What Is This Fish? Barb?

[who-izzet]

Ok if this is a barb, it's not on the species index on this forum.

I brought 4 from the terrible "Pets At Home" in Aberystwyth. Well... I saved 4 life's but I really shouldn't give them my business. Enough on that anyway because they have improved here.

They were about 4cm when I brought them and now they are around 8cm (3inches) They certainly shoal like most barbs but they were sold as some sort of Tetra although they didn't know what exactly they were but I wasn't saying nothing because they were sold as the cheapest fish in the shop.

They have got very small barbs on their mouths.. Seem very peaceful, they love swimming against the current and swim mainly at the back of the tank. They will shoal with the silver (bala) sharks too. I have livebearers and they don't bother them either.

 

[who-izzet]

Well that makes sense. I've seen it on http/www.aquascape.co.uk/ a tropical fish wholesalers listed as a stripped barb!

 

[Juice]

Looks like a striped, tinfoil barb.

 

[firetank]

its either barbus lineatus or barbus johorensis and they max out about 3-4 "

ive got 5 johorensis very peaceful even shy, but nice fish.

 

[The-Wolf]

I would need a better side on picture showing the stripes to be certain
but I'm leaning towards Puntius lineatus rather than Puntius johorensis

 

[who-izzet]

I would need a better side on picture showing the stripes to be certain
but I'm leaning towards Puntius lineatus rather than Puntius johorensis

They are a great fish. A little jumpy when you get near but when they are at the back of the tank they become quite playful with each other. I'm not sure if they are showing signs of mating? 1 will swim upwards against anothers side and then the other will follow it. It's nice how they will shoal with the bala sharks too. There front nose seems abit like a Silver Dollars. Amazing how pets at home sold them as tetras. They cost 75p each I think.

 

[Lateral Line]

Barbus lineatus I think. They appear to have a slightly golden sheen on the upper body whereas johorensis is a silver fish. Both are highly desirable. Any shop selling them as a tetra is clearly worth avoiding.

The Barbus - Puntius/Capoeta/Barbodes argument runs and runs.

The original Barbus genus was considered "too large" so an arbitary decision was taken by a groups of "worthies" to split it based on the number of barbels, none, 1 or 2 pairs. What that acheived was fish closely related ended up in different genera, whilst distant cousins were lumped together. It is inconsistent, and not applied throughout the "old" genus - African barbs are all still Barbus for example. Genetic surveying has shown the current "3" genus model is quite useless.

The best advice I can give is that when searching the web or literature, you be aware that both naming systems are in routine use, and you should search for both.

I suspect a new classification will emerge, but as the group is so large, it probably won't be any time soon. I call true barbs "Barbus". Others are free to call them whatever they like.

 

[who-izzet]

Barbus lineatus I think. They appear to have a slightly golden sheen on the upper body whereas johorensis is a silver fish. Both are highly desirable. Any shop selling them as a tetra is clearly worth avoiding.

The Barbus - Puntius/Capoeta/Barbodes argument runs and runs.

The original Barbus genus was considered "too large" so an arbitary decision was taken by a groups of "worthies" to split it based on the number of barbels, none, 1 or 2 pairs. What that acheived was fish closely related ended up in different genera, whilst distant cousins were lumped together. It is inconsistent, and not applied throughout the "old" genus - African barbs are all still Barbus for example. Genetic surveying has shown the current "3" genus model is quite useless.

The best advice I can give is that when searching the web or literature, you be aware that both naming systems are in routine use, and you should search for both.

I suspect a new classification will emerge, but as the group is so large, it probably won't be any time soon. I call true barbs "Barbus". Others are free to call them whatever they like.

Just looking at the dorsal fins, they are like a see-through goldish orange colour. You have to look closely to see that though. I'm very happy with them anyway they have grown quite abit.

 

[The-Wolf]

The Barbus - Puntius/Capoeta/Barbodes argument runs and runs.

I used Puntius rather than Barbus because that is what the Swedish institute of ichthyology (fishbase) use,
as they are a higher authority than anyone else here on the subject, it is what they should be known as (until
such a time that the scientific community as a whole can agree what genus they are really in).

 

[Lateral Line]

Indeed, FishBase does use that taxonomic schema and they are not alone. However, numerous US governement agencies, the British Museum, the Horniman Museum Trust... etc. etc. do not. Hence my advice when searching for info is to try both.

When a "new classification" is proposed, it remains "proposed" until accepted. This has never been the case with the 1->3 split. The fact that it is in use by certain authorities does not formalise it.