Barbus Sumatran: description, content and breeding

Sumatran barbus is one of the most common types of aquarium fish and is popular all over the world. These cocky and funny fish look spectacular in aquariums and can revive the life of even the most boring pond. They look great both in a pack and individually, they are absolutely unpretentious in maintenance and have good health.

The first mention of the Sumatran barbus dates back to 1855. It was at this time that the famous naturalist-ichthyologist P. Blecker compiled a preliminary description of this species. A full description appeared only in the 30s of the last century. Fans of aquarium immediately liked the new fish and quickly gained popularity in Europe. A little later - at the end of the 40s - the Sumatran barbus also came to the Soviet Union, where it also quickly gained popularity and was very fond of domestic aquarists.

As you might guess by the name, the homeland of the barbus is the island of Sumatra, as well as reservoirs of Indonesia and Malaysia. In the wild, fish live in the fresh rivers of Africa and Southeast Asia, including China, India, Thailand and Ceylon.

The body of the barbus is quite flat and high, the head has a rounded shape, and the sides are decorated with 4 wide vertical stripes of black color. They look very impressive on the yellow body of the fish and make it noticeable in the aquarium. The first of the strips passes through the eye of the barbus, and the last is located at the tail.

The dorsal fins are triangular in shape, painted black and framed by a bright red border. Lateral and anal fins of a red or pinkish hue; during spawning, they acquire dense, saturated colors. Males have a brighter coloration of the body and fins in comparison with females.

As for the nature of the Sumatran barbus, then it is a fairly peaceful species, which makes it possible to keep it in common aquariums. The best option would be to buy immediately a dozen individuals, as a large company of barbs does not pay any attention to neighbors and looks very impressive.

A distinctive feature of the fish is its position during sleep. The sleeping barbus hangs its head down at a certain angle, which misleads inexperienced aquarists: many of them decide that the fish are dead and begin to take measures to remove it from the aquarium. During wakefulness, barbs prefer to move in packs and stay in the middle or lower layer of water.

The life expectancy of fish in aquarium conditions is 4 years, and the most common cause of their death is obesity. This is due to the fact that barbs are prone to overeating, which is why they need to be fed strictly according to the norm, avoiding surpluses and not increasing the frequency of food intake.

Currently, several varieties of the Sumatran barbus are known, which do not differ in anything other than color. Through the efforts of breeders managed to get green, scarlet, mossy, luminous barbs, as well as varieties of black mutant and albino. As a result of breeding work, specimens were born that only vaguely resemble the original, but have excellent decorative properties and are in high demand.

The change in the primary color of the fish was obtained in different ways. This is the ultraviolet effect on the newly laid eggs, and a cardinal change in temperature, stiffness and level of hydrogen in the aquarium fluid. Unfortunately, artificially derived forms are less adapted to external conditions and have not too high immunity. So, some albinos lack gill covers - dense skin formations that cover the gill slits and limit the gill plane.

Despite the wide variability of the color of barbs, the most popular are albino and mossy forms.

• In albinos, the body is pink the eyes have a bright red color, and the vertical stripes on the body are not black, like the original, but red-pink. Albino varieties include individuals of a golden color with a black mouth, as well as fish with a steel-colored body with pinkish-gold stripes. Albinos are also found with blue stripes, moreover, males of this species noticeably blush their heads during spawning.

• The mossy barbus is a green variety and got its name for the similarity of the color of its body with the color of forest moss. With a cursory glance at the mossy barbus, the transverse stripes can not be discerned. This is due to the fact that they are all too wide and practically merge with each other, in addition, their shade is very similar to the main body color. A distinctive feature of the mossy barbus is a transparent anal fin. All other fins are red or orange.

A popular breeding form of a mossy barbus is the black mutant barbus, bred in Germany. Fishes have a green-black body with a blue tint, bordered by orange fins. In this case, the breast, the lower part of the gills and the abdomen are silver. These fish look unusually bewitching and, thanks to their unusual color, never get lost in the aquarium.

