OP
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Tried to get some descent pic's of the new additions but they didnt want to play ball 
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River stream 53g
- Thread starter AquaBarb
- Start date
Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
Very nice looking fish
Very nice! I dream of having a tank that big some day. 
Looks great!
OP
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One day my friend, you will get that tank of your dreamsVery nice! I dream of having a tank that big some day.
Hopefully sooner than later!One day my friend, you will get that tank of your dreams
Someday you’ll be able to buy all the fish you want.Hopefully sooner than later!
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All have settled in now and are friends having sorted out the new pecking orders etc. A male Ruby (Rambo) is now tank king
you will see him patrolling centre of the tank in the video.Id recommend barbs to anyone, they are stunning fish and so interesting to watch. Their colours are mesmerising.
@Byron You wasnt wrong with the Rubys being beautiful. Unreal to see up close
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@Byron
Could you tell me why the barbs dance off like this please? (not sure what the technical term is called) My male Odessa do it all the time and i always thought it was to impress the females but now the female ruby's are doing it im thinking its some kind of ritual to sort their pecking order out.
Could you tell me why the barbs dance off like this please? (not sure what the technical term is called) My male Odessa do it all the time and i always thought it was to impress the females but now the female ruby's are doing it im thinking its some kind of ritual to sort their pecking order out.
That’s awesome man!
To show off to the females? That’s my best guess.
OP
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Thats what i thought but the 2 barbs in the video are females. Unless they are trying to attract the males attention
That might be it, I know a few species were the females try to show off to the males.
We (aquarists) like to consider this as "play," but I am certain it is far more serious to the fish than simple play. Though that may enter into it. It can be a means of establishing the hierarchy within the shoal, and/or it can be a serious matter of dominance. It is one reason why these fish absolutely must have a group; this is normal behaviour that the fish engage in because it is programmed into their DNA.
This can sometimes be a precursor to subsequent spawning, but not always. And this "dance" is alwasys between two males, at least in my experience and from my research.
Almost all species of characin (tetras, hatchets, pencils, Characidium) and cyprinids (barbs, danios, rasboras, loaches) will engage in this or similar. When I had my group of five Botia kubotai (gave them away when I moved last May as I no longer have a tank large enough) there were two that happened to be the largest that used to do this for hours at a time; I would see them doing the "loach dance" as it is commonly referred to first thing in the morning, and mid-afternoon they were still dancing. They spun around in a circle, different from the "dance" of the barbs here, head to tail. Loaches "grey out" during this interaction, which refers to their becoming rather dull grey with minimal patterning; just the opposite of the "dance" between most of the other cyprinids and characins where colour is usually intensified.
OP
OP
Thanks for that Byron, it does look like they are establishing the hierarchy. The Odessa males seem to get involed dancing off with the female Rubys also.
Hopefully sort their order out in the coming days
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