How to Identify and Care for Rosy Barb Fish

The rosy barb fish (Barbus Conchonius, Puntius conchonius) belongs to the family Cyprinidae. It is native to the waters of Southern India. This variety of barb fish is a long-established favorite among home aquarists. It is especially ideal for fishkeepers for breeding purposes, because these fish are highly prolific.

Things You'll Need

  • Fish tank Filter and heater Aquarium gravel (one pound per gallon) Pump (optional) Basic test kits (pH, dH) Fish tank decorations Pet fish food
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Instructions

    • 1

      Identify your fish as rosy barbs to help ensure that you provide proper care. These fish grow to a length of between 3 and 4 inches when housed in a tank, but grow up to 6 inches in the wild. The male rosy barbs are easily identified for the copper-red metallic sheen on the flanks of their bodies. In fact, the species' name derives from this distinctive coloring. The male also has black dorsal, anal and pelvic fins. This coloring is similar but less distinctive for a female rosy barb, but she can be further identified by a plumper body shape when viewed from above.

    • 2

      House your barbs in a 24-gallon aquarium. Clean out the tank if it is newly acquired. See Resources below on how to clean a fishtank.

    • 3

      Set up the aquarium for your rosy barbs. Thoroughly rinse the aquarium gravel with hot water and spread it in the barb's tank. Install an aquarium filter to maintain the quality of water in the tank. Attach your heater to the tank, setting it to maintain the water temperature at 65 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 25 degrees Celsius).

    • 4

      Plant some hardy aquarium plants and a few floating plants. Like other barbs, rosy barbs are most content in a well-planted tank with some top shading that can shield them from the light shining on your aquarium. Provide them with some hideouts, such as driftwood and rocks.

    • 5

      Maintain optimum water conditions. rRosy barbs' tank water should stay within the range of 6.0 to 7.5 pH, and water hardness should be between 2 and 10 dH. Monitor these water conditions with the aquarium test kits on a regular basis.

    • 6

      Feed rosy barbs with tropical fish flakes. Since they are an omnivorous species, vary their diet by supplementing this with meaty foods like insect larvae or brine shrimp (live or frozen) and plant matter like spinach.

    • 7

      Provide your rosy barb with some tank mates. Like most other barbs, it is a schooling species and is best kept in a group of five or more of its own species. They swim in the middle level of the tank. Suggested companions include: Gouramis, Danios, Loaches, Loricarids and Doradids.