Fiery barbus is an aquarium fish of the cyprinid family that conquered European aquarium enthusiasts in the twentieth century. Beginners like it with its unpretentiousness, and knowledgeable owners of aquariums appreciate its peaceful disposition. The fish is also called puntius. Why is it called fiery? This and much more can be found in the article.
Description
During the spawning period, the fish acquires a bright color. For this she is called fiery. Adults usually reach a length of five centimeters. The largest are considered individuals whose length reaches fifteen centimeters. But this applies to the inhabitants of natural reservoirs. Their natural habitat is Bangladesh, the north-eastern part of India, the islands of Southeast Asia. Under good conditions, the fish lives for about five years.
The body of the 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 cyprinids to move quickly in the water. At the base of the tail you can see a black speck of rounded shape.
Determining the sex of the puntius is quite simple. The male is relatively smaller in size, has a more saturated color, its dorsal fin is a reddish hue with a black border. The female fire barbus has a wide abdomen, colorless fins. Fish shimmer in different colors - from greenish to fiery red.
Varieties
Fire barbus has several varieties. They all look great in an aquarium.
Separately, it is worth highlighting the veil. It has unusual fins that make the fish even brighter and more attractive. There is also a neon individual. She is not very different from the usual puntius, although her color is more saturated and shimmers in different shades. Such an acquisition will decorate the aquarium and give the owner an aesthetic pleasure.
Aquarium selection
Fiery barbus is considered an unpretentious inhabitant of aquariums. However, the volume of the tank where these fish will inhabit should be at least sixty liters. If it is assumed that only a flock of puntius will 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 tanks will be useless. The aquarium itself should be covered, as pets like to jump out of the water.
The aquarium should be equipped with a filtration and aeration system. A lack of oxygen can lead to illness. Lighting should not be bright so that the fish are not afraid. A 25 watt fluorescent lamp is enough.
The tank must not be placed near radiators 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 bad for them is too warm water.
Water hardness and acidity should be standard. Hardness indicators should be in the range of 4-18 units, and acidity - 6.5-7.5 units. Every day it is necessary to change a third of the volume of water. Previously, it should be defended.
Priming
The content of the barb of fire is not considered complex. This applies not only to life in cool water, but also to the choice of soil. The size of the fraction and its color, you can choose any. Experts usually advise you to opt for dark tones of soil, which well set off the colorful color of puntiuses.
The bottom can be equipped with grottoes or other secluded places. In them, the fish can feel safe.
Feeding
Representatives of cyprinids should be pampered with a variety of food. This will maintain their health. Bloodworm 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 around the aquarium plants. Before feeding the plants must be scalded with boiling water. This minimizes the likelihood of water and fish becoming infected with infections and bacteria that may be on the green.
Like any aquarium pets, Puntiuses cannot be overfed. From this they can die. If the fish spit up food, leave it in water, then the amount of food should be reduced. A healthy individual should eat food for several minutes.
How is the propagation of the fire barbus? We will talk about this later.
Breeding
Increasing the number of Puntiuses is relatively simple. This requires preliminary training:
- to select the most prominent representatives for spawning;
- there should be twice as many males (usually two females and four males);
- the fish are housed in a container, well fed with a variety of foods for a week;
- a spawning ground with a volume of 30-50 liters is being prepared;
- in the tank for spawning, pure settled water is poured +20 ... + 24 degrees Celsius;
- small-leaved plants, a separator grid are placed in water;
- spawning water should be aerated, but without active flow;
- lighting should be minimized;
- fish populate in spawning late in the evening;
- in the morning of a new day, spawning will begin;
- the fish will spawn, after which they can be returned to the general aquarium;
- the spawning water level drops to ten centimeters.
After two days, the eggs will become larvae. All this time in the tank it is necessary to conduct active aeration. Water should be changed to fresh (always defended), pouring it in small volumes into the aquarium. The larvae will become fry in another one to two days. When the young growth begins to swim on its own, you can add food. It’s worth starting with live dust, ciliates. Then it’s worth switching to a regular diet. The fry grow quickly, in eight months they already reach puberty.
Photos of the fiery barbus are especially good during the spawning period, when the fishes acquire a very saturated color. Usually one female spawns about 500 eggs. Of course, not all of them will become fry, most will die.
Breeding fire barbs is a rather fascinating activity. It can be done by a beginner too. The main thing is to make the right preparation and select the most mobile males, and after spawning eggs, remove them from the tank in a timely manner. If this is not done, then all the eggs will most likely be eaten until they become larvae.
Compatibility with other types
The fiery barbus fish 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 small and equally calm fish. However, it should be noted that puntius is a very mobile breed, therefore it is better to settle it with the same restless representatives of aquariums.
The list of fish recommended for re-planting includes such aquarium inhabitants:
- neons
- parsing;
- zebrafish
- Pecilia.
Do not settle in the same tank with barbs of inactive fish. Otherwise, too mobile pets will bother their neighbors all the time. Also, individuals with veil fins should be banned. Representatives of cyprinids can attack and nibble the fins of neighbors.
Plant compatibility
The fiery barbus should be in the aquarium with plants. They can float on the surface of the water or mount in the ground. In this case, the fish will feel more comfortable. However, plants should not be too thick so that aquarium pets do not cling to them during their active games. This will harm both the fish and the green spaces.
In general, aquarium fish lovers speak well of barbs. They are appreciated for their unpretentiousness in food, beautiful appearance, the ability to breed independently, the ability to survive with a sharp cooling of water. But this does not mean that they do not need care at all. Fish need good water filtration, additional oxygen, a large tank. They can be settled in flocks or with other active and peaceful inhabitants of the aquariums.