Cyprinids
Cyprinids don't have an adipose fin but have smooth scales, a single lateral line & often have up to two barbels. The mouth is toothless, which means they grind food by pharyngeal teeth. Those teeth are in their throats.
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Cherry Barb (Barbus titteya) habitat is India & Sri Lanka where they can grow to 2" however mine are less than 1". A male shows more colour than the female & also if it's the prominent male. Even though they can be territorial towards their own, I have rarely seen it. Albino versions are available & I do have them. |
| In my tank, the Golden Barb (Barbus semifasciolatus) seems to terrorize certain fish's fins. It is strange as they are classed in books as being sociable! They can grow to 2.5" & their location is South-east China however in the tank, they are 1.5". Females are plumper than males & often don't have the black markings on their bodies. |
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Harlequin Rasbora (Rasbora heteromorpha) is community fish & therefore friendly but must be kept in groups of their own. These fishes need to go into a mature tank & regular water changes need to be taken. Like many fish, the female is plumper than the male. Their habitat is Southeast Asia & they can grow to less than 2". I can't say in my tank, as they were only put in recently & they were very small. |
| Leopard Danio (Brachydanio frankei) habitat is unknown. It is classed as being close to Zebra Danio & they are from India. In case you are surprised many fish are only recently found. They swim at the upper level & are best kept in groups. Its size can go to 2" but mine got to 1.5". Males are slimmer than females & breeding is easy. |
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Certain fish rarely show the colours in a shop. Odessa Barb (Barbus ticto) is one! An hour after I put several in the tanks, the males showed their colours. The red came through together with black lines around the fins. They were friendly fish & were not caught out with certain other barbs. Their habitat is from India to the Himalayas. |
| Like most fish the male shows more colour than the female & Pearl Danio (Brachydanio albolineatus) is the same. Again like others, the male is slimmer than the female. They swim in the upper level & their location in the wild is Southeast Asia with the size being just over 2". In the tank they were 1.5". Danios are active swimmers & these are the same. |
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Red-Tailed Black Shark (Epalzeorhychus bicolor) can be aggressive. By putting three into a tank they fought against each other. Sadly two didn't survive & strangely enough the weaker one came through. I've moved it from one tank to another, mainly to do with it chasing silvery fish. I haven't seen him fight in the other & it is the biggest fish in the tank. They come from Thailand & can grow to 5" but mine is 2.5". |
| Silver Shark (Balanteocheilus melanopterus) is like the Red-Tailed Black Shark not a shark. The name comes from their shape. In wild it comes from Southeast Asia & can grow to 14". In tanks it is unlikely they will grow to that size but as they continue to grow for many years, I can't say the maximum size in a tank. One thing that is amazing is their colour if the light hits them at an angle. The word silver becomes apparent! |
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| Sucking Loach (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) isn't a loach nor in the Cyprinds family but close to the Cyprinds. When young they will, as part of its name says, suck to objects. They're omnivorous, which means they eat green vegetables, algae & small invertebrates. In the wild, Thailand & India, they grow to 11" & those in aquariums, when older, cause problems by digging the substrate, which often up-roots plants & shift wood & rock. In addition they can be very territorial. |
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Tiger Barb (Barbus tetrazona) is classed as being a menace against any fish unless it has a group of there own kind. I've seen them doing it but they are not the worse. If you're unsure, they & barbs tend to nip as others fins. Their natural habitat is in Borneo & Indonesia & their size can be 3" however in a tank roughly 1.5". |
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The Tiger Barb has a number of variants & the ones shown are Green Tiger Barb & Albino Tiger Barb. The fish swim in mid-upper levels & as said like to mix with their own kind. They are capable of breeding & the eggs hatch in 36 hours. The only down side is whether the eggs are eaten. |
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| The Zebra Danio (Brachydanio rerio) is a popular fish & like all other Danios, very hardy & easy to breed. Their natural habitat is India & the size is just over 2" whereas the ones in the tank are close to 1.5". This Danio has a number of variations with them being long-finned & veil-tailed strains which include Albino. |
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