Puntius conchonius - Rosy Barb

Cyprinidae

This species is extensively distributed, being found in parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Feral populations also exist in several countries, notably Singapore, Australia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Colombia. The species appears to be considerably variable across its natural range; for example fish collected from the Darjeeling area in the Shiwalik mountains, West Bengal are said to be more intensely-coloured with highly-reflective scales. Some forms also grow larger than others or show further differences in colouration and patterning. You're unlikely to see wild fish for sale though as the vast majority are commercially-produced for the hobby.

Predictable for a species with such an enormous distribution it has been recorded from various types of habitat, from flowing hill streams and tributaries of rivers to stiller waters such as lakes and ponds.

Often quoted as reaching 6"/15cm, although specimens of this size are virtually unheard of as far as we can gather, even in nature. Expect it to attain an adult size of around 3"/7.5cm.

This species is very active and deserves a tank measuring at least 36" x 12" x 12"/90cm x 30cm x 30cm/85 litres.

Fairly undemanding provided its tank is well maintained. It can appear a little washed out in very sparsely decorated set-ups, though. A combination of fairly dim lighting and a dark substrate will encourage it to show its best colours. It can look quite superb in a heavily planted setup, decorated with pieces of bogwood, twisted roots and a layer of surface vegetation to dim the lighting.

It can also be kept in a set-up dedicated to the replication of a flowing stream. Use a sand or gravel substrate, and scatter some smooth, water-worn rocks of varying sizes around the tank. An external canister or internal power filter with the outlet placed at the water surface, aiming down the length of the tank would provide the desired high levels of oxygenation and flow. An additional powerhead could also be used if you wish, or a rivertank manifold could be installed.

The tank can be further furnished with driftwood branches and aquatic plants for aesthetic value, although the vast majority of plant species will fail to thrive in such turbulent conditions. Possibilities include hardy species such as Java fern, Bolbitis or Anubias species. These can be grown attached to the decor.

Prefers cooler water in the range 64 - 72°F/18 - 22°C. It can be kept in an unheated tank in most well-insulated homes.

6.0 - 8.0

5 - 20°H

Studies have shown it to be a somewhat generalised omnivore feeding on worms, insects and other small invertebrates, as well as plant matter and other detritus. It proves similarly unfussy in captivity, accepting most foods offered. A quality dried product can be used as the staple diet, although this should be supplemented with regular meals of live and frozen varieties for the fish to show their best colours and condition.

Provided its oxygen and temperature requirements can be met it can actually be mixed with most peaceful fish too large to be considered food but it does make an ideal addition to a peaceful community of Southeast Asian/Indian species, perhaps alongside other similarly-sized Puntius, rasboras, botiine loaches and gouramis of the genus Trichogaster. In a river-style tank as described above it can also be combined with rheophilic species from genera such as as Danio, Devario, Barilius and Garra as well as many Balitorine and Nemacheilid loaches.

It's a schooling species by nature, and really should be kept in a group of at least 8-10 specimens. Maintaining it in decent numbers will not only make the fish less skittish, but will result in a more effective, natural looking display. Any aggressive behaviour will normally also be contained within the group as the fish concentrate on their own hierarchy, and males will tend to develop better colours as they compete with rivals for female attention.

Adult females are larger, less colourful and thicker-bodied than the males. The red colouration in males becomes more intense when the fish are in spawning condition.

Quite easily bred, and can even be spawned outdoors during the summer months. You'll need to set up a separate tank in which to do so if you want to raise decent numbers of fry. Something around 18" x 12" x 12" in size is ok. This should be very dimly lit and contain clumps of fine leaved plants such as Java moss or Myriophyllum (spawning mops could also be used) to give the fish somewhere to deposit their eggs. Alternatively, you could cover the base of the tank with some kind of mesh. This should be of a large enough grade so that the eggs can fall through it, but small enough so that the adults cannot reach them. The water should be of around neutral pH, gH <8, with a temperature of around 73 - 77°F. A small air-powered sponge filter bubbling away very gently is all that is needed in terms of filtration.

