Gold Barb

Author : Efrain Silva

Appearance

The appearance of the Gold Barb is a beautiful, unique one with a highly arched back, to begin with….neat, right? But wait, there is more — in addition, these fish have a semi - white belly (which, notably enough, just so happens to turn red - orange in males, when it’s their mating season).

Females tend to be a bit more bulky than their male counterparts and also tend to have less sparky colors and are more dull - colored. Thes dies of these fish are usually of a metallic green look, or yellow green, giving off a brassy look as well. Google one, and you will see exactly what I am talking about here (no, Efrain has not lost his mind - yet).

Diet

What about a good diet you can put your Gold Barb on, that will help it stay nutritiously balanced and in the right weight range as well? In terms of that, the Gold Barb is an omnivore. Try some blood worms. Shoot from some daphnia. Throw in a few shrimp (of the brine kind).

Also, other insects and plant matter work equally well. Just keep the intake balanced, of course. Crustaceans can make a nice little ‘side topping’ to that main entree, every now and then, as well. So don’t forget to throw them into the mix, too!

Origins

You might be wondering about the origins of this kind of fish, and let me tell you straight up — some also call this fish the Chinese Barb. And if you haven’t guessed it, it comes from Asia and thrives there! The Red River basin is where it’s most found hanging out, these days. This fish has a much longer, and far more technical, scientific name ; would you like to hear what that is? I thought you might : It’s Barbodes semifasciolatus.

If that’s not a mouthful, I don’t know what is. This fish was first officially named in 1868. It’s gone through a few name changes.

Roommate Situation

The roommate situation has to look just right, if you want all your tank fish to be the best of friends, and I can help you with that by at least helping to start pointing you in the right direction. So when it comes to placing your Gold Barb in the right place and breaking the ice properly with any other fish that might already be swimming in the tank, consider this : This fish is calm - mannered. But avoid putting it in with any bettas or angel fish as it can often nip at their long fins.

Other Facts to Note

Want to know some more? Well, for starters, adult female barbs can spawn about 100 eggs (talk about a hard day’s work, right?). There was a record, however, that far ‘broke this one’, in which a very gifted female barb once spawned 400 eggs. How insane is that?

This fish also has great immune resistance to colder temperatures in the water. It’s much more resistant than many other tropical fish. Its upper jaw can also exhibit a short pair of barbels. Enough has been said, go and purchase your own group of Gold Barbs right now!