Puntius pentazona - Five Banded Barb

Cyprinidae

This species' geographical history is confusing. According to Fishbase and much of the available literature it is a wide-ranging species that has been recorded from Cambodia, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. However Kottelat (1992) states that it is restricted to the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. There is also at least one occurence record from Brunei Darussalam. More recently we have read that it is found only in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo but on the latter in the Indonesian province of Kalimantan rather than Sarawak! We will hopefully be able to add definitive information as it becomes available.

Mostly inhabits peat swamps and associated black water streams, often in areas where submerged grasses and aquatic plants flourish. These ancient biotopes are mostly found in areas of rainforest, the dense canopy of branches above meaning very little light penetrates the water surface. Marginal vegetation also tends to grow thickly. The water itself is generally stained dark brown with humic acids and other chemicals released by decaying organic material. Dissolved mineral content is often negligible, pH can be as low as 3.0 or 4.0. and the substrate is typically littered with fallen leaves, branches and submerged tree roots. It has also been recorded in clear water environments at some localities.

Around 2"/5cm.

A 24" x 15" x 12"/60cm x 37.5cm x 30cm/27 litre tank is ideal for a small group of these.

Today's farm-bred fish are actually quite undemanding undemanding provided the tank is well-maintained, although they can appear a little washed out in very sparsely decorated set-ups. A combination of fairly dim lighting and a dark substrate will encourage them to show their best colours. This species looks quite superb in a heavily planted set-up decorated with pieces of bogwood, twisted roots and a layer of surface vegetation to dim the lighting.

It will also do well in a tank set up to recreate a peat swamp-type environment with dim lighting, roots and branches, leaf litter and real peat fibre added to the filter or mixed into the substrate. You could also add Asian plant species that can survive under such conditions, such as Microsorum pteropus (Java fern), Taxiphyllum barbieri (Java moss) and Cryptocorynes. Wild caught specimens in particular will relish this kind of environment.

72 - 78°F/22 - 26°C

5.0 - 7.0

5 - 12°H

It's a micropredator, preying on small aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans and other zooplankton in the wild. In the aquarium it usually proves unfussy once settled. Feed a good quality dried product as the staple diet, supplementing this with regular offerings of small live or frozen foods such as Daphnia or Artemia. A varied diet will ensure the fish develop the best colours and condition.

One of the best barbs for the 'general' community setup. It's lively, peaceful and its colours offer a pleasing contrast to those of many other species. It also lacks much of the nasty fin-nipping behaviour associated with some of its relatives although the occasional rogue specimen is not unheard of, and this species is actually said to be more boisterous than the very similar P. hexazona (see notes section below). Most of the commonly available livebearers, danionins, rasboras, tetras and peaceful bottom dwellers such as Corydoras or smaller Loricariids make good tankmates. It can also be kept with the majority of commonly available gouramis, as well as other smaller barbs.

In a biotope set-up you could try it alongside other Bornean blackwater species. There are many suitable choices but some of the more commonly exported ones include Puntius lineatus , Puntius pentazona, Rasbora dorsiocellata, R. pauciperforata, R. gracilis, Trigonostigma hengeli  and Pangio (kuhli) 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 usually be contained within the group as the males compete with each other for female attention and they will also display their best colours far more often.

The male is noticeably slimmer and more brightly coloured than the female. These colours intensify when the fish are in breeding condition.

Said to be quite easily bred, although you'll need to set up a separate tank in which to do so if you want to raise any numbers of fry. Something around 18" x 10" x 10" in size is fine. This should be very dimly lit and contain clumps of fine-leaved plants such as java moss or spawning mops, 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 soft and acidic in the range pH 6.0 - 7.0, gH 1 - 8, with a temperature of around 75 - 80°F. Filtering the water through peat is useful, as is the use of RO water. 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 set-up, simply check the spawning medium or tank base each morning for eggs. In a very heavily-planted set-up fry may simply appear every once in a while. Do be aware that the chances of getting a large batch of eggs is vastly reduced using this method as barbs are avid eaters of both eggs and fry .

Alternatively try spawning it in pairs. This is the favoured method among most successful breeders of Puntius pentazona. As this species chooses a partner selectively the fish are conditioned in a mixed-sex group in a separate tank. Observe the group closely and watch for a single male displaying to a particular female he has chosen. The pair are then netted and placed in the breeding tank, where 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 24 hours 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 eggs and fry are light sensitive in the early stages of life and the tank should be kept in darkness if possible.

This species is very similar to and easily-confused with P. hexazona. Although the names may suggest otherwise the two species possess exactly the same number of stripes on the body leading some to speculate they may in fact represent a single species. The main distinguishing factor appears to be the presence of a small dark blotch under the posterior portion of the dorsal fin that is present in Puntius pentazona but lacking in hexazona. However the extent to which this blotch is present can vary to the point of near-invisibility meaning that positive identification is very difficult indeed.

Puntius pentazona is also supposed to be the least colourful of the two when mature, although P. hexazona is said to exist in at least two colour forms of differing intensity! Whether by accident or design there is also the unfortunate chance the two have been hybridised during production for the trade. To add further confusion most of the ones sold in shops tend to be labelled as Puntius pentazona or "Pentazona/Five-banded barb" although the vast majority lack the sub-dorsal blotch! As the situation is so cluttered the fish pictured in our images represent the mass-produced fish widely available in the trade as Puntius pentazona. These will be amended should clearer information become available.

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 being somewhat variable: "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. Kottelat, M. - Raffles Bull. Zool. 40(2):187-192.
   The identity of Barbus johorensis Duncker, 1904 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae).
2. www.petfrd.com
3. www.aquaticquotient.com
4. www.fishbase.org