These small dwarf barbs aren’t a especially brilliantly attractive species, but the adults attain a length of 1.25 inch and have beautiful fishy silver-blue scales that sparkle with reflected light. The marking consists of four or five dark blotches, much more or less evenly disposed, along the centre line of every side. Pectoral fins are clear; all other fins have an orange or yellow tint.

They don’t have barbels. It is a peaceful and hardy community fish, but simply because of its small size it is not advisable for it to be included in aquaria containing big specimens. They’re a lot much better if kept in communities of their own kind as they’re not especially fond of their own business.

They’re not ready breeders, but they’ll spawn at a temperature of 75° F.

Checker barb is a really beautiful fish, in reality this species is recognized as the beautiful barb to American aquarists. The male is brilliantly coloured red-brown which darkens along the back, and lightens to silver along the underside. The scales along the lateral line are marked with blue-black spots, forming a chequered pattern. The fins are a especially beautiful orange colour, and also the dorsal fin is further enhanced with a thin black line edging the upper margin. This dorsal is very individualistic, no other barb can boast of such a feature.

When breeding, the male becomes even much more beautiful, the dorsal fin deepens in colour and also the body suffuses with black, via which the scales reflect blue and green.

Colouring in the female is comparable to that of the male, but not so striking, also the fins are either only slightly tinted orange or hyaline. When adult the fish only average just a little less than 2 inches long.

Like most of the barbs, back ruby fish has big, light-reflecting scales, and whilst it is not particularly brilliantly marked, it has sufficient virtues to warrant a place in any aquarium.

The main body colouring is greenish-yellow with cherry markings around the gill covers. The vertical bars are a sooty black which nearly disappear when the fish are frightened or netted.

The most satisfactory way of sexing would be to wait until the females fill with spawn, then segregate as previously described. The slightly much better marking and blacker fins of the male could be utilized as an indication of sex.

When introduced to the female, the male blushes a cherry red from mouth to gill cover, and also the remainder of its body becomes a suffused sooty black. It is a fantastic pity that this breeding colour isn’t the everyday dress of this barb, as it would certainly make him one of the most handsome, but like most males he looks most handsome when he is courting.

This fish has an exceptionally great temper, and should be a welcome addition to any com-munity tank.

The black ruby fish is fairly effortlessly bred, and could be recommended for a initial attempt at breeding egg-layers even though it is not considered a productive species.

The spanner barb, when fully grown, attains a length of approximately 4.5 – 6 inch, and it is mainly this big size that prevents it being included in the community category. They’re, nevertheless, fairly peaceful fish, but need big aquarium to home them.

The markings consist of two vertical bars, one just behind the gill cover and forward of the dorsal fin, the other below the forward end of the dorsal into which the colouring extends. A lateral line extends from the fork of the caudal fin to just below the rear of the dorsal. There are also four spots, two on the tail root, one on the back, just behind the dorsal, and one on the lower body near the forward edge of the anal fin. These dark markings are on a body colour of pale gold and also the fins are pinkish.

It is simply because of the position of the 3 main dark markings, which is representative of an adjusting spanner, that the spanner barb obtained its well-liked name.

These aren’t especially colourful fish and when they increase their size even the black marking becomes less distinct. These fish had been apparently initial introduced to the aquarist in 1932.

This species doesn’t like low temperatures; 70°F should be considered a minimum.

With regard to food, the spanner barb will eat the usual dried foods, but a diet of this nature won’t be satisfactory by itself; lots of live foods should be given to them. Favourite foods are daphnia and insect larvae.

Sex differences aren’t effortlessly discovered, but usually the male, when in breeding condition, has a much more intense body colour, and also the female a deeper body.

Breeding isn’t simple. Fish under 18 or 24 months should not be mated, but with fish over 24 months breeding could be attempted.

A partial change of water in the breeding tank might stimulate a spawning. The parents should be removed instantly after spawning, otherwise they’ll devour the eggs in record time. Numerous eggs are laid during a spawning, and hatch in about 3 days. The fry are able to eat food of micro-worm size in a very short time. Breeding temperature is 75° – 80° F.

The body colour of Barbus hexazona is a pale yellow-brown, and is marked with six vertical dark bars. The bars commence with a line running via the eye and are much more or less evenly spaced along the side of the body. The last bars are situated on the tail root and form a ‘V’, the base of which points forward.

It is only when the fish turn out to be adult that they’re seen at their greatest, then the anal and dorsal fins of the male turn out to be suffused with red, and occasionally a couple of specks of red could be seen on the upper half of the body.

This is a peaceful fish which will grow to about 2.5 inch and will breed in the usual manner of barbs.

Striped Barb is one of the larger barbs and also the adults can attain a length of 5 inch. Its body is silvery, marked with four dark blue to black lateral stripes extending from just behind the gill covers to the tail root.

The female is similarly marked, but less well defined, and also the stripes on her body are just a little wider than the male’s. They’ve two pairs of barbels.

Spawning striped barb is challenging. The water should be soft and preferably slightly acid and at a temperature of 77 – 79° F.