Four-band Barbus

The four-banded barb, scientific name Puntigrus partipentazona, belongs to the family Cyprinidae (Cyprinidae). It is considered a rare guest in amateur aquarism. It often appears in wholesale lots together with other related species of Barbs and is subsequently sold under erroneous names, for example, as the Tiger Barb. Therefore, it is likely that it is much more widespread in home aquariums. It belongs to easy-to-keep and unpretentious species, goes well with aquarium fish of a comparable size.

Habitat

Comes from Southeast Asia. The extensive habitat covers the territories of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. Inhabits rivers and lakes, prefers regions with dense aquatic vegetation rich in algae and other phytoplankton.

Brief information:

• The volume of the aquarium – from 80 liters.
• Temperature – 20-26°C
• Value pH — 5.0–7.0
• Water hardness – 2–10 dGH
• Substrate type – any
• Lighting – any
• Brackish water – no
• Water movement is weak
• The size of the fish is 3,5–4 cm.
• Food – any food
• Temperament – peaceful
• Keeping in a group of 8-10 individuals

Description

Adult individuals reach a length of about 4 cm. Outwardly, it resembles the Sumatran Barbus, well-known in the aquarium hobby. It has a similar shape and body pattern. The coloration is silvery, light with four wide vertical stripes. The fins and tail are translucent, there is a red dot on the dorsal fin. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed, there are no obvious visible differences between male and female.

Food

Omnivorous species, accepts most popular foods of suitable size – dry, frozen, live. The daily diet can consist exclusively of high-quality dry food (flakes, granules, etc.), which contain the necessary vitamins, trace elements and herbal supplements.

Maintenance and care, arrangement of the aquarium

The optimal tank sizes for a small flock of these fish start at 80 liters. The design is arbitrary, the Four-Striped Barb can adapt even to a half-empty aquarium. However, it is recommended to bring the conditions of keeping closer to the environment of natural reservoirs, by using dense thickets of plants, a dark substrate, driftwood. The lighting is subdued.

Maintenance of the aquarium is simple and does not require much effort. Maintenance comes down to weekly replacement of part of the water with fresh water, regular cleaning of organic waste, maintenance of equipment and monitoring of pH, dGH, and oxidizability parameters.

Behavior and Compatibility

Peaceful active fish, compatible with other species of comparable size. Excessive mobility of the Four-Striped Barb can negatively affect slow-moving fish, in addition, they tend to bite long fins, damaging them. It is recommended to maintain in a group of 8-10 individuals to keep the fish in good shape.

Breeding / breeding

At the time of writing, no reliable information was found on the successful breeding of this species in a home aquarium, which, however, can be explained by their low prevalence in the aquarium hobby. Probably, reproduction occurs in the same way as in other Barbs.

Fish diseases

In a balanced aquarium ecosystem with species-specific conditions, diseases rarely occur. Diseases are caused by environmental degradation, contact with sick fish, and injuries. If this could not be avoided, then more about the symptoms and methods of treatment in the section “Diseases of aquarium fish”.