The content of carp fish – barbs

Barbs are the easiest carp fish to keep. On average, they live 6-7 years in good conditions. These are flocks of creatures that quickly adapt to the new environment. That’s just the barbs have one feature – cockiness and playfulness.

If you add barbs to your aquarium, they will definitely not let you get bored. It is important to choose suitable neighbors for this species of fish, with whom they will not have skirmishes. Barbs get along well with fish, which are also active and nimble.

In an aquarium where barbs live, it is desirable to create a current. The water temperature should be + 23-25 ​​degrees. The aquarium is necessarily large and spacious, better elongated horizontally, so that nimble fish can “drive” there plenty. The bottom of the aquarium must be provided with various shelters: special decorations are suitable – ruins, driftwood, shells, plants. All this must be bought at a pet store, in the aquarium department: such decorations will be safe for fish. Items not intended for the aquarium, “homemade” driftwood or shells from the sea can harm the quality of the water. 

Feeding barbs shouldn’t be a problem. In nature, they are omnivorous, feeding mainly on larvae, insects, and algae. Many barb owners love to treat their pets to live and frozen food. But keep in mind that such feeding is fraught with the development of infection in the aquarium. Moreover, such food is not complete for barbs. It is better to give the fish a good balanced dry food rich in vitamins, which is sold at any pet store.

There are many varieties of barb, but we will consider the most popular.

• Fire barbus

The birthplace of the fire barb is the waters of Northeast India. A distinctive feature of this fish is its bright red color with outlined scales. During the spawning period, the color of males becomes very bright, up to red. The female has a calmer color: from grayish to bronze. A black spot is visible near the base of the fin. The body is oval and elongated. In the wild, the fire barb grows over 10 cm, and in the aquarium its length does not exceed 8 cm.

• Barbus shark

A fish from Southeast Asia got its name because of its resemblance to a shark. The color of the shark barb is silver, the upper fin is triangular in shape. The tips of the fins are black. Compared to other types of barbs, the shark is quite large – 25-30 cm. However, the size does not add courage to the fish: by nature it is a little cowardly and very calm. Unfortunately, in the wild, the shark barbus is on the verge of extinction.

• Sumatran barbus

The Sumatran barbus is a dexterous, energetic and restless pet. It is definitely not suitable for people who are used to watching the measured movement of fish in an aquarium. Sumatran fish stick together in 5-7 pieces and generally do not stick to anyone. But if there is one Sumatran barb in the aquarium, it can cling to other types of fish. The coloring of males is more beautiful and brighter than that of females.

• Black barbus

Among barbs, it is black that is especially common in Russia. His homeland is Sri Lanka. The body of the black barb is oval, compressed on the sides. The scales of the fish are large with a yellowish or silvery sheen. The color of the fish combines shades of red and brown-black. The black barb is quite friendly to other types of fish. But the owners of sweeping fins make him nervous, so he will hunt for them.

• Scarlet barbus

The scarlet barb cannot boast of large sizes, it reaches a length of no more than 5 cm. But its main feature is its colorful and, if I may say so, festive colors. The main part of the body is silvery, but a bright scarlet gradient runs below. Fins are colorless or yellow with a black dot. Males look more elegant, females have less noticeable colors. In general, the fish is quite peaceful, but it can show genuine interest in the veiled fins of its neighbors and start chasing them.

• cherry barb

The size of the cherry barb is tiny, but this makes it no less beautiful. The homeland of the cherry fish is Sri Lanka. Her body is elongated, has a bright red or crimson hue. The color of the fish directly depends on how well it eats and in what conditions it is kept. The cherry species is one of the most peaceful and calm among the barbs.

We will analyze in more detail who can be placed in one aquarium with carp barbs. First of all it is:

• bots: they, like barbs, do not like slow fish with long fins and, in principle, are similar to barbs in character);
• zebrafish: also schooling fish and keep mainly in the upper layers of the water);
• swordsmen: barbs do not conflict with swordsmen, because they outperform barbs in speed);
• gourami: it is recommended to add them to cherry barbs, but they will not get along with Sumatran ones);
• catfish: there is no need for barbs to fight with catfish, because they live at the bottom and do not encroach on the territory of barbs).

With all other types of aquarium fish, carp barbs may not make friends.

Feel free to consult aquarists if you have questions. Happy fish!