


Cyprinids do not have an adipose fin, but have smooth scales, a single lateral line and often have up to two barbels. The mouth is toothless, which means they grind food by pharyngeal teeth. Those teeth are in their throats.

Cherry Barb (Barbus titteya) habitat is India and Sri Lanka where they can grow to 5cm (2"). A male shows more colour than the female, also if its the prominent male. Even though they can be territorial towards their own, I have rarely seen it. Albino versions are available.

Cherry Barb

The Golden Barb (Barbus semifasciolatus) seems to terrorize certain fishes fins. It is strange as they are classed in books as being sociable! They can grow to 6cm (c. 2.5") and their location is South-east China, yet less in a tank. Females are plumper than males and often do not have the black markings on their bodies.

Golden Barb

Harlequin Rasbora (Rasbora heteromorpha) is community fish and therefore friendly but must be kept in groups of their own. These fishes need to go into a mature tank and regular water changes need to be taken. Like many fish, the female is plumper than the male. Their habitat is Southeast Asia and they can grow to less than 5cm (2").

Harlequin Rasbora

Leopard Danio (Brachydanio frankei) habitat is unknown. It is classed as being close to Zebra Danio and they are from India. In case you are surprised, many fish are only recently found. They swim at the upper level and are best kept in groups. Its size can go to 5cm (2"). Males are slimmer than females and breeding is easy.

Leopard Danio

Certain fish rarely show the colours in a shop. Odessa Barb (Barbus ticto) is one! An hour after I put several in the tanks, the males showed their colours. The red came through together with black lines around the fins. They were friendly fish and were not caught out with certain other barbs. Their habitat is from India to the Himalayas.

Odessa Barb

Like most fish the male shows more colour than the female and Pearl Danio (Brachydanio albolineatus) is the same. Again like others, the male is slimmer than the female. They swim in the upper level and their location in the wild is Southeast Asia with the size being just over 5cm (2"). Danios are active swimmers and these are the same.

Pearl Danio

Red-Tailed Black Shark (Epalzeorhychus bicolor) can be aggressive and by putting three into a tank, they fight against each other, leaving the other fish at, mainly, peace. Sadly two I had did not survive and strangely enough the weaker one came through. I moved it from one tank to another, mainly to do with it chasing silvery fish. I have not seen him fight in the other and it is the biggest fish in the tank. They come from Thailand and can grow to 12.5cm (5").

Red-Tailed Black Shark

Silver Shark (Balanteocheilus melanopterus) is like the Red-Tailed Black Shark, meaning not a shark. The name comes from their shape. In wild it comes from Southeast Asia and can grow to 35cm (14"). In tanks it is unlikely they will grow to that size. One thing that is amazing is their colour, if the light hits them at an angle and the word silver becomes apparent.

Silver Shark

Sucking Loach (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) is not a loach nor in the Cyprinds family, but close. When young they will, as part of its name says, suck to objects. They are omnivorous, which means they eat green vegetables, algae and small invertebrates. In the wild, Thailand and India, they grow to 27.5cm (11") and those in aquariums, when older, cause problems by digging the substrate, which often up-roots plants and shift wood and rock. In addition, they can be very territorial.

Sucking Loach

Tiger Barb (Barbus tetrazona) is classed as being a menace against any fish unless it has a group of there own kind. I have seen them doing it, but they are not the worse. If you are unsure, they and other barbs tend to nip at others fins. Their natural habitat is in Borneo and Indonesia and their size can be 7.5cm (3"). There are variants and the ones shown are Albino Tiger Barb and Green Tiger Barb. The fish swim in mid-upper levels and as said like to mix with their own kind. They are capable of breeding and the eggs hatch in 36 hours. The only down side is whether the eggs are eaten.

Albino Tiger Barb Tiger Barb Green Tiger Barb

The Zebra Danio (Brachydanio rerio) is a popular fish and like all other Danios, very hardy and easy to breed. Their natural habitat is India and the size is just over 5cm (2"). This Danio has a number of variations with them being long-finned and veil-tailed strains which include Albino.

Zebra Danio

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