Striped barb - Puntius johorensis
Species name: Puntius johorensis
Synonym: Barbus eugrammus, Barbus tetrazona johorensis, Puntius eugrammus, Systomus johorensis
Common name: Banded Barb, Lined Barb, Striped Barb
Family: Cyprinidae
Order: Cypriniformes
Class: Actinopterygii
Maximum size: 12 cm / almost 5 inches
Environment: freshwater
Origin: Malaysia.
Temperament: a friendly fast moving species
Company: Striped barb (Puntius johorensis) is suitable for community aquariums with other mid-sized species. It should only be kept in shoals of 6 fish or more. Avoid keeping it with aggressive species.
Water parameters: Temperature 23-26˚C / 73-79ºF; pH 6.0-6.5
Aquarium setup: Striped barb (Puntius johorensis) should not be kept in too small aquariums. They are large fast swimming fishes that need space to swim. The aquarium should ideally be decorated with dense vegetation along the sides and back and plenty of open space in the front. It is advisable to use a few pieces of bogwood to create shaded areas.
Feeding: Striped barb (Puntius johorensis) is easy to feed and will accept most type of foods. Give them a varied diet containing both meaty food and vegetables. Do not keep on flake food only.
Breeding: Striped barb (Puntius johorensis) is not overly hard to breed. Setup an aquarium with a mesh on the bottom to protect them from the egg eating parents. Keep the parents well fed during spawning to make them less interested in their own eggs. The parents should be removed once the spawning is completed. Striped barb (Puntius johorensis) can be bred in different water conditions but they are most easily breed in slightly acidic water (pH 6) and a water temperature of around 25˚C / 77 ºF. The fry are small and should be feed infusorians or other small food. They are usually large enough to eat newly hatched brine shrimp after one week or so. Sexing Striped barb (Puntius johorensis) is hard but the males have darker stripes and are smaller than the females.