The rosy barb (''Pethia conchonius'') is a subtropical freshwater

cyprinid Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest ver ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

found in southern

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from

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Description

This pinkish fish species of barb grows up to 6 inches (14 cm) in length. Their colour becomes bolder during their mating periods. The male has a brighter pinkish colour and the female is slightly plumper. Also note that females do not have any black colour in their fins while males do. They may weigh up to 340g (12 ounces) when fully grown but can weigh much less during adolescence. They are mature at 63.5mm (2.5 inches).

Habitat

In the wild their

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

diet consists of

worm Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always). Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete wo ...

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group can ...

s, and

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

matter. They have a lifespan of up to 5 years. Rosy barbs natively live in lakes and fast flowing water in a subtropical climate. Their natural habitat has a pH of 6 to 8, a water hardness of 5-19 dGH, and a temperature range of 64–72 °F (18–22 °C).

Importance to humans

The fish has commercial importance in the aquarium trade and is one of several species of barbs used to create hybrid versions of " tiger barbs".

Breeding

When the female is ready to spawn, she will appear swollen with eggs. The males will circle and chase the females, repeatedly nudging her head and belly area. Spawning usually occurs in the early morning, and lasts several hours resulting in several hundred eggs. Eggs are usually deposited in groups of plants, and the pair will attempt to eat any that they are able to locate. The young hatch in 24 to 36 hours, depending on water temperature. A day later, the young fish will hang on the plants, and/or the sides of the tank if the breeding takes place in an aquarium. In about six days the young are free-swimming and will seek out food. In captivity, they can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp. Rosy barb has been successfully hybridized with the tiger barb (''Puntius tetrazona''), i.e. crossing female tiger barb with male rosy barb. The hybrids reached maturity and were all males, however they were sterile.

In the aquarium

The rosy barb is an active, peaceful species well-suited for a community aquarium. It is considered one of the hardiest barbs, undemanding and beautiful, and most impressively colored during the mating period. It can be kept together with other small fish but can be aggressive toward other fish and nip their fins. They will eat most foods provided to them. They are best kept in groups of 5 or more in an aquarium with a length of at least 76 cm (30 inches). They usually reach a maximum size of 10.2 cm (four inches). Using a dark-colored gravel will show off the color of the fish.

References