How to Raise a Rosy Barb Fry

The attractive rosy barb is popular tropical freshwater fish. These hardy little fishes are kept by both novice and advanced aquarists and not considered difficult to breed. Rosy barbs are generally peaceful, but may nip the fins of fins of other fish in the aquarium. This egg-laying barb is a shoaling species in the wild and should be kept in small groups. Remove the breeding pair of rosy barbs from the display aquarium and place them in a separate breeding tank for spawning.

Things You'll Need

  • 20-gallon breeding tank
  • Spawning mop
  • Sponge filter
  • 1.5-foot piece of air tubing, 0.75-inch diameter
  • Vibrator pump
  • Aquarium heater and thermostat
  • Aquarium thermometer
  • Newly hatched brine shrimp
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the rosy barb pair from the breeding tank as soon as the female has laid her eggs. Rosy barbs may eat their fry and after the eggs have been laid and fertilized the adult fish are no longer required as there is no parental care in this species. Return the parents to your display aquarium.

    • 2

      Observe the eggs, which are adhering to the many strands on the spawning mop, for signs of hatching. These eggs will hatch approximately 48 hours after being laid. Spawning mops are made from numerous pieces of string or nylon and are used in place of aquatic vegetation by many egg-laying fish species. Spawning mops are available from your aquatic dealer.

    • 3

      Attach a 1.5-foot piece of 0.75-inch diameter air tubing to the intake stem of a sponge filter and place it into the rearing tank. Connect the free end of the tubing to the exhaust nipple of a vibrator pump and turn the pump on.

    • 4

      Place a plastic clamp onto the airline tube and tighten it until only a gentle stream of bubbles leaves the sponge filter. Although it is important to filter the water, the fry are small and not powerful swimmers at this stage and should not be exposed to strong water movement in the tank.

    • 5

      Use a thermometer to check the water temperature in the breeding tank. The temperature must be 82-degrees Fahrenheit, which is both an ideal incubation and fry rearing temperature. Correct the temperature, if necessary, by turning the adjustment knob on the thermostat, which is positioned at the top of the sealed aquarium heater.

    • 6

      Wait for the fry to be free swimming, which will occur around the fifth day after hatching. During these first five days, the fry will feed off their yolk sac and do not require to be fed.

    • 7

      Obtain newly hatched brine shrimp from your aquatic dealer and feed the rosy barb fry on day five. Add brine shrimp to the aquarium three times per day. Add sufficient shrimp so that there is a constant supply in the water between feeds. The larvae will need to feed on an ongoing basis in order to grow.