Barbs: reproduction at home

Barbuses, their reproduction at home - that's what will be discussed in this article, which can be useful for all connoisseurs of beauty.

A great choice for beginners aquarium lovers - barbs. Reproduction in captivity of most of their species will not be difficult, because they are unpretentious and fairly peaceful. Their mobile and nimble flocks perfectly complement any aquarium. Fish can be as small (from 4 to 6 cm), and grow to large sizes. How many live barbs? The answer to this question depends on the particular species of this restless aquarium fish, but in general the life span is three to five years. The most common form is the Sumatran barbeque. It is distinguished by a magnificent yellowish-golden tiger coloration with a greenish tint.

To multiply the Sumatran barbs, you will need a spacious aquarium of at least 20 liters in volume. Fish do not like bright light, so the aquarium must be planted with thick thickets of plants with small leaves, moss and a couple of spawning panicles. Since the parents themselves do not care about their offspring, the plants will also act as the natural protection of eggs. Comfortable water temperature for fish is from +23 to +25C. To spawn successfully, it must be raised to + 26-28C. For spawning it will be enough to put a couple of barbs in the aquarium. Before the spawning, do not forget to plant them for about a month, and lower the water temperature by a couple of degrees. In this case, the female must be fed mainly vegetable food, and the male - protein. To distinguish a female from a male is very easy: they are smaller, and their stomach is more round. By this pronounced swelling, you can determine whether the female is ready for reproduction.

Useful advice: for successful breeding the female should be younger than the male for three to four months.

As a rule, spawning does not take long to wait and begins one day after the barbs are reunited in the aquarium after the seating. Reproduction is as follows: first the male takes care of the female. Then, when she starts throwing eggs, he follows her, leaving traces of the seed so that the fallen eggs can be fertilized. For one spawning the female can postpone several hundred eggs. Planting a couple to spawn better in the evening. In this case, the aquarium should be located so that in the morning it was exposed to the sun's rays.

Useful advice: to improve the fertilization of caviar, you can add a little salt to the water: one teaspoon - for ten liters of water.

When the spawning is over, the couple should be removed from the aquarium, as they can eat pending eggs. However, if you cover the bottom of the aquarium with pebbles, the parents will not be able to get to the caviar. If the temperature in the aquarium is maintained at + 26 ° C, after five days you will have a small floating Sumatran barbeque. Reproduction of fish, thus, will not give you much trouble and will be quite fascinating process.

The best diet for fry is infusoria, nauplii artemia or rotifers, which is due to their small size. When the barbs grow a little, they can be fed with small crustaceans. Young growths of Sumatran barbs grow fast enough, therefore in order to avoid cannibalism they should be periodically sorted by size. Already in 8-10 months with abundant and proper feeding, they will be able to multiply.

To prevent stagnation of caviar in females, it is necessary several times a year to stimulate spawning in a common aquarium, in which barbs live. Reproduction can be unsuccessful if the fish are kept in the stern, rich in protein at an elevated water temperature. In this case, obesity occurs in their genital organs.

Helpful advice: more often change the water in the aquarium, because when it stagnates, the Sumatran barbeque is prone to obesity and overeating, and often gets sick.