Sumatran barbus - care and maintenance in the aquarium

If there is not enough adventurer and a cheerful pet in the aquarium, then we advise you to get a barbus. Fish is distinguished by its beautiful external data, as well as its unpretentiousness in terms of content. On the basis of the Sumatran barbus, many other aquatic inhabitants have been developed that differ in color and behavior. But this representative is considered a classic, for many decades, experienced and novice aquarists contain in the reservoir these representatives of the family. Today we will analyze everything related to them.

Description

The first time these fish were described by Blecker back in 1855. It is believed that the Sumatran representatives then lived in Borneo and Sumatra, it was because of the second habitat that the breed got its name. Also, fish were found in Thailand and Cambodia. Today this family is so widespread that it can be found in Australia, Singapore, Columbia and the United States of America.

By their natural characteristics, they prefer quiet streams, as well as small rivers, which are located in the thicket. They love the jungle, because in such places the water area is famous for the accumulation of oxygen in a large volume. Fish need sandy soft soil, as well as driftwood and pebbles as shelters. They feed on the natural habitat of insects and larvae, as well as detritus, vegetation.

With regard to external data, the body of the fish is compressed from the side parts. The head is round, pets grow up to 7 cm in height, but this is rare. In an aquarium environment, their length hardly exceeds 5 cm. All depends on the type of tank, nutrition, and other conditions of detention.

The hues discussed are yellowish, reddish, or faded brown. Strips of a dark tone going along the body are considered a characteristic feature. When the mating season begins in fish, these stripes become reddish.

It is difficult to determine for sure which gender an individual is assigned to if it has not yet reached puberty. When spawning begins, female individuals are rounded in the abdominal part, and male fish become saturated in color. Males are smaller, their head is more red.

If you keep these water guests in an aquarium environment, they will live up to 4 years and will delight the owner. But fish are prone to overeating and do not know a sense of proportion, so they often die simply from gluttony. The future owner should know when and in what quantities to feed the fish.

Content

1. Fish are quite active, so special attention is paid to choosing a tank for their maintenance. Barbuses do not belong to the types of pets that swim either in the lowland or at the top. They feel good in all layers of the body of water. Choose an elongated tank so that the fish grow well and quickly.
2. Take care of shelters, which can be driftwood, cobblestones without sharp edges, various pipes, grottoes, clay pots. Plant the sides of the aquarium with vegetation, and leave the middle section for swimming.
3. If you keep the fish of this family alone with other groups, it will be extremely aggressive. Therefore, immediately buy and start a flock of barbs to partially reduce their anger in relation to others. Buy from 10 or more individuals.
4. Particular attention is paid to indicators of the temperature environment. So, for example, fish like moderate heat, therefore it is optimal to keep them at 23-26 degrees. Water should be perfectly clean and soft; purchase a filter in advance. But he should not create a flow.
5. As for lighting, the family has no requirements for this aspect. You can limit yourself to a single lamp with diffusing light, mounted on top or on the side. The fish are jumping, so the upper section is covered with a lid, and the water surface is lined with plants of a floating type.
6. Take care of aeration by installing an appropriate appliance. Since in the natural environment fish live in water with a large amount of oxygen, this must be ensured in the aquarium. Also replace a third of the water weekly to always be clean.
7. Do not worry if you see that the fish fall downside down and their body is vertical. Barbs in this way rest or sleep, moving away from the bustle around.
8. To make pets of this breed feel comfortable, they are not planted with large and aggressive fish. Choose active guests who, by their slowness, will not stop the barbs from having fun.

Feeding

1. Beginners choose this species of fish due to the fact that it is unpretentious in terms of diet. He eats almost everything that the owner gives. He loves dry foods designed specifically for these fish.
2. It is also allowed to treat pets with frozen and live bloodworms, tubule chicks, corvette, daphnia.
3. To saturate the diet and prevent damage to vegetation, fish are sometimes given cucumbers, zucchini, boiled greens and fodder with spirulina.
4. Since individuals of this group are prone to overeating and die from gluttony, they are fed twice a day. There should be enough food so that the fish ate it in 1-1.5 minutes.

Compatibility

1. The barbs in question are flocking individuals. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to start at least 7 fish of the same species. Often such inhabitants of the aquarium are aggressive to many fish. If the flock is small, the barbs will begin to break fins to other individuals.
2. If the family of barbs is relatively large, then aggression towards neighbors is significantly reduced. Individuals of the same species are occupied by each other. Still, you should not start slow and calm fish with the barbs. Among these, it is worth highlighting laliuses, cockerels, marble and pearl gourami, goldfish and scalars.
3. The considered individuals get along well with the fast inhabitants. These are thorns, zebrafish, Congo, speckled catfish, diamond tetras and cockroaches.

Breeding

1. If you are going to start a fish for the first time, then barbs are ideal for you as spawning individuals. At the same time, it is strongly recommended to feed the fish with various feeds. Try to diversify your diet. Give not only dry, but also live food. As a result, the barbs themselves will show a desire for spawning.
2. The considered individuals reach puberty at 6 months. In this case, it is not necessary to plant males and females in different containers in order to prepare them for spawning. But in order not to cause any problems, it’s better to plant the individuals so that the females can feel more comfortable.
3. The water temperature in the habitat should be about 23 degrees. In order for the eggs to develop in females without any problems, the fish should be fed with various feeds. It is also worth emphasizing a live product. The barbs are great at eating coronet, tubule and bloodworm.
4. Be sure to prepare spawning grounds in advance. Capacity should be at least 15 liters. In this case, the soil does not have to be laid at all. The only thing to note is that in the aquarium you need to install a separation grid. Thus, parents will not eat caviar.
5. Also, it is not recommended to launch snails in the spawning grounds. Synthetic fibers or Javanese moss should be used as a substrate. Put the future parents in a spawning evening. Raise the temperature of the medium to 25 degrees. There is no need to feed individuals.
6. With sunrise, individuals begin to throw caviar.The spawning duration is several hours. Often, the female at one time brings up to 600 eggs. After this, individuals should be transplanted into a common aquarium. In spawning grounds, it is recommended to replace part of the water with fresh water.
7. It is also recommended to add methylene blue to the spawning ground. Water should acquire a bluish tint. A similar procedure is carried out so that the fungus does not begin to develop on the eggs. For some time spawning is recommended to darken. It should not be exposed to the sun.

Barbs do not require special conditions of detention, they are not picky in terms of compiling a basic diet. But take care of a sufficiently spacious tank, leave a place for swimming. Observe the temperature regime of the aquatic environment, maintain aeration at the proper level, regularly make water changes.

Video: aquarium fish Sumatran barbus