The Sumatran barbus gets along well with most peace-loving species. However, with their restless games and activity, barbs often tire of the calmer inhabitants of the aquarium, so keeping them with too inert fish is not worth it. Ideal neighbors will be tetra, zebrafish, neon, metinnis, kalamoyhty, thornsii, all varieties of catfish, polypterus, moths and parrots.

Guppies can also be settled along with barbs, but only those species in which the tail fin is not veiled in shape, but straight. Otherwise, the barbs begin the hunt for a tail fluttering in the water, which significantly annoys the harmless guppies.

The same applies to goldfish, some gourami species and ramirezi apistograms - that is, to all those species that hold luxurious veil tails. In order to avoid attacks from barbs, they are also not recommended to be kept with them in the same aquarium. In addition, barbs often make attacks on aquarium snails, and also eat fry of too small fish. Therefore, when forming a community, especially small species should not be chosen.

Sumatran barbus is unpretentious fish care and is well suited for beginners. However, before acquiring young growth, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with some features of their maintenance and care rules.

• The first step towards building a home community is choosing an aquarium. It should be borne in mind that barbs like to tirelessly rush around the tank, which is why they need enough space. In connection with such activity, the best option for them will be an elongated rectangular aquarium with a volume of at least 50 liters for every 10 individuals.
• The bottom of the reservoir is filled with coarse sand, after preliminary baking it in the oven for half an hour, and thick, lush seaweed is planted in it, while leaving free areas for swimming. Experienced aquarists recommend using kabomba or myriophyllum as vegetation. These algae are classified as small-leaved and create an environment in the aquarium that is close to the natural habitat of the species.
• As decorative elements, you can use snags or roots of an unusual configuration or purchase ready-made grottoes, caves and houses. These simple underwater objects contribute to the creation of comfort and effectively decorate the interior of the aquarium. From above, the tank must be covered with glass or a net, otherwise too active barbs will jump out of the aquarium and die on the carpet.
• The next important point is the parameters of the fluid, such as temperature, hardness and acidity. Barbuses prefer well-purified soft water from 21 to 26 ° C with an acidity level of 6.5 to 7.5 pH and a hardness index of no higher than 15 dGh. Each week, water must be changed, withdrawing up to a quarter of the volume and filling in with fresh filtered liquid. For the sake of justice, it is worth noting that barbs forgive their owners minor flaws in care and small deviations from the organoleptic norms of water. They instantly adapt to new conditions and 5 minutes after launch they start rushing carelessly around the aquarium and arrange their games.
• Regarding aeration of the water in the tank, then Sumatran barbs are among the species for which this parameter is not critical. Fish do not show particular sensitivity to the oxygen content in water and in the absence of a compressor can only be content with a weekly change of fluid. However, experienced aquarists advise equipping the aquarium with all the necessary equipment.
• Lighting also does not play a big role for Sumatran barbs. The natural light in the daytime is quite sufficient for the fish, and they do not need additional lighting. However, for a greater effect, many aquarists highlight their wards, which is why they begin to look even more charming.
• Barbecue aquarium filtration must be installed required. Fish prefer crystal clear water and love to frolic in jets of water.

Sumatran barbs need to be fed with food of animal and vegetable origin in a live, dry and frozen form. Servings should be strictly measured and in no case should overfeeding the wards. This is due to the fact that barbs are prone to overeating and if they are not stopped in time, they can eat a lot. In this regard, a significant part of their diet should be herbal supplements that prevent obesity and protect fish from many diseases associated with this phenomenon.

With a lack of plant food, barbs begin to eat plants, independently picking the elements they need.

As a live food, barbs should be given bloodworms, tubule makers, brine shrimp, coronet, daphnia and beef heart, previously cut into small pieces. As for the dry finished food, you can feed the barbus with any of them, since the fish is absolutely picky and will gladly eat everything that is offered to it. Some aquarists argue that even barbs that are not recommended as fish food, barbs do not refuse and eat it with pleasure.

