Barbus Sumatran: description, content and reproduction

Of all the variety of species of barbs that are currently contained in aquariums, Sumatran is the most common. "Sailed" into our aquariums from the island of Sumatra, the Sumatran barboy is unassuming in content, easy to breed and peaceful in relation to other inhabitants of the water kingdom. In addition, he has a very attractive appearance and funny behavior.

Description

It is a small aquarium fish, in nature its size reaches 7 centimeters, in aquariums it grows up to 4-5 centimeters, nothing more. The barbus has a flattened body of golden color on which are located four black vertical strips. The dorsal fin is also charcoal black and edged with a bright red rim. The rest of the fins of the male of the Sumatran barbule are also red, while in the females they are paler and have a pinkish color. The golden color of the body was received by the barbs from nature, as for other colors - for example, emerald or red, they are the result of artificial breeding of fish.

Contents in the aquarium

Barbus Sumatran loves space and an abundance of vegetation, so it should be kept in large aquariums, where, in addition to plants, there are also free areas for swimming. In addition, the barby is a schooling fish, for this reason there should be at least 7-8 individuals in one aquarium, which requires a capacity of 50 liters or more. The primer should be of a dark color, because on a light ground the barb of Sumatran very quickly turns pale, loses its bright color. The third part of the liquid volume in the aquarium must be replaced weekly, the pH of the water should be maintained at a neutral level. It is also necessary to constantly aerate, filter and maintain the water temperature at 23 degrees.

Appetite for barbs, it should be noted, excellent. They with the same pleasure absorb both live and dry food, and, especially not picking and not demanding the refined menu. However, the diet should be balanced, while it is desirable to give preference to animal feed, the content of which in food must be more than sixty percent.

Barbus can be Sumatran indefinitely, so it is better to give food to them in small portions, and once a week, generally arrange a day off. And be sure to carefully ensure that the aquarium did not have fry. Although the barbs do not belong to the category of predators, yet, being big lovers of dense food, they will never give up the opportunity to once again have a bite, even if a little zalivshimsya.

Breeding

Maturity Sumatran barbs reach maturity by the seventh month of life, and they can spawn in a common aquarium. However, due to the fact that eggs and fry are almost immediately eaten by other fish, the breeding of barbs is advisable to carry out in a specially designated for this purpose a small aquarium.

One month before the spawning period, females and males are seated and well fed with live food (though, trying not to overeat). Then, fish ready for spawning are transplanted into the spawning aquarium, which must be prepared in advance: lay small plants on the bottom, pressing them with a special separator net, bring the water temperature to 28 degrees. If the producers are placed in spawning in the evening, then already in the morning begins spawning, which lasts about three hours. Parents should be removed from the aquarium immediately after spawning, otherwise they will immediately begin to reinforce their own progeny.

Two days after spawning, the eggs begin to peck, and on the fourth day there are fry that are already able to feed themselves, very cheerfully. As babies grow unevenly, large individuals can eat their less powerful brothers and sisters without a twinge of conscience, so the fry must be constantly sorted.

As aquarium fish, barbs are of great interest for fans. If you do not overfeed, observe the conditions of detention and change the stagnant water more often, these handsome mischievous people will live long and please their owners.