BiomesInaBox

Tag: barb

  • Denison Barb – The Peaceful Barb

    Denison Barb – The Peaceful Barb

    With the large variety of fish that can inhabit a fish tank, it can become overwhelming trying to decide the right ones to put inside to inhabit the enclosure. Especially when hearing about barbs (more specifically) tiger barbs have a reputation for being brutes and aggressive in an aquarium. There are more barbs that are also aggressive but there are some that are nice and gentle. Specifically, the Denison Barb.

    Temperment & Size

    Denison barbs sometimes known as Rose Line sharks look like a dominating force inside of an aquarium but they are one of the most beautiful and gentle animals you can keep. It is of course not recommended to keep them with little fish like neon tetras or ember tetras because they will become lunch, but they’re perfectly welcome in a community aquarium filled with larger peaceful fish.

    Photo by Anandarajkumar at wikimedia

    These fish love to be in larger groups preferably 5 or more fish. Also, do not forget to keep a good lid on your aquarium because these fish are known to be jumpers! Because of their love for being in groups and active personalities, I would not recommend putting this fish in anything smaller than 50 gallons of water.

    The Denison Barb is different from your typical barb. This fish is far longer and more streamlined. They are normally found in fast-moving streams in the wild and appreciate higher oxygen levels in an aquarium. They also grow to be about 4 to 6 inches when they are full-grown.

    Feeding & Aquarium Requirements

    The Roseline Shark will happily take most foods and giving them a large variety of food only benefits them. They will gladly eat bloodworms, fish flakes, pellet food, and algae flakes/wafers/pellets. They are safe to keep with live plants and will not go out of their way to eat them! They’re omnivorous fish so giving them many options will keep them happy!

    They enjoy an enclosure with a pH between 6.8 – 7.8 and temperatures ranging from 60 – 77 degrees Fahrenheit. They should be right at home with other tropical fish because for the most part, their water parameter needs are quite similar. Overall, they are quite easy to care for as long as they are introduced into an established aquarium.

    Final Thoughts

    Denison barbs are incredibly active fish and are insanely beautiful with their gray black and red coloring. They will make any aquarium seem more vibrant and bring new life to the setup. Keep them in nice groups and feed them a variety of food and they should be happy for quite some time! 

    Photo by Anandarajkumar at wikimedia

  • Tiger Barb – Friend or foe?

    Tiger Barb – Friend or foe?

    Tiger barbs are quite a gorgeous little fish. They have beautiful vibrant black, orange, and tan coloration! This is the perfect Halloween-themed fish. They’re also a wonderful centerpiece for many other aquariums because of the dominating presence of swimming in large shoals. Unfortunately, caution must be taken when keeping tiger barbs because they are fin nippers. Male tiger barbs are the primary nippers because they constantly battle with one another to assert dominance. They are considered semi-aggressive fish which may limit which fish they can be mixed with. This guide will try and give some useful information on helping tiger barbs thrive as well as help the fin-nipping problem in your aquarium.

    Tiger Barb Requirements

    Tiger barbs can grow to a size of about 4 inches long. A 30-gallon aquarium is the minimum requirement to keep a tiger barb happy, but anything larger is always appreciated. Setting up a larger aquarium for them will allow them to fade into the background and not be the dominating aspect of the fish tank.

    Keep in mind that they are shoaling fish so they do best in groups of 6 or more. Anything smaller will cause them to be more aggressive than they already are. If they are in a large enough shoal they usually keep to themselves and do not bother fish of a different species.

    It is perfectly fine keeping these fish in temperatures around 76 – 78 degrees Fahrenheit which allows them to be mixed with most other tropical fish. They also do wonderfully in a planted aquarium and are a great addition to one because they like slightly acidic water. Also, having a heavily planted aquarium will help create barriers and hiding places for other fish if the tiger barbs start becoming a little nippy.

    These colorful fish are not very picky when it comes to eating! They are perfectly fine eating flake food, pellet food, blood worms, brine shrimp, and other foods that are introduced into the aquarium. They should normally be fed once a day.

    Photo by ToT89 on Wikimedia.

    Final Thoughts

    Although there are quite a few ways to alleviate a tiger barb’s fin-nipping habit still take precautions if you want to add them to a community tank. To reiterate what was said before: Do not add less than 6 tiger barbs into an aquarium, be sure they are fed, and try to load up your aquarium with decorations to provide barriers and hiding spots. Remember, these barbs are used to fighting for dominance, it is in their nature, so add more tiger barbs and let them keep to their species and pick on one another. These fish should do quite well in a semi-aggressive aquarium but can be problematic in a peaceful, community tank. They’re wonderful to have because of their vibrant colors and active nature but also can become troublesome for new and even knowledgeable aquarists if precautions aren’t taken.

    Photo by Faucon on wikimedia