Barbodes semifasciolatus
The Barbodes semifasciolatus is naturally found in rivers that run through the wooded areas of Southeast Asia. They are excellent fish for novice aquarists.
Barbodes semifasciolatus are very colourful and attractive fish. The fish have a sloping back and short antennae at the corners of the mouth. Males are smaller than females, at a young age, bright red and reach puberty, take a golden colour with small dark spots along the lateral line of the body. Females are faded throughout their lives. Rarely, but rarely, you can find the green coloration of these fish, which are very popular among hobbyists. The fish reach a size of 8 cm in the wild, although they are usually smaller in aquariums.
They are hardy, peaceful, gregarious fish, which can tolerate rather large variations in water parameters. The barbs can easily get along with other fish in a shared aquarium. The fish spend most of their time in the middle and lower layers of the water.
Keep fish is recommended in a ratio of 1 male to 3 females. For a group of 5-6 fish need an aquarium of 50 liters. Fish like densely planted plant aquariums, though they cause damage by nibbling on tender young shoots, so it is desirable to choose stiff-leaved varieties of aquarium plants. Do not keep barbs goldfish together with fish that have long fins, which they often gnaw.
Water parameters: temperature 22-28° C, hardness dH 5-25°, pH 6,2-7,6. Requires filtration, aeration and a weekly change of ¼ of the aquarium water with fresh.
They are omnivorous fish. Their menu in the aquarium are daphnii, artemia, moths, small insects, ground meat shrimp, spirulina, flake food.
Reproduction
It is believed that the reproductive cycle of the gold barb is closely linked to the lunar cycle. During the spawning period, males become brightly colored.
For spawning fish need a spawning tank densely planted with small-leaved plants such as Javanese moss. Before spawning, the spawners are fed a variety of food. The water should have an acidity of pH 6.0-7.0. Females spawn on plant leaves at dawn. Immediately after spawning, the producers should be removed, otherwise they will eat their eggs.
The eggs incubate for 36-48 hours, after which the larvae hatch out. In the first days of life, fry are fed live dust, and after 7-10 days begin to give nauplii Artemia. The fry are fed at least 4 times a day.
One female hatches up to 200 eggs.
The life span of Barbodes semifasciolatus is about 5-7 years.
