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This page will give a completely detailed profile of the selected
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This months profile was written by superpap56 an active contributor
to the site.
Puntius arulius
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Overview:
This barb is an extremely active schooler and does better in larger
groups of at least 6 ,many claim that uneven numbers are best to avoid
pairing off and aggression and to keep it's attention within it's own
group.
Quick stats:
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Listed tank sizes are the minimum
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| Size: |
4.7 inches ( 12cm ) |
| Tank: |
40 gallon minimum (150 L minimum)Preferably a 55 gallon |
| Strata: |
All, mostly middle. |
| PH: |
6 - 8, tolerates wide range |
| Hardness: |
Not critical, tolerates wide range |
| Temperature: |
66°F to 77°F (19°-25° C) |
Classification:
| Order: |
Cypriniformes (carps) |
| Family: |
Cyprinidae |
| Genus: |
Puntius |
| Species: |
arulius |
Common name:
Arulius Barb, Tamiraparani Barb, Silas Barb, Longfin Barb
Discuss:
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Image gallery:
Additional
species photographs
Distribution
Asia: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Cauvery river system, and the Tambraparani
river system in India
General Body Form:
Slender and elongated shaped like tall, slightly laterally-compressed
torpedoes.
Coloration:
Adult fish are dark brownish olive on the back, becoming lighter on
the sides to white on the ventral surface. Males have silvery bodies
with green near their lateral line region and three large black spots
(and some smaller less-clearly defined ones) which go from dorsal surface
to lower edge of green stripe. The region above their green stripe is
orange-red. Females are generally a rosy pink in color with some green
to gold iridescence, but they maintain the same spot pattern. Both sexes
have a bifurcated caudal fin, red edges to their caudal and anal fins
and a dark dorsal which is almost violet in color on some individuals.
The fins are thin and transparent or translucent. Adults possess more
pronounced colors than the juvenile.
Maintenance:
It is compatible with other peaceful fish large enough and bold enough
not to be food or intimidated. Good tankmates are other similarly-sized
Puntius, larger rasboras and danios, botiine loaches and gouramis of
the genus Trichogaster. Mine were fond of forming a train and using
the whole tank to swim swiftly throughout. I found that having 2 males
were not a good idea while waiting on the others to arrive as they fought
constantly. They thrive in well oxygenated water and really do not do
very well in temperatures much above the stated range.
Diet: Omnivorous - High quality flake and floating pellets supplemented
with live foods such as small worms and crustaceans (especially for
conditioning for breeding) Pretty much eats what is offered.
Temperament: Mostly peaceful but can be a fin nipper.
Biotope:
Inhabits large streams, rivers, and lakes.
Breeding:
Sexing:
Males dorsal fin has a thin long extension trailing from it's top
edge. Females are plumper and males are more colorful . When breeding
males develop white tubercules around the mouthparts.
Spawning:
Quite easily bred, although you'll need to set up a separate tank
in which to do so if you want to raise any numbers of fry. Something
around 30" x 12" x 12" in size is usually recommended. This should
be very dimly lit and contain clumps of fine-leaved plants such as
Java moss or Myriophyllum (spawning mops could also be used) to give
the fish somewhere to deposit their eggs. Alternatively, you could
cover the base of the tank with some kind of mesh. This should be
of a large enough grade so that the eggs can fall through it, but
small enough so that the adults cannot reach them. The water should
be of around neutral pH, gH < 8, with a temperature of around 75 -
80°F. A small air-powered sponge filter bubbling away very gently
is all that is needed in terms of filtration. It can be spawned in
a group, with half a dozen specimens of each sex being a good number.
Condition these with plenty of small live foods and spawning should
not present too many problems. Depending on your setup, simply check
the spawning medium or tank base each morning for eggs. Alternatively
it can be spawned in pairs. Under this technique, the fish are conditioned
in male and female groups in separate tanks. When the females are
noticeably full of eggs and the males are displaying their best colors,
select the fattest-looking female and best colored male and transfer
them to the spawning tank in the evening. They should spawn the following
morning. In either situation, the adults will eat the eggs given the
chance and should be removed as soon as eggs are noticed. These will
hatch in 24-48 hours, with the fry becoming free swimming 24 hours
later. They should be fed on an infusoria-type food for the first
few days, until they are large enough to accept microworm or Artemia
nauplii. The species is quite fecund, and up to 2000 eggs can be produced
from a single spawning event.
Sources:
Fishbase , seriouslyfish.com and aquatic-hobbiest.com , and my own experience
having kept them.
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