Puntius semifasciolatus - Golden Barb*

Cyprinidae

Often referred to as the "Chinese barb", this species actually occurs naturally in Laos, Vietnam and Taiwan as well as southwestern China. The type specimens were from the Red River drainage (probably the northern Vietnam section although the river originates in Yunnan province, China) and occurence records show that it has also been collected from numerous other localities in northern Vietnam, the Chinese provinces of Guangxi and Guangdong and the islands of Hainan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Information pertaining to Laos records appears to be scanter. In Taiwan the species is known to be at risk through habitat loss/degradation and the introduction of exotic species. Feral populations exist in both Singapore and Hawaii.

We've been unable to obtain a great deal of information to date, but it seems that this fish is most often found in flowing streams and tributaries. In Taiwan it apparently inhabits a handful of small lakes and streams.

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.

The golden form (see notes below on the different forms of this species) is among the hardier, most undemanding species available and as such is a good choice for those new to the hobby. It will thrive in most types of set-up and is unfussy regarding water conditions. It can look a little pale in very sparsely-decorated tanks but otherwise has no special requirements.

Wild fish are also relatively easy to keep but will do particularly well 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.

64 - 75 °F/18 - 24 °C

6.0 - 8.0

5 - 20°H

Like many barbs it's a generalised omnivore in nature, feeding on a variety of worms, insects, crustaceans, plant matter and other organic debris. In the aquarium it's just as easily-fed and will greedily accept just about anything offered. For the best condition and colours offer regular meals of small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and Artemia, along with good quality dried flakes and granules.

This species makes an ideal addition to a peaceful community of southeast Asian species, such as other similarly-sized Puntius, botiine loaches, rasboras and danionins. If geography is not an issue it can actually be combined with most peaceful fish of a size too large to be considered food, and that have a bold enough disposition to not be intimidated by its active nature.

It's a schooling species 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. The interaction between rival males can be quite superb at times. Any aggressive behaviour will normally also be contained as the fish concentrate on maintaining their hierarchical position within the group.

Adult females tend to be much the rounder-bellied sex and grow slightly larger than the males.

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. Do be aware that the chances of getting a large batch of eggs is vastly reduced using this method as barbs are avid egg-eaters.

Alternatively try spawning it 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 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.

The natural "green" form of this species is an infrequent find in the trade whereas the selectively-bred "golden" variant is farmed in huge numbers and is among the most popular of freshwater aquarium fish. The latter was first produced by an American named Thomas Schubert in the 1960s and is now so ubiquitous that initially many aquarists are unaware that it is not the natural form of the species. Unfortunately the mass-produced fish we see today are inbred and evidently have been for many generations. The fins in particular seem to be reduced in size when compared with wild specimens and other deformities are not uncommon. A third, albino form is also available from time-to-time.

For many years the golden form was imported and sold under the name Barbus/Puntius schuberti and is commonly referred to as such in older literature. It is also often seen pictured with the name Puntius sachsii, although given that the latter was described in 1923 (around 40 years before the golden fish appeared in the hobby) this is clearly a case of mistaken identity.

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.

*We've listed Puntius semifasciolatus with the common name Golden Barb as we think that the vast majority of users will be searching for information on this form of the species. The 'traditional' common names are Chinese, Green or Half-banded barb.

Literature cited

1. www.petfrd.com
2. www.fishbase.org