R.A.S. Fins & Friends

Puntius Conchonius the Rosy Barb

By Greg Mallet

The rosy barb, or neon rosy barb, can be found in the rivers and streams of India Ganges Basin and Northern Peninsula .It can grow to approximately 6 cm. in an aquarium environment, and approximately 12 cm. in the wild. The rosy barb has large and reflective scales, a black-olive back, with yellowish-olive sides and belly. There is a conspicuous black spot jut over the anal fin. When the male is in prime condition, his body will have a rose-red flushed appearance, and the dorsal, anal and ventral fins will be black-tipped. The female on the other hand is very plain, her coloration being a silvery-olive green. She does not have the rosy flush and her body is more robust. Quite simply put when purchasing these fish, the male is a bright red-orange color, and the female is olive green. It doesn’t get much easier than this.

The Rosy Barb is an excellent community fish, and is fairly undemanding in its care. This species prefers to school in large well planted aquariums. Ideally the water should range between 18-30 degrees Celsius, preferring 26 C., pH 7, water hardness of 6. They can be fed on all types of fish foods, preferring live food when bringing them into breeding condition. They are always hungry, perhaps because they are so active and untiring swimmers. When you pass their tank you will notice them constantly racing back and forth in groups of six or more. About once per week, I feed my younger rosy barbs shredded liver. It reminds me of a movie about piranhas the way they quickly devour the liver. It is quite a site.

The Rosy Barb will readily spawn on plants when the temperature is approximately 27 C. The spawns are often quite large. But this fish is an egg-eater, so it may be wise to remove the parents from the tank, or alternately, remove the eggs to another tank. These are one of the easiest fish I have ever spawned. Whenever I wanted to raise some fry, I would either throw in some spawning mops, or a large piece of hornwort. They would immediately begin to spawn in this material. Once full of eggs, I would remove it to a five gallon aquarium. More than once, I did this for a couple of days and regretted my actions, as I was now raising in excess of 100 fry. The eggs hatched about 6 days later, with the water temperature around 26 C. Initially I would start feeding the fry liquid fry food, and some Serra Micron. Within a few days I was able to offer newly hatched brine shrimp. These fry grow rapidly, and are always hungry, a trait they retain for the duration of their life.

Rosy Barbs are a common fish to be found in the pet stores. They generally sell for around $6.00 per fish. I have been unloading my excessive stock for a long time. The bargains are almost over; as I move on to spawn another species. These fish are very attractive, and will usually solicit a positive response from anyone viewing your aquarium.