It can be spawned in a group, with half a dozen specimens of each sex being a good number. Condition these with plenty of small live foods and spawning should not present too many problems. Depending on your setup, simply check the spawning medium or tank base each morning for eggs.

Alternatively it can be spawned in pairs. Under this technique, the fish are conditioned in male and female groups in separate tanks. When the females are noticeably full of eggs and the males are displaying their best colours, select the fattest looking female and best coloured male and transfer them to the spawning tank in the evening. They should spawn the following morning. Be sure to provide plenty of cover for the female as the male may be quite aggressive in his pursuit of her. In some cases she may even require a period of rehabilitation in a tank that does not contain any males.

In either situation, the adults will eat the eggs given the chance and should be removed as soon as eggs are noticed. These will hatch in 24-48 hours, with the fry becoming free swimming 3-4 days later. They should be fed on an infusoria-type food for the first few days, until they are large enough to accept microworm or Artemia nauplii. The species is quite fecund, and several hundred eggs can be produced from a single spawning event.

Generally considered one of the hardiest barbs, Puntius conchonius is an excellent choice for the newcomer to the hobby. Selective breeding has resulted in a handful of man-made strains becoming popular, including long-finned, "super red" and "golden" forms. It has also been hybridised with some others in the genus such as P. tetrazona, although apparently the offspring of such experiments are infertile.

This species is included in the Puntius conchonius 'group' of closely-related species as defined by Taki (1978). Members are characterised by "small adult size, fused and broad interorbital 3 + 4, well-developed lateral folds on snout, absence of rostral barbels, minute or absent maxillary barbels, osseous and serrated last unbranched dorsal fin ray, often abbreviated lateral line, a color pattern including a blotch anteriorly on the side (absent in Puntius conchonius and a blotch on the caudal peduncle, and a broad pharyngeal bone characterized by pointed dorsal tip, spaced moderate-sized teeth and absence of dorsal angle" (Kullander and Fang, 2005). Current members of the group are Puntius conchonius, P. bandula, P. cumingii , P. didi , P. erythromycter, P. gelius , P. macrogramma, P. manipurensis, P. meingangbii, P. nankyweensis, P. narayani , P. nigrofasciatus , P. padamya , P. phutunio , P. punctatus, P. setnai, P. shalynius, P. stoliczkanus , P. thelys, P. tiantian, P. ticto  and P. yuensis.

The genus Puntius is currently viewed as something of a catch-all for well over 100 species of small cyprinid. Most experts agree that a full revision is required, with the likely outcome that many species will be placed into new or different genera. When describing the genus in 1822, Hamilton identified the defining characteristics as: "absence or presence of maxillary only or rostral and maxillary barbels; dorsal fin with last simple ray serrate or entire, branched rays usually 8; anal fin with last simple ray entire, branched rays usually 5; lateral line complete or incomplete, lateral-line scales 17�36 in row; cephalic cutaneous papillae minute or absent; pharyngeal teeth in 3 rows, usually 2,3,5/5,3,2; colour pattern extremely variable." All the species currently in the genus are native to Southeast Asia, India and Sri Lanka.

The other main source of confusion with Puntius is that some authors do not recognise all the member species as such, rather following Walter Rainboth (1996) and preferring to place some into the alternative genus Systomus. Rainboth proposed that Systomus should be reinstated (it was first erected in the 19th century) as a valid genus on account of the fact that in its current state Puntius would seem to constitute a polyphyletic grouping i.e. not all of its members appear to have descended from the same common ancestor. The defining characteristics of a Systomus species are (according to Rainboth) a serrated (vs. smooth in Puntius) dorsal spine, the presence of 2 or 4 barbels (vs. always 2) and less than 12 gill rakers (vs. 12-20). SF tentatively lists all species as Puntius at present.

Literature cited

1. www.fishbase.org