One of the most popular aquarium fish is the platinum green barfish Glofish, which is famous for its unpretentiousness to the environment and exceptional activity. In nature, this fish is found in the rivers of Southeast Asia, but due to its good survivability, it easily adapts to life in artificial reservoirs.
Description
The green barbus has a flattened and elongated body, the head is pointed, near the mouth there is a pair of antennae. As the name suggests, this fish has a greenish color with a slight golden tint, dark roundish spots are noticeable on the sides. Each flake is decorated with a fringing, so that the fish acquires a mesh color.
This aquarium resident is small: her size does not exceed 7 cm. At the same time, males are slightly smaller than females, but at the same time they are brighter, in addition, males are characterized by reddish shades on the abdomen.
Green varieties are distinguished from other barbs by a peaceful and calm character - as you know, their relatives are famous for their indefatigable activity, which turns into aggression.
Inexperienced aquarists can be frightened by the unusual manner of sleeping with these fish. The fact is that at rest they hang upside down, this sight can frighten beginners who immediately assume that their pet is sick.
Green barbs are flocks of animals, so it is preferable to populate them in small groups of 6-8 individuals. As for other species, it is best to choose gourami, zebrafish, tetra, catfish and thorns when choosing neighbors, but males and lilies are not suitable for them.
Life span
When creating a comfortable living environment and proper care, green barbs live in captivity for up to 5-6 years, A variety of factors can affect a pet's lifespan.
- Stress. When aggressive fish that attack barbs are moved into the aquarium, the latter begin to experience great anxiety, which significantly worsens their health and shortens their lifespan.
- Unsuitable temperature conditions: too warm or, conversely, cold water.
- Infectious and fungal infections.
- Power Mistakes. Lack of a balanced diet, overfeeding or prolonged fasting can cause the death of a pet.
- Poisoning. Occurs when the aquarium is overpopulated, when nitrates and nitrites are released into the water as a result of decomposition of the vital products of its inhabitants.
In addition, decor elements and soil containing dyes can cause changes in the chemical composition of water.
If you protect the barbus from the effects of adverse factors, then the chance that it will live long is very high.
Green barbs do not often suffer from obesity, which occurs when there is a lack of activity and overfeeding, sometimes fish encounter infectious diseases.
- Rubella (aeromonosis). In this case, the fish develop abdominal dropsy or buccalis, while the body of the affected individual begins to become covered with ulcers, spots and smudges, appetite disappears, animals try to stay closer to the surface of the water. The most common cause of infection is the resettlement of a sick "novice" or poorly washed aquarium equipment.
- White-skinned. A pathology in which the animal’s nervous system suffers. The skin becomes pale, and coordination is disturbed.
If any adverse symptoms are detected, it is necessary to relieve the diseased fish, conduct a course of treatment, and replace the water with 50% and disinfect.
Content
Green barbs usually do not burden their breeders with any problems, so even novice aquarists can keep them in an artificial pond. Nevertheless, some care rules must be observed: maintaining clean water, good nutrition and protection from aggressive individuals.
As for water, the following indicators are optimal for it in this case:
- temperature - 19–25 degrees;
- acidity - 6.5-7.5 units;
- stiffness - 4–20.
Barbuses prefer old water, but nonetheless, it also needs to be updated by 15–20%.
In order for the fish to feel comfortable, they need a space where they can swim freely, so it is advisable for them to choose a large (from 50 liters), best of all elongated shape. During games, fish can jump out of the tank, therefore it will be useful to cover it with a lid.
It is very important to provide round-the-clock filtration and aeration of water. There is an opinion that the filter and compressor can be turned off at night, but this is a common misconception: in the absence of air dissolved in water, fish will experience oxygen starvation, as a result, they will look passive and listless.
The best soil for barbs will be unpainted river pebbles, which must be run so that there are no sharp stones that underwater residents might hurt. Small-leaved or artificial plants can be planted in the background of the aquarium, and it is advisable to leave the foreground free - barbs do not often rise to the surface, so it is important to create conditions for them to freely swim in the water column.
Lighting should be diffused, dim - fish cannot tolerate bright light. Also, direct sunlight should be avoided.
Food
It is very important that the barbs receive a balanced feed and always varied. It is advisable to include dry cereal in the diet, as well as bloodworms, brine shrimp, and tubule. Feeding is done twice a day.The optimal amount of food is calculated so that the fish completely eat the proposed food in 5-10 minutes, uneaten residues cause putrefactive processes in the water. Once a week, you can arrange your pets fasting days - feed them once or not offer food at all.
From time to time, the diet should be diluted with products of plant origin: spinach, lettuce and nettle leaves are very useful for barbs, granular feed containing spirulina will be useful.
Balanced food for green barbs can be purchased at any pharmacy. The best reviews of aquarists deserve the following types:
- Tetra flakes - These are universal feed mixtures in the form of flakes, they contain spirulina, algae and are enriched with vegetable fats;
- FD Brine Shrimp - food completely consisting of brine shrimp;
- Sera Microgran - optimal for young animals, and for adults it will be useful.
When choosing food, it is important to monitor the condition of the fish, keep under control their activity and degree of mobility. If pets look lethargic, it’s best to make changes to your diet.
Breeding
Barbuses reach puberty by 8 months. Shortly before spawning, the female and male should be kept separately from each other for about 10-14 days. Typically, 8–9 sexually mature females and 5–6 males are selected for breeding. Females are selected with a large abdomen, and males are suitable for the most mobile and active.
A few hours before spawning, the fish become too active and mobile, spawning itself continues quite quickly (no more than an hour). During this time, females have time to lay eggs, and males - to fertilize it. The productivity of one fish is about 200 eggs, after which the parents are immediately resettled. On the second day, the fry begin to hatch, on the first day, egg yolk or liquid feed is introduced into the water, and later it is already possible to offer young animals an artemia nauplia or ciliates.
After 5 days, the kids can be transplanted into a common aquarium, where they will fully grow and develop.
You can learn more about how to care for a green Barbus.
