Rosy Barb Fact Sheet
pink tongue, Puntius conconius, It is a very easy fish to keep. Sometimes the common name is spelled Rosey Barb. bearded conium is a junior synonym of the scientific name. It comes from Assam and Bengal in the Indian subcontinent. In the wild, it can grow to about 6 inches (16 cm) in length, but in an aquarium it usually does not exceed 4 inches (10 cm).
water conditions
The Rosy Barb is very flexible in its requirements. A pH between 6.5 and 7.5 suits this fish well. Although it will survive slightly acidic water, it seems to prefer slightly alkaline water.
He is not overly bothered by the hardness of the water, but seems to like some hardness in the water.
It can withstand temperatures between 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) and 90 degrees F (32 degrees C). I wouldn’t recommend the extremes of its range, but I have heard of cases where it has been successfully kept as a pond fish in Adelaide, even in winter, which suggests it can withstand temperatures even lower than 10 degrees C (50 degrees Celsius). F). This is one of the fish that is happy in tropical or cold water aquariums, as long as the conditions are not too extreme.
food
This fish is extremely easy to feed. It will eat just about every type of fish food. It is an omnivore and will eat soft boiled spinach, as well as flake, granule, live, and frozen foods. In a mixed tank, watch the fish to make sure the Rosy Barbs don’t get all the food. They eat a lot. Be sure not to contaminate the aquarium by putting in more food than the aquarium and its filter can handle.
A good live food for Rosy Barbs is Daphnia.
companions
The Rosy Barb is a schooling fish and at least 6 are preferred. In a school they are much less likely to be a problem for other fish. It is a larger fish than many of its common companions, as well as being extremely active; naturally, it can sometimes cause problems.
Some suitable mates are: Paraguay Tetras, Pristella Tetras, Buenos Aires Tetras, Colombian Tetras, Rummy Nose Tetras, Harlequin Rasboras, Scissortail Rasboras, Lemon Tetras, Black Widow Tetras, Emperor Tetras, Head and Tail Light Tetras, Glass Bloodfin Tetras, Swordtails, Platies, Mollies, Zebra Danios, Glowlight Tetras, and White Cloud Mountain Minnows, as well as Corydoras catfish like Pepper Catfish.
Some fish that I would definitely not recommend as partners for this fish are: Siamese Fighting Fish, Guppies, and Endlers Guppies.
Some small fish like Neon Tetras and Cardinal Tetras may be fine while Rosy Barbs are tiny, but whatever type of fish you round up, you should be guided by the sizes of the individuals and the species.
Varieties
There are several varieties of Rosy Barb, including Neon Rosy Barb, Long Fin Rosy Barb, Red Glass Rosy Barb, Blushing Rosy Barb, and Gold Neon Rosy Barb.
Breeding
The Rosy Barb is one of the fish that frequently lays eggs in a home aquarium without its owner noticing. Normally, the eggs are eaten long before they hatch, and the ones that do hatch are eaten as tiny babies and never even seen by their owner.
Male Rosy Barbs have the reddish color that gives the species its common name, while females are more of a yellowish color.
Often, hobbyists attempting to breed them use trios of two males and one female. The fish should be well conditioned with rich food beforehand. This is particularly easy to do with this species because they are very good eaters. I find frozen bloodworms to be a good food.
The breeding tank should have a lot of plants; both submerged and floating. Neutral pH is probably best. The trio are often placed in the breeding tank after dark and spawn the next morning or second morning. When they have spawned, the female should be noticeably thinner and the parents should be removed. Each female will lay hundreds of eggs.
The eggs hatch in 24-48 hours. Babies are quite small. At first they will eat infusoria or the finest fried foods, but they will grow quickly and soon be able to eat larger foods like filtered Daphnia.
Professional breeders sometimes just let their Rosy Barbs breed naturally in ponds.
Once, to confirm my observation that my rosy barbs spawn frequently without any special encouragement, I put some rosy barbs in some kind of breeding trap with a perforated bottom so the ugly eggs would fall out and hatch in the aquarium. I have a number of babies this way.
grow babies
Baby Rosy Barbs are vigorous fish. They eat well and can grow very fast, but you need to give them plenty of space and keep the water quality high. I suggest more partial water changes than are usually done.
They will be able to eat filtered Daphnia fairly quickly. They definitely benefit from Daphnia and other properly sized live foods.
feeder fish
The pinky barb is one of many fish that are sometimes used as food fish. From the point of view of the people who sell them, they have some advantages for this. They are easy to breed, easy to grow, and the males sell better than the females, so if you can separate a lot of the males early on, you may be able to get something for the young females.
Personally, I believe that feeder fish are often used when not necessary, although I recognize that there are cases where there is little alternative. In our store, we do not sell any fish designated as feeder fish, but I am well aware that some of the small Rosy Barbs that we sell on the cheap do feed on other things.
plague fish
The Rosy Barb certainly has the potential to do great damage to fragile ecosystems. With any pet fish, you should never put yourself in a situation where it can escape into the natural waterways. They should never be released or used as live bait. Plants from a fish pond should also not be placed in natural water courses. Twice in creating a new pond, minnows have appeared. My theory is that the fish eggs were on the plants laid in the ponds.