For those who prefer to see active fish in the aquarium, one should pay attention to barbs. There are a lot of species of these animals. All of them are beautiful and unpretentious, easily adapt to a new aquarium, are not picky in food. They can be brought as the first aquarium pets to children over ten years old.
Views
All types of barbs belong to cyprinids. They have no teeth on their jaws. They are replaced by the so-called pharyngeal teeth, which are located on the lower parts of the gill apparatus.
In the natural environment, most barbs live in water bodies in the Southeast of Asia and Africa. Often you can buy a fish that was caught in the wild, although they are bred perfectly and in captivity. In total, more than two hundred types of barbs are known. Their names are the most diverse. In the aquarium, about fifty species are popular. They vary in size, color, body shape. Consider the most popular fish, which differ not only in appearance, but also in size.
Shark's
There are many types of barbs, whose body length reaches more than fifteen centimeters. The representative of very large aquarium fish is the shark ball.
The appearance of the fish resembles a famous marine predator. The body has a length of about thirty centimeters, it is slim. The general color of the fish is silver, the sides are golden, and the fins are yellowish-white. The edging of the fins is black. Particularly reminiscent of a shark dorsal fin.
The fish are quite mobile, but cautious. Despite their formidable appearance, they are so shy that they can die due to stress. At night, they make clicking sounds. Have an excellent appetite.
Cross
Fish are considered large because in captivity they grow up to fourteen centimeters. This type of barbus is distinguished by an elongated body, which has an original pattern. It resembles a cross. In the front of the body are two vertical strips, they are crossed by one horizontal, which stretches to the tail.
Young individuals are not at all like mature fish. Their backs are painted in a green-orange tone. The sides are golden green and the abdomen is orange. For a very long time, young growth was considered a separate species.
Green
The view of the barbus (photos with them look gorgeous) is common off the coast of China and Hainan Island. Also applies to large fish. They differ in that they live in a cooler environment than other representatives of cyprinids.
That is why green barbs can be kept in tanks without additional heating. In the hot season, they are even placed in outdoor pools.
Their body is elongated in the dyne, slightly flattened on the sides. In front, it is higher than that of the tail. The head is round, there are short antennae at the mouth. In this they are similar to fire barbs.
They differ in green-yellow color, which has a metallic sheen. The back is painted in brown or olive color. Dark spots of irregular shape are scattered throughout the body in disorder. Closer to the tail of such spots more. The fins have a reddish tone. Golden breeders were bred by breeders. She received the name Schubert barbus. By the name of his creator, who conducted a successful experiment in 1960.
Sumatran
Sumatran barbs are worthy of a separate article. The species of cyprinids is the most popular among aquarists. It belongs to the middle barbs, since in captivity its length reaches five centimeters.
In their natural environment, they live in slow flowing rivers and lakes in Indonesia. A lot of wild representatives off the coast of the island of Sumatra. That is why fish are so called. However, in some sources they are referred to as tiger. This is due to their striped color.
The body of the fish is high, flattened on the sides. The head is wedge-shaped. The main tone is yellow-silver. There are four vertical stripes of black color on it. Dorsal fin black with reddish edging. The remaining fins are transparent or red.
Artificial fish live in aquariums. In the natural environment, their color is not so bright.
If one individual or a school of six fish or more lives in the tank, they behave calmly. But it’s worth launching only two or three Sumatran barbs into the aquarium, as they begin to disorderly, bullying their neighbors. They sleep upside down.
Fiery
No less popular fire barbs. Photos with a view of cyprinids are amazing during spawning. In males, at this time, the color changes to a bright red tone. Even the dorsal fin, which is usually black, changes color to orange.
The fiery look belongs to the middle barbs, since the fish are five to eight centimeters long. The usual color consists of an olive-green back and a yellow-red abdomen and sides. The body is cast in silver. On the caudal stem there is a dark spot of round shape. Females have a gray tint and transparent fins. They are also fuller than males.
Cherry
Among small fish, the size of which does not exceed four and a half centimeters, cherry ones are distinguished. This type of aquarium barbs has an elongated trunk, which is compressed on the sides. The average size of an individual is four centimeters. They can be distinguished by a dark horizontal strip that starts at the mouth and runs along the entire length of the body. During spawning, males acquire a bright cherry color.
Females are significantly different. They are much larger, the body has an orange or tan color. The fins are red, but unlike males, they are edged with black.
Among the fish, albinos are found. They are very popular among aquarists. In general, cherry barbs are quiet, inconspicuous, timid aquarium inhabitants. In content, they are more demanding than other cyprinids. In the natural environment are found in Sri Lanka.
Five-lane
The birthplace of the fish (a type of barbus) is the reservoirs of Singapore, Kalimantan, and southeast Asia. They are quite thermophilic. In appearance they are similar to Sumatran individuals. But they have a bright color, and the length of the body is different.
