Puntius conchonius
the Rosy Barb
by Greg Mallet
From "Fins & Friends" Regina Aquarium Society, Canada
Aquarticles
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 just 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 colouration 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 sight.
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 alternatively, 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 a hundred fry. The eggs hatched about six 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 commonly found in the pet stores. They generally sell for around $6 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.
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