Barbs are fed twice a day. Feed should be given exactly so that the fish eat it in 5 minutes. Once a week, it is necessary to arrange a fasting day, not giving their wards any food whatsoever. This will reduce the risk of obesity and related diseases.

To distinguish a female Sumatran barbus from a male is quite simple. This can be done as early as 3 months of age. The differences are especially noticeable when the barbs are in groups of 10 or more individuals.

So, females are noticeably larger than males and less brightly colored. By about 6 months, their stomach begins to round and swell the area around the anus. Both signs signal the onset of maturity and the female’s readiness for reproduction.

Males during this period become even brighter and more beautiful, they are accepted to play a lot among themselves and to persistently look after the females. In the most active males, the zone near the mouth begins to literally “burn with red fire”, which allows you to determine and select the most suitable individuals for spawning. Another difference is the color and shape of the fins. If in males the anal fin has a straight shape and moves away from the body at an obtuse angle, then in females it grows almost vertically and has a wider lower part.

Sumatran barbs are ready for the appearance of offspring, depending on the conditions of keeping and variety, by the age of 5-9 months. They are the best suited for beginner aquarists for the first experience in breeding, which is due to the high fecundity and good survival of fry.

• Start breeding barbs follows from the choice of parental individuals, taking into account the intensity of the color of the male and the thickness of the female abdomen.
• Pre-seating couples in different containers is optional, so both parents can be in the same vessel. Their diet should include as many protein-rich foods as possible, such as bloodworms or tubule.
• As spawning, use a volume of 15 to 20 liters not more than 25 cm high, and instead of sand, a synthetic washcloth, Thai fern or Javanese moss are laid on its bottom. A separator grid is necessarily laid on top of the substrate, which prevents parents from eating eggs.
• A compressor and a heater are definitely installed in the tank, a filter is not required.
• The first one to spawn a female and after a couple of days a male is planted to her.
• During the day, the temperature of the liquid in the tank is maintained at 22-24 ° C, and in the evening on the eve of the planned spawning raise to 26-28 ° C. As a stimulant for early spawning, distilled water is added to the aquarium in an amount of 20-30% of the total volume. Feeding parents this evening is not recommended. With the first morning rays of the sun, the female begins to spawn, which lasts from 2 to 3 hours and allows you to get up to 600 eggs.
• As soon as spawning comes to an end, both parents are caught, and part of the water is carefully replaced with fresh. It’s not recommended to plant parents immediately in a common aquarium. Usually they are launched into a small precipitation tank, where over a couple of days the temperature of the water is gradually lowered to the temperature in the general aquarium.
• After the parent couple is seated, methylene blue is added to spawning, which prevents the defeat of eggs by the fungus. The drug is applied in small portions until the water acquires a faint blue hue. An overdose of this substance is unacceptable and can cause the death of caviar.
• Next, the water level in the spawning is reduced to 10 cm and enhance aeration. Then they take out the separator grid, having previously shaken off all the eggs from it.
• Spawning is well covered with dark cloth and cleaned in a shaded area. This must be done so that ultraviolet rays do not get on the eggs.
• 12 hours after spawning, unfertilized white caviar is removed using a pipette. If this is not done, then the probability of death of live eggs is high.

After 2 days, larvae begin to form from the eggs, which within 3 days eat from their yolk sac. On day 5, full-fledged fry develop from the larvae, which begin to swim actively on spawning grounds and eat live dust and ciliates. Offspring should be fed every 4 hours, with the main emphasis on live, protein-rich foods. Otherwise, young people will grow up weakened and underdeveloped, and many of the fry will not be suitable for further breeding at all.

During the first week of life of fry, tank lighting should be around the clock. Then, the backlight should be turned on only in the daytime with insufficient natural light. At the end of the first month of life, small barbs show all the morphological characteristics of the species inherent in adults.

For more information about the features of these fish, see the next video.