The general background of the body is painted in yellow-silver tones. There are five transverse stripes of dark blue color on it. The first strip passes through the eye, merging with the dark pupil. Their back has a reddish brown hue. Tail with fins of red color. There are a pair of small mustaches on the wedge-shaped head.
Fish love to hide in the thickets of plants. They are peaceful, but for the sake of fun they are able to break off the fins with veils.
Oligolepis
Most often come across on the island of Sumatra. They are also called island barbel. Body length does not exceed five centimeters. The shape is similar to the representatives of green barbs. Large eyes and two pairs of mustaches stand out on the head.
If the fish are calm, their color is beautiful and bright. Large scales glow with a mother-of-pearl shade. They are so colored that they create a checkerboard pattern on the body. Males are distinguished by a reddish tail and dorsal fin with a dark edging. During the spawning period, the back of the male becomes velvety green, and the front of the body is painted in burgundy. The disadvantage of these fish is that with a slight fright, they lose their color and become gray inconspicuous fish.
Gracilis
Is there a miniature view of barbs? Aquarium fish up to two centimeters in size are among cyprinids. We are talking about graceful gracilis. In the wild, they are found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin. The length of the body does not exceed eighteen millimeters.
They have an elongated body that smoothly connects to the head with large round eyes. The mouth is small. The tail is deeply cut. The fins are transparent. In some individuals, the entire body is visible. It has a pale yellow tint. At the base of the tail there is a black spot of irregular shape. Such a fish lives for only fifteen months.
The variety of barbs is awesome. Only some representatives of a huge family are described. The aquarium can be filled not just with one view, but several at once. How to contain them?
Content
A description of the types of barbs would not be complete without information on care. Keeping these fish is pretty easy. They are recommended even for beginners in the aquarium business. However, these living and moving animals need a maximum amount of water. So that they had a place to swim.
Fish prefer to live in flocks of six or more individuals. Alone, they will be subject to stress. Yes, and you can watch the barbs only when they are in a relatively large flock. Otherwise, they are constantly hiding.
Water should have a temperature in the range of nineteen to twenty-five degrees. Its acidity is six and a half - seven and a half units. Hardness should not exceed ten units. Fish love old water. But this does not mean that it does not need to be updated. A daily replacement of 20% water is required. She must be defended. If this is not done, individuals will be poisoned by waste products, or rather nitrates with nitrites. Water will seem clean to the owner, but the barbs will die.
Soil is needed to plant plants in it. Barbuses love dense thickets. You can use coarse river sand, small pebbles. Bright fish will look more attractive against the background of dark soil.
Plants are better to choose hard-leaved, as aquatic pets are able to eat young tender leaves. To enrich fish with fiber, inexpensive plants can be purchased and added to the aquarium. It is better that they are without a root system, so that they do not need to be dug up after the barbs destroy all the greens.
In the aquarium there should be a filter, which will also create a small flow, and an aerator. A flock needs a lot of oxygen, which plants cannot give. Cleaning should be done once every seven to ten days. It depends on the quality of the filter.
Feeding
All types of aquarium barbs are omnivores. They eagerly eat dry and live food. For them, you can purchase a special set of food, which one quarter consists of plant products. It is permissible to use lettuce, spinach, nettle, and dandelion as plant food. The listed greens should be fresh, previously scalded with boiling water, chopped. Live and frozen food provides a rich color for fish.
Food should be given twice a day. Meal time should be the same, food must be poured in one place. Fish should absorb food in seven minutes. Surplus needs to be removed. Once a week, pets can arrange a fasting day. Instead of ordinary food, offer them only vegetation.
As a treat, you can give the egg yolk to barbs. It should be in a separate container. The product contains all the necessary elements. Fish willingly eat it. But because of the risk of obesity, it should be given no more than once every ten days. Sumatran individuals are especially prone to overweight.
Compatibility
Description of the types of barbs involves raising the question of optimal neighborhood. Since many aquarists want to keep barbs with other fish species in the same tank. However, most of these cyprinids are very energetic, they tend to nibble their fins to their neighbors. An exception is a peaceful green species. To the other barbs, only animals with the same mobility and strength can be hooked. Then they can fight back.
List of allowed neighbor fish:
- swordsmen;
- catfish;
- gourami;
- bots;
- parrots
Ideally, it is better to create an aquarium world in which barbs of various kinds will live. Then the home reservoir will be variegated and interesting, and dangerous conflicts can be avoided. Whichever option is adopted, it is important to prevent proximity to the following species:
- cockerels;
- scalaria;
- goldfish;
- guppies;
- molliesia.
If you approach the matter wisely, you can experiment by creating your underwater world. This is the beauty of aquarium.