Data sheet harlequin barbs
German name:
harlequin barbel
Scientific name:
Rasbora heteromorpha
Origin:
Southeast Asia, Thailand, also in Southeast India, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and Java
Size:
Body length up to 4.5 cm
Aquarium
Length:
Length from 60 cm width
Contents:
from 100 liters
water values
Temperature:
22°- 26° C
pH:
5 – 7
GH:
5° – 15° dH
Behave
Area:
middle area
Lining:
Omnivores, live and dry food, eg: water fleas, but also Cyclops, Tubifex
Behave:
curious, friendly
Number:
Shoal fish, from 12 animals
Difficulty level:
Beginner © mirkhailg Fotolia.com
The following behavior has been reported by some aquarists.
Usually triggered by a nudge from another fish, a harlequin barb, Trigonostigma heteromorpha, rolls onto its back and staggers towards the bottom as if dead.
She rolls over several times.
Suddenly she straightens up and swims completely normally again.
The spawning behavior
When mating, harlequin barbs swim through the aquarium in groups of two or three fish. They twitch their fins quickly. Every now and then a barbel will swim on its back to the underside of the leaves of aquatic plants. Another harlequin barb will usually push the first animal away and do the same.
This behavior can go on for several days before the harlequin barbs suddenly start spawning. The eggs are very small and transparent. You can see the spawn if you then look closely at the leaf with a magnifying glass. You can also pinch off the leaf and put it in a plastic box to hang in the aquarium. When the light falls from the side, you can usually see the eggs. If the eggs are white the next day, no young will hatch.
Instructions for rearing harlequin barbs
After the yolk sac has been consumed, young harlequin barbs can be fed with microfood from aquarium shops, e.g. B. with Liquifry or JBL Nobofluid. Live food should preferably be given.
After filling the swim bladder, paramecia can be fed 2 to 3 times a day. In the case of harlequin barbs, this is around the 6th day after hatching. Because the young are sensitive to infusoria in the water, the paramecia must be cleaned well.
Very small Artemia z. B. from San Francisco Bay are also eaten. The artemia should just about fit through the finest Hobby Dohse sieve so that they are the right size for the rasbora. Artemia are said to be the best rearing food, which the young take on immediately after about the 6th day of swimming.
A small amount of hard-boiled, partially dried egg yolk can also be fed every now and then.
After a week or two, larger artemia nauplii can then slowly be given. Possibly they also eat young hoppers. With live food, the young grow faster and healthier.
Later the boys are fed with JBL TOM, Cyclops Eeze, Microworms or Moina.
Fine-pored foam is slipped over the end of the hose in the water so that the young are not sucked off when the water is changed.
Videos of harlequin barbs
Harlequin barbs mating:
This is how harlequin barbs live in small territories:
FAQs – Frequently asked questions about harlequin barbs
What is the ideal temperature for harlequin barbel?
The harlequin barbs need a water temperature of 22°C – 26°C. The ideal temperature is 24°C – 25°C.
Where can you find the spawn of harlequin barbs?
The very small, transparent eggs are attached to the leaves of the aquarium plants.
How old do harlequin barbs get
Harlequin barbs can live up to 6 years if kept in a species-appropriate manner.
What should young fish be fed with in the first few days.
In the first few days, feeding with Artemia is recommended.