Black barbus - care and maintenance in the aquarium

Representatives of the barbus family are constantly present in the aquariums of professionals and amateurs. This feature is not determined by the choosiness of aquatic pets to care and maintenance. Fish easily adapt to the aquatic environment, eat everything, just get divorced. Today we will look at black barbs, whose ancestors are considered individuals of Sumatran. Let's not get ahead of ourselves so that in the process of studying the material you make up your own opinion about these water guests.

Habitat and features

Sri Lanka is considered to be the birthplace of representatives of this family, it was there that black fish previously met. They like the upper reaches of the rivers, as well as their tributaries. Feel ideal in the abundance of vegetation, snags, fallen leaves and other water paraphernalia.

If there is a choice, then barbs will give preference to slowly flowing water sources, rather than fast-flowing rivers. They live where water is in a slightly lower temperature. But this does not mean that fish do not like the tropics.

By their natural characteristics, these pets prefer to be in a soft and slightly acidic environment. At the bottom must not be cobblestones, but a soft sand / gravel. The group under discussion feeds on vegetation, detritus, larvae and insects.

The number of individuals of the breed group under discussion was significantly reduced due to the fact that they began to catch these fish to meet their own needs in the field of aquarium farming. A tremendous deforestation was also carried out where barbs lived. For some period, these fish were even on the verge of extinction, but they were able to be restored.

Today, fishing is prohibited by the laws of the countries of habitat. And those barbs on sale were bred artificially on special farms and among private breeders. Let's say more, due to the hybrid crossbreeding, the specialists managed to get fish based on black individuals, even more colorful and interesting in behavior.

Description

The body color is black with a reddish tint or pure black. Pisces have some purple tint. Their head turns red during spawning.

Males, in turn, are painted throughout the body. The fins are pure black or reddish black. These fish barely grow to 6 cm in length, but, as a rule, these figures are incorrect. On average, individuals reach 3-5 cm with a life expectancy of 5 years.

Representatives of both sexes lose color when they enter a stressful situation, become ill, live in inappropriate conditions, or worry about each other.

Partly for one or several of the above reasons, fish look faded in aquariums when sold in markets or corresponding stores. When an individual is purchased, transferred to a stable aquatic environment, provided with high-quality food and an appropriate neighborhood, it begins to regain its former color.

Many newer aquarists ask questions regarding gender differences. Make it easier by examining the dimensions of your aquatic pets and their color. So, for example, representatives of male gender are smaller than females.

Feeding

We have already mentioned that these aquatic inhabitants eat insects, algae, detritus, etc. by their natural environment.Most of their daily menus are plant-based foods. Therefore, it is necessary to provide aquatic animals with fiber, vegetables like spinach, cucumbers, zucchini, etc. It is also important to feed with spirulina or administer this supplement separately. But you should not forget about food with an accumulation of protein compounds. Suitable artemia, daphnia, bloodworm, chopped tubule.

Content

1. Black barbs belong to those aquarium representatives, which are not easy to maintain, but even this does not cause great difficulties. Water indicators should always be at the same level. Maintain a stable environment. Individuals are strongly discouraged from starting up for beginners.
2. The problem is that such barbs are very difficult to adapt to new conditions in a young aquarium. The presented individuals are as active as all their relatives. In addition, they are schooling fish. It is not necessary to keep them in pairs or singly. At the same time, at least 7 fish should be present in the family.
3. In a flock, barbs feel much more comfortable and practically do not get sick. In addition, individuals feel great due to the fact that they are not subjected to frequent stresses due to loneliness. The flock has its own hierarchy, therefore it is better to have several females per 1 male.
4. For a flock of a decent size, it is strongly recommended to acquire an aquarium of at least 100 liters. Often, the barbs presented try to dwell mainly in the middle layers of water. Black individuals have less aggression, unlike relatives. In addition, they do not break fins to other inhabitants of the aquarium.
5. If you still notice this behavior, it is strongly recommended that you increase the number of individuals in the flock. Keep in mind that the aquarium should be planted with densely growing plants. Only in such an environment can such fish feel as comfortable as possible. Provide dim lighting.
6. Despite the increased activity of the fish, they are still timid and very shy. Such barbs are used to staying in the shade of densely growing algae. Also, the fish may be inactive or weakly colored due to poor conditions in the aquarium. Often they may not have enough shelter. Do not keep individuals alone or in pairs. Also, bright lighting negatively affects the condition of the fish.
7. As mentioned earlier, the individuals represented in the wild prefer to live in a cool environment. In winter, the water temperature should not exceed 22 degrees, in the summer - 25 degrees. Also in the wild, water has rather mild indicators. Therefore, in aquarium conditions, the fish adapt well.
8. The downside is that due to hard water, they can shorten their life expectancy and be pale in color. Like most barbs, black individuals are demanding of water. The environment must always be clean. In addition, water should be highly enriched with oxygen. Use an external filter, systematically change the water and, if necessary, clean up any accumulated waste.

Black barbs are unique representatives of their kind. They do not have such a cocky character, unlike most relatives. Keep in mind that these individuals are not recommended for beginners, the problem is that fish are very demanding on environmental parameters. If you do not cope with the task, then the life expectancy of individuals will be significantly reduced. In addition, their color noticeably turns pale.

Video: black barbus (Pethia nigrofasciata)