After a couple of hours, the eggs that the female has laid out will become visible. Their total number can reach up to 500-600. A male barbus fish swims behind and fertilizes eggs. After this, the fish lose interest in each other and, as a rule, swim to different ends of the aquarium. As soon as the fish begin to eat their eggs, they should be planted.
Then it is better to add a small amount of methylene blue to the water so that the caviar does not deteriorate. If whitened eggs are observed after some time, they should be removed, as this is a sign that they are dead.
Feeding babies
Larvae hatch after 48-72 hours. Barbecue fry appear within three days. This will be visible visually, as they will begin to swim freely around the aquarium. From this moment they can begin to feed. First, they can feed the yolk sacs, and then go to a small number of ciliates or daphnia. The diet can be varied with shredded shrimp and give them three times a day.
It is always better to start feeding with small products: ciliates or “live dust”. When the juveniles grow a little older, shrimp fillets can be added to the diet. The amount of feed given should be such that fry can easily eat it in a couple of minutes.
Baby Care
To create a shelter for young animals, it is enough to add a couple of twigs of fern called Microsorium pteropus. He is very loved by both young and adults. Keeping barb fish and caring for them when they are small, on the whole, is not much different from caring for adults.
It is also necessary to partially replace the water: renew 10-15% of the total volume of water in the aquarium every day. Water quality is checked in the same ways as in a conventional aquarium. Water needs to be tested for nitrates, nitrites and ammonia.