Fire barbus fish: photo, breeding, maintenance

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Fiery barbus is an aquarium fish of the cyprinid family, which conquered European hobbyists in the twentieth century. Beginners like it for its unpretentiousness, and knowledgeable aquarium owners appreciate its peaceful disposition. The fish is also called puntius. Why is it called fiery? You can learn about this and much more from the article.

Description

During the spawning period, the fish acquires a bright color. For this it is called fiery. Adults usually reach a length of five centimeters. Individuals are considered the largest, the length of which reaches fifteen centimeters. But this applies to the inhabitants of natural reservoirs. Their natural habitat is Bangladesh, northeastern India, the islands of Southeast Asia. Under good conditions, the fish lives for about five years.

The body of an individual is torpedo-shaped, compressed on the sides. It is no different from most aquarium fish. There is a bifurcation on the caudal fin. This helps representatives of cyprinids to move quickly in the water. At the base of the tailnotice a rounded black spot.

Determining the sex of a puntius is quite simple. The male is relatively smaller in size, has a more saturated color, its dorsal fin is reddish with a black border. The female fire barb is distinguished by a wide abdomen, colorless fins. The fish shimmer in different colors - from greenish to fiery red.

Varieties

Fiery barbus has several varieties. They all look great in an aquarium.

It is worth highlighting the veil specimen separately. It has unusual fins that make the fish even brighter and more attractive. There is also a neon specimen. It does not differ much from the usual puntius, although its color is more saturated and shimmers in different shades. Such an acquisition will decorate the aquarium and bring aesthetic pleasure to the owner.

Choosing an aquarium

Fiery barbus is considered an unpretentious inhabitant of aquariums. However, the volume of the tank where these fish will live must be at least sixty liters. If only a flock of Puntius is expected to live in the aquarium, it is better to choose a low and elongated tank. The fact is that the fish swim close to the bottom, so high containers will be useless. The aquarium itself should be covered with a lid, as pets love to jump out of the water.

The aquarium must be equipped with a filtration and aeration system. Lack of oxygen can lead to disease. Lighting should not be bright so that the fish are not scared. Enough25 watt daylight bulbs.

The tank should not be placed near heaters or in direct sunlight.

Water

Representatives of cyprinids are often found in beginner aquariums because of their unpretentiousness. They live in moderately warm water, the temperature of which is + 18 … + 22 degrees Celsius. With a short-term decrease in temperature by 5-8 degrees, they will survive. Too warm water is fatal for them.

Water hardness and acidity should be standard. Hardness indicators should be within 4-18 units, and acidity - 6.5-7.5 units. Every day it is necessary to change a third of the volume of water. It must first be defended.

Ground

The content of the fiery barb is not considered difficult. This applies not only to life in cool water, but also to the choice of soil. Fraction size and color can be chosen any. Experts usually advise choosing dark tones of the ground, which well set off the colorful color of the Puntius.

The bottom can be equipped with grottoes or other secluded places. In them, the fish will be able to feel safe.

Feeding

Representatives of cyprinids should be pampered with a variety of food. This will keep them he althy. Bloodworms and daphnia are suitable from live food. Plant foods include algae, spinach, lettuce. If the fish do not receive plant food in the right amount, they will eat aquarium plants. Beforefeeding plants must be scalded with boiling water. This minimizes the chance of contaminating the water and fish with infections and bacteria that can be found on the greens.

Like any aquarium pet, Puntius should not be overfed. This may cause them to die. If the fish regurgitate food, leave it in the water, then the amount of food should be reduced. A he althy individual should eat the food within a few minutes.

How does the fire barb reproduce? We'll talk about this later.

Breeding

Increasing the number of punties is relatively easy. This requires preliminary preparation:

• select the brightest representatives for spawning;
• males should be twice as many (usually two females and four males are taken);
• fish are placed in a container, well fed with a variety of foods during the week;
• a 30-50 liter spawning ground is being prepared;
• clean settled water +20…+24 degrees Celsius is poured into the spawning tank;
• small-leaved plants are placed in the water, separator mesh;
• water in spawning should be aerated, but without active flow;
• lighting should be kept to a minimum;
• fish are settled in the spawning area late in the evening;
• spawning will begin in the morning of a new day;
• the fish will spawn, after which they can be returned to the general aquarium;
• The water level in the spawning ground drops to ten centimeters.

In two days the eggs will become larvae. Allduring this time it is necessary to carry out active aeration in the tank. Water should be changed to fresh (necessarily settled), pouring it in small volumes into the aquarium. The larvae will become fry in another one or two days. When the young begin to swim on their own, you can add food. It’s worth starting with live dust, ciliates. Then it is worth switching to a normal diet. The fry grow quickly, reaching sexual maturity in eight months.

Photos of the fiery barb are especially good during the spawning period, when the fish acquire a very rich color. Usually one female spawns about 500 eggs. Of course, not all of them will become fry, most will die.

Breeding fire barbs is quite an exciting activity. It can be carried out even by a beginner. The main thing is to make the right preparation and select the most mobile males, and after spawning, remove them from the tank in a timely manner. If this is not done, then all the eggs will most likely be eaten before turning into larvae.

Compatibility with other species

Fire barbs are quite peaceful. They prefer to live in flocks. For a comfortable stay, it is good to start them in the amount of six to seven individuals. They are considered good neighbors for medium-sized and equally calm fish. However, it should be noted that Puntius is a very mobile breed, so it is better to settle it with the same restless representatives of aquariums.

The list of fish recommended for adding fish includes the following inhabitants of aquariums:

• neons;
• scrabbles;
• zebrafish;
• pecilia.

You should not settle sedentary fish in the same tank with barbs. Otherwise, too mobile pets will bother their neighbors all the time. Also under the ban should be individuals with veil fins. Representatives of cyprinids can attack and gnaw on the fins of their neighbors.

Compatibility with plants

Fiery barbus should be in an aquarium with plants. They can float on the surface of the water or be attached to the ground. In this case, the fish will feel more comfortable. However, the plants should not be too thick so that aquarium pets do not cling to them during their active games. This will harm both fish and green spaces.

In general, aquarium fish lovers speak well of barbs. They are valued for their unpretentiousness in food, beautiful appearance, the ability to breed on their own, the ability to survive with a sharp cooling of the water. But this does not mean that they do not need care at all. Fish need good water filtration, additional oxygen, a large tank. You can settle them in flocks or with other active and peaceful inhabitants of aquariums.