Gold Barbs

[paudie22]

hi iv had 4 gold barbs for nearly a year. there great fish very peaceful and was wondering how to sex them and breed them. 3 of the barbs have got huge so im guessing there male and the smaller one is female but im probably wrong lol

 

[eggy]

Sexing: Females grow larger and plumper than the males. Females stay gold all over. Males grow a series of splotches on their sides.

Separate Your Breeders: Gold barbs breed like most other barbs – in groups. Condition the sexes separately till the females fill with eggs. Feed California blackworms and brine shrimp to get them in the mood. Feed them multiple times per day. The multi-feedings play a bigger part in conditioning them than the type of food.

Breeding Process: Put the parents in a tank with large gravel or marbles on the bottom and bushy plants in one end of the tank. Your barbs will usually breed the next morning when the light first hits their tank. Take the parents out as soon as they start eating their eggs ****This is important as all your eggs will be quickly consumed****. Barbs ignore their eggs except when they’re hungry. Unfortunately, they always think they’re hungry.

Fry Food: Feed baby barbs infusoria. Have your culture going long before you attempt the breeding process. Your breeding success depends upon your infusoria cultures.

cheers, Eric

 

[paudie22]

Sexing: Females grow larger and plumper than the males. Females stay gold all over. Males grow a series of splotches on their sides.

Separate Your Breeders: Gold barbs breed like most other barbs – in groups. Condition the sexes separately till the females fill with eggs. Feed California blackworms and brine shrimp to get them in the mood. Feed them multiple times per day. The multi-feedings play a bigger part in conditioning them than the type of food.

Breeding Process: Put the parents in a tank with large gravel or marbles on the bottom and bushy plants in one end of the tank. Your barbs will usually breed the next morning when the light first hits their tank. Take the parents out as soon as they start eating their eggs ****This is important as all your eggs will be quickly consumed****. Barbs ignore their eggs except when they’re hungry. Unfortunately, they always think they’re hungry.

Fry Food: Feed baby barbs infusoria. Have your culture going long before you attempt the breeding process. Your breeding success depends upon your infusoria cultures.

cheers, Eric

i must have males as they all have black blotches on them but the 3 big ones are real plump and stocky compared to the smaller one. also iv never seen an all gold, gold barb they all have blotches on the side

 

[eggy]

tha might be a different coluor morph since thay are just different coloured tiger barbs

 

[paudie22]

tha might be a different coluor morph since thay are just different coloured tiger barbs

wat u mean tiger barbs??

 

[eggy]

yeah, gold barb is just anaother way of saying golden tiger barb. gold barbs are examples of commercially produced fish based on recessive xanthic (yellow) and albino genes.

 

[paudie22]

yeah, gold barb is just anaother way of saying golden tiger barb. gold barbs are examples of commercially produced fish based on recessive xanthic (yellow) and albino genes.

i didnt know that. iv known tiger barbs to be agressive but my gold barbs are so placid and iv never had any bother with them

 

[eggy]

you've heard about them bieng agressive but thay usually aren't.

 

[RushingChamp28]

Are you talking about GOLD BARBS? Puntius semifasciolatus? These fish are not tiger barbs in any way, shape or form. Look at the links below, clear images of three barbs with similar/confusing names.

If you are indeed referring to Gold Barbs they are the first image...

Gold Barb (Puntius semifasciolatus)
http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_barb

Golden Tiger Barb (Puntius tetrazona)
http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/tigbarb.htm

Golden Barb (Puntius gelius)
http/fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/Spec...ary.php?id=4762

 

[paudie22]

Puntius semifasciolatus is the type of fish i have

 

[eggy]

well i reasently read a book on the origin of gold barbs and it said it was formed as a hybrid that came from tiger barbs bred by some thomas guy.

any way i was thinking maybe you could have clown barbs since you say thay all have splotches on there sides... or thay could be all male

 

[paudie22]

well i reasently read a book on the origin of gold barbs and it said it was formed as a hybrid that came from tiger barbs bred by some thomas guy.

any way i was thinking maybe you could have clown barbs since you say thay all have splotches on there sides... or thay could be all male

the only reason i was thinking they were male was because the 4 were bought at exact same time and size yet 3 are huge and the other isnt near as big

 

[RushingChamp28]

well i reasently read a book on the origin of gold barbs and it said it was formed as a hybrid that came from tiger barbs bred by some thomas guy.

any way i was thinking maybe you could have clown barbs since you say thay all have splotches on there sides... or thay could be all male

the only reason i was thinking they were male was because the 4 were bought at exact same time and size yet 3 are huge and the other isnt near as big

I doubt u have clown barbs (those are the fish in my avatar, they look nothing like any of the others listed).

To sex gold barbs:

In general, like many related fish, the females are plumper/rounder (eggs), and should bulk up when fed higher protein diets (conditioning before the spawn). Males are generally more colorful (in this case you can look at how significant their striping is along the side, as well as the redness on the fish "extremeties"). I personally have found this very clearly defined when they reach the 1.5"+ size range.

 

[grumpysteve]

sorry this is late, im a new member and just wanted to clarify golden barbs are not tiger barbs. golden barbs are an aquarium bred variation of the china barb (Puntius semifasciolatus) usually known as the "schuberti barb" (as they were originally bred by thomas schubert) there is some confusion as to the real common name as it varies from country to country (in the UK it's golden barb)

males have more of a lateral line of black spots, and females are slightly plumper and have a more random black spot pattern.
golden barbs are one of the hardest barbs to breed in the aquarium as the females are reluctant to release their eggs. anyone wanting to breed (or even keep them) should provide plenty of hiding places, and outnumber the males with females