August 5, 2024, 4:13 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
The Sumatra barb is a colorful aquarium resident that captivates not only with its appearance. These active fish bring a lot of movement to the tank with their swimming and hunting behavior.
Appearance
The Sumatra barb is a popular aquarium fish from Southeast Asia. However, these shimmering fish are not found in Sumatra but are primarily located in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
They have four vertical stripes on their bodies. The first, usually black band is at eye level, and the last is at the start of the tail fin. The fins have an orange tint, which is also found on the fish’s mouth. Sometimes, it is even bred to be blood red.
In addition to the wild form with its original coloration, there is also a cultivated form. This form is called the moss barb and is mostly green. The barb also comes in a colorless albino variant. Sumatra barbs grow to be six to seven centimeters long. The females are generally a bit thicker than the males.
Behavior
In the aquarium, the Sumatra barb is not only visually striking but also exhibits very lively behavior. The Sumatra barb is a schooling fish that feels most comfortable in a group. This group should consist of at least ten fish to ensure they feel at ease and display their typical chases and skirmishes. This is part of the natural behavior of these omnivores and should be facilitated in the aquarium.
If you want to keep them in a community tank, they should be housed with other fast swimmers. Other barbs, loaches, or danios are suitable companions. However, bottom-dwelling fish like catfish or slow swimmers like guppies or angelfish should not be kept with Sumatra barbs, as they tend to nip at their fins and injure them.
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Proper Care & Maintenance
The Sumatra barb is an omnivore. It can be fed a variety of dry, live, and frozen foods alternately. Since the fish are very active and swim a lot, the aquarium should have a capacity of at least 110 liters. A length of at least 80 centimeters is recommended.
Their natural habitat is tropical freshwater near shorelines. Therefore, the aquarium should have dense vegetation and plenty of hiding places. The water temperature should be between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius. A pH level between 6 and 8 should be maintained, and the total water hardness should be between 5 and 20 °dH. With good care and maintenance, Sumatra barbs can live up to seven years in an aquarium.