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Barbus conchonius, Boulenger, 1907

Origin:Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

Etymology: Unk

Synonyms: Cyprinus conchonius, Puntius conchonius, Systomus conchonius, Puntius ticto?(Feigs,1955).

First European import: Germany, 1903, by H. Stüve.

Description:See pictures.

Care: Very easy to keep fish, not particular to waterchemistry or temperature, although they shouldn't be kept at constant high temperatures. In the summer it's best to turn of the heater overnight. The fish do require a lot of swimming space, so a 80 cm tank or larger is necessary, with plants on the sides. Although the fish can get quite big, they stay smaller in tanks, where they can grow to up to 8 cm. A little sunlight in the morning is highly appreciated by the fish, and algae that form because of it are grazed eagerly.

Temperature: 12-22 degrees.

Feeding:Omnivorous, all food is taken. Occasionally feed vegetables as well.

Size:Up to 15 cm.

pH: 6.0-7.5

Breeding: The fish are free spawners, and will spawn at 6 cm and larger. Will spawn in any tank, although older fish should be placed in larger spawning tanks. The bottom should be constructed in a way that the parents cannot eat the eggs after they spawned. It's best to have more females than males. Temperature should be raised to 24-25 degrees, water medium hard, and preferably slightly acidic. Baensch and Riehl(1995) report that a lowered waterlevel may be necessary to induce spawning, others report that the fish will only spawn in early spring. The male will pursue the female through the tank until she's ready to spawn at a place selected by the male. Each time around 20 eggs are produced, which are immediately fertilized by the male. This will continue until several hundreds of eggs are laid(More in large animals). After this the parents should be removed, or they will eat all the eggs and fry. The eggs will hatch in a day, and the fry should be fed large amounts of food per day.

Sexual dimorphism:Males are smaller, and more colorful.

Prices:Netherlands: 1.50€

Additional: Leggett(1968) reported that the fish could be crossed with Barbus nigrofasciatus, but the crossing was sterile.

Picture references: Pictures: E. Naus.

References: Baensch and Riehl(1995) Aquarien Atlas I. Leggett(1968): The aquarist, 33(1): 30.