The Gold Barb

Gold Barb Puntius semifasciolatus is an excellent small aquarium fish. It usually grows about two inches long (5 cm), even if I see the nearly 4 inches (10 cm). Gold Barb Southeast Asia, although the shape of the actual gold does not exist in nature. Their usual life of approximately five years.

Name confusion

This fish has many names. Other names include Golden Barb Barb Schubert, Barb Green, Half Stripped Barb Barb China, Chinese, and half Six Stripped Barb Barb met. Other scientific names it has been known the following: Barbus semifasciolatus, Ponce Shubertii, Puntius Shubertii Barbus Shubertii and Capoeta semifasciolatus.

To add to the confusion of the name, Barb is often confused with Gold: Gold Barb (Puntius of Gelius) or Barb (Puntius sachsii) gold fins. The species name refers to Shubertii Tom Shubert of Camden, New Jersey, USA, who developed the Gold Barb. He did it through selective breeding, probably from the wild-type Puntius semifasciolatus in the 1960s. I remember when I was to keep fish in the 1960s, a teenager and later was called the Gold Barb Barbus Shubertii. It was considered by some as a distinct species, but it was an indication that it was a form of Puntius semifasciolatus. I do not Barbus Shubertiiwas never think of a valid scientific name.

Water conditions

The golden beard grows in cooler than most tropical fish water. 18-24 degrees C (64-75 ° F) is preferred range of this fish, but it will definitely survive a few degrees above and a few degrees below. This means that it either for a tropical aquarium with the temperature to 24 degrees C (75 ° F) or in unheated areas not very cold reservoir reception is set. It is interesting that the color change is not the only change that has occurred when Mr. Shubert was this fish. The form of gold here is slightly less hardy than the wild type.The wild type is sometimes sold China and Barb is a good aquarium fish but not as nice as Barb gold colored.

Gold Barb loves enough fresh water, slightly acidic, but does well on a range of pH. I generally neutral (7). It tolerates moderate amount of hardness in the water.

Food

Gold Barb is an omnivore easily supplied. Good quality fish food is an excellent base for food. Like almost all fish and most other animals or Barb enjoys the occasional change in his diet. Live food such as daphnia and mosquito larvae are greedy. Frozen blood worms are also a good treatment.

Companions

Gold Barb is a schooling fish and a minimum of six should be retained. Gold Barb is not as likely to be a fin clip as Rosy barbs and tiger barbs, but be kept with these fish and other non-aggressive fish such as tetras Paraguay, Buenos Aires Tetras and Colombian Tetras. As Gold Barb is peaceful, it can also be kept with fish such as tetras and rummy nose tetras Pristella. I do not recommend it. Companion as Siamese fighting fish, guppies and Endler's Guppies Small fish such as neon tetras and cardinal tetras can certainly be kept with small gold beards. In all cases, avoid too much difference in size between the fish in the aquarium. Not too big, aggressive or predatory fish gold beards.

Breeding

Gold barbs scatter their eggs on plants, leaves, preferably in order. Men tend to be more brilliant in color and when you are ready to reproduce, get a red-orange belly. The females are in a matt color and fuller. Increasing the temperature to about 27 degrees C (80 degrees F) and a decrease of the pH value to about 6.5 tend to encourage them to breed. Spawning can be a bit violent, so the tank must be large enough. I suggest at least two feet (60 cm) long.

The actual spawning is usually on when the tank starts the morning light. I suggest to remove the parents immediately after spawning. The average number of eggs per female is about a hundred, even though I knew a woman who has produced more than 400 eggs in a spawning.

Another way is to reproduce, to have it in a container as large as possible, with a large number of plants and let parents in. Of course, probably less than you get back babies, but it is a little closer to what is in the could wild happen. A variant of this method is to put them in a well-planted in the summer pond and catch the fish before it is too cold in the fall (autumn). The eggs are yellowish in color. They should hatch in 2-3 days. Fry eating fine and dry food, but enjoy life appropriate size in all phases of food.