Rasbora heteromorpha Popular name (Red) Rasbora, or Harlequin Fish. Origin Malaya, Sumatra, Thailand. Size 1.75 inches. Appearance This is an old favorite. The large wedge-shaped blue-black area is set on a violet and rose-pink-shaded body. Behavior A schooling fish of great beauty which deserves to be given a tank to itself. It is also suitable as a community fish. Feeding Accepts all foods. Water conditions Soft, slightly acid, peatywater. Temperature 80.F sexing Mature males are slimmer and have more red in dorsal and caudal fin. Sexing by extent of wedge-shaped blotch is unreliable. Breeding This is a difficult fish to breed. A well-conditioned pair should be placed in a tank containing peaty water (pH 6.2, hardness under 40 ppm) and some Cryptocoryne. The pair usually spawn upside-down on the under surface of the leaf. It is said that not every male will breed with every female so if no spawning is obtained one of the partners should be substituted. Usually less than 100 eggs are laid, which hatch in 24 hours.Recommended feeding system Aquaze tropical.

Barbus titteya Poplular name Cherry Barb Origin Ceylon. Size 2 inches.Appearance Yellowish-brown reddish-brown fish with dark longitudinal black band. Behavior An ideal community fish. Feeding, Water conditions Same as other Barbs. Sexing The male is darker. At breeding time it turns cherry red and the black band disappears almost completely. The female is noticeably plumper and lighter colored. Breeding Same as other Barbs; it lays 100 to 200 eggs. Some pairs are avid egg eaters. Others leave both eggs and fry alone. Recommended feeding system Aquaze tropical.

Barbus tetrazona Bleeker Popular name Tiger Barb, or Sumatra Barb.Origin Sumatra, Borneo. Size 2 inches.Appearance Reddish-yellow fish with four broad black evenly spaced bands. Behavior Variable. Some aquarists find this a peaceful community fish. Others complain that it is a bully and fin nipper. Nevertheless it is widely held to be one of the prettiest community fishes.Feeding, Water conditions Same as other Barbs. Sexing The slimmer, more colorful males are easily picked out from the plainer, plumper females. There is more red in all the fins of the male.Very young fish can be sexed by studying the distribution of red pigment in the ventral fins, In the female the red pigment is concentrated at the root of the fin while the free edge is transparent and colorless. In the male the entire fin is red and the pigment is more concentrated in the free edge. Breeding Same as other Barbs. Fry susceptible to fin rot and swimbladder trouble. Telescope-eyed mutants (similar to those in Goldfish) are sometimes encountered. Extremely clean conditions must be maintained when rearing the young. Recommended feeding system Aquaze tropical.

Barbus nigrofasciatus Popular name Black Ruby, or Purple-headed Barb. Origin Ceylon. Size 2.5 inches.Appearance The female is a yellowish-gray fish with three to four dark vertical bands or blotches. The male is brownish black to black and the anterior part of the fish is vermilion-red.Behavior An attractive and popular community fish. Feeding Accepts all foods. Water conditions Not critical, but shows off best in near neutral Water of moderate hardness.Sexing As described above. Breeding Another easily bred Barb; it lays 200 to 800 eggs. Method . Same as for other Barbs.Recommended feeding system Aquaze tropical.

Barbus conchonius popular name Rosy Barb, or Red Barb.Origin India. Size 2.5 inches.Appearance One of the prettiest Barbs when. in good condition Basically, this is a silvery fish which becomes suffused with a deep rosy red or pale green tint when conditions suit it.The fins show variable amount of black pigmentation. Behavior Peaceful but rather boisterous. Should not be kept with very small fishes. Feeding Hearty appetite. Eats all foods. Water condition Near neutral to slightly alkaline, moderately hard Water temperature 78°F.Sexing When in color the rosy hue of the male contrasts with the predominantly yellowish-green of the female. Tip of dorsal fin in male is black. In female this area shows a dark tint; all her other fins are clear. Breeding One of the easiest egg layers to breed. Beginners could start with this one. The eggs are adhesive; 200 to 300 are produced at a spawning. Method of breeding as described earlier. Recommended feeding system AQuaze tropical.

Barbs thrive in mature well-oxygenated water with plenty of swimning space. In an overcrowded tank they are usually the first to show distress.Recently some of the smaller Barbs have been moved to a new genus called Puntitts. The limits and characteristics of this genus are not clear so we retain here the old nomenclature, but indicate those . considered by some to be Puntius.Most Barbs lay adhesive or semiadhesive eggs; hence they can be spawned by the methods described under Characins. Briefly, this consists of providing a fairly well-planted tank with pebbles on the bottom. They can also be spawned on nylon or willow root. Barbs are avid spawn eaters and should be removed immediately spawning is completed. Recommended feeding system Aquaze Tropical.

This genus (Family Cyprinidae) provides an unusually large number of very popular aquarium fishes. Most Barbs are gay, colorful, active fishes, easy to feed, not choosy about water conditions, and breed readily. It is useful to divide aquarium Barbs into two groups, small Barbs which grow to 2 or 3 inches in size and large Barbs that grow to larger sIzes.Recommended feeding system Aquaze tropical.

Popular name White Cloud Mountain Minnow. Origin China, Canton, from the rivers of the White Cloud Mountains. Size l.25 inches.Appearance An olive-brown fish with a bright golden longitudinal band extending from snout to root of caudal peduncle. Yellow and red markings in dorsal and caudal fins.Behavior Peaceful community fish. Feeding Eats all foods. Water conditions Near neutral water of moderate hardness. Temperature 50°F.-75°F. Thrives at about 70°F. Sexing Males noticeably slimmer than females. Breeding This fish breeds like the Brachydanios, laying nonadheslve eggs. If fed well, most pairs do not molest eggs or fry. If a few fish are kept in a planted tank, numerous babies will be soon found swimming among the adults. They can also be spawned in pairs in breeding traps or over pebbles and fine plants or nylon mops. A drop in temperature of about 5°F. often starts them spawning. Recommended feeding system Aquaze tropical.