How to Take Care of Barbs in an Aquarium

Just like other pets, some species are easier to handle than others. In fish care, species like Red, Tiger, Rosy and Sumatra barbs are easy to breed and care for.

If you are a beginner in fish breeding, chose one of these species.

Besides the species character traits, in choosing a fish is good to take into consideration the size of it. For example, it is not good to add in the same tank very small fish and big ones. The big fish will see the little one as live food and have an aggressive behavior.

The Black Ruby and Purple Head Barbs:

This fish species is originally from the Ceylon waters and grows to around 2 inches in size. The females are a bit different than the males. For example, the females have yellow-gray figures with dark stripes in vertical lines and he males have a brown-black with frontals. This fish species is a calm one that likes to eat a lot and is not picky with food. The water conditions are not that strict for this fish species. They like to swim in neutral waters and the females lay around 300 eggs.

The Cherry Barbs:

This species comes from the Ceylon also and have the same measurements like the black Ruby. The colors are extremely beautiful. Their figure is yellow-brown, or red-brown with dark top to bottom black stripes. Like other barbs, they are easy to take care of. They need plenty of neutral water, lots of different food and different tank plants. The females lay around 200 eggs and during the breeding process you should get them out of the tank so that they don't eat the eggs.

The Tiger Barb and Sumatra:

This fish species was first spotted in Borneo and Sumatra. They grow to about 2 inches in size and they are very colorful, with many black stripes. Some breeders say that this fish bullies the other smaller fish but other breeders say he is quite calm and manageable.

Just like any other barbs, the Sumatra and Tiger fish need the same water conditions: slightly alkaline water and sometimes even hard water. The tank temperature must be around 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Besides that, they eat all kind of fish food but they prefer live bait. You can recognize a female Sumatra and Tiger fish if you look at the body. The females are a bit fatty and the males are colorful but slim. Sometimes, this fish species has some health problems like: bladder problems or fins that rot. Because of this, you need to change the water constantly and keep it safe from bacteria.

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