Facts, Information, Scientific Name of Barb
Let us learn about the Fish that possess a super-functional beard that can find its Food.
Common name – Barb
Scientific name – Barbus.
Length – 7cm – 10 cm.
There are 1768 species of Barb fish.
Distribution and Habitat-
Barb fishes are found in the slow-flowing rivers and lagoons of Europe, Africa, and Asia. It can also adapt to an aquarium.
What does this bearded fish look like and how do they benefit from these features?
Barb fishes are thin, slender, and thick-lipped with curved shape mouths with 4 barbels. Barbels are beards.
Barbels have taste receptors within them that can detect food at bottom of the water where there is less light.
These fishes appear in magnificent colours such as Golden, Orange, Rosy, Silver, and cherry they can also get camouflaged in the water which is a great strategy to escape predators that also accounts for their quick swimming.
There are more than Twenty species of Barb Fishes. All the Fishes have unique and beautiful patterns on their scales.
Tiger Barb is striped and comes in different colours.
Cherry Barb which appears in beautiful reddish colour.
Checker Barb has beautiful rectangular patterns of scales.
Clown Barb is a fish with a golden and red spotted body, similar to a design called Polka dots.
Curcuma Barb is a fish with no colouration but it impresses with its size which can be 40 cm.
Food –
Barb fish beard detects small fishes, insects, Algae, and crustaceans.
Breeding & Schooling of Barb Fishes-
Adult Barb fish is 6 weeks old. After mating the female lags 200-300 eggs on warm water.
Male fish releases sperm that fertilizes the eggs. Eggs hatch within 2-3 days.
These fishes live in school to escape predators which means a group of Barb fishes swim together for hunting and to escape from Predators.
They can adapt to the aquarium and they are pleasant to observe when they swim in schools.
The life span of Barb fish is 3-7 years.
Also See ⇒ Archerfish Facts