Barbs
| Scientific Name | English Common Name | French Common Name |
|---|---|---|
| Puntius titteya | Cherry Barb | Barbu cerise |
There is a lot of discussion in the literature of the true classification that will be the final listing. At the moment, there seems to be some disagreement as to the proper classification of some of the them.
Originally the group were all barbus. But, in the recent past many of the smaller African fish such as the Tiger Barb, have been renamed under the Puntius umbrella.
Barbs have two pairs of barbels at the side of the mouth. They are found throughout Africa and Europe for the most part. The larger European species are often used as sport fish and do have some commercial value.
There seem to be many assorted species of European Barbs, but many are too large or require different water temperatures than found in the tropical aquarium. Most of the barbs kept in the home aquarium are on the smaller side of the genus and are more often than not, found with African and more tropical origins.
Home aquariums often house the smaller barbs. These are usually relatively peaceful, although they are quite active. They may cause problems with their active lifestyles.
Most are schooling fish, and prefer to be in groups of at least seven fish or more. Their natural energy is better contained within the group when there are larger schools. When too few are in the school they may bother other slower fish in the aquarium.
Some species, such as the Tiger Barb (Puntius tetrazoni) have earned a reputation of being fin nippers. They should be kept in tanks with other fast moving fish that do not have the flowing fins that seem to make such a delicious target for them. Kept in fairly large schools, their natural energy will be expended on their own kind with many passive fish left alone.
Many barbs kept as aquarium specimens are rather shy, and prefer to have a relatively dark aquarium with lots of hiding places as well as plants.
They do require some open area to swim freely, so do not heavily overload the fish tank so much they do not have a free open area to allow them to swim when they feel so inclined.
Popular barbs for the home aquarium include the barbs with names such as tiger, green, cherry and rosy. These may have once been classified under the Barbus nomenclature, but are now identified mainly as part the Puntius species.
Most were part of the original barb groups that stay quite a bit smaller. As a rule, usually adults are much less than three inches long. All prefer to be kept in as large a school as possible.
Most are quite easy to feed and will take commercial flakes with very little difficulty. They are not very fussy in the foods they will eat.
