Alternative species (click on the thumbnail to see the card)
Names
Scientific name
Dawkinsia filamentosa
Puntius filamentosus
Leuciscus filamentosus
Systomus filamentosus
Systomus maderaspatensis
Common name
Blackspot Barb
Filament Barb
Origin
Origin: India, Sri Lanka
Biotope: Asian
Dimorphism
The male’s dorsal fin stretches into filaments, has nuptial buttons on the muzzle, is smaller and more colorful
Group
Cyprinidae
Volume
600 L / 132 imp gal / 158 US gal
Parameters
T°: 22 to 26°C or 72 to 79°F
pH: 6.2 to 7.5
Hardness: 5 to 10°dGH
Difficulty
Easy
Size
10 to 14 cm (4 to 5.5")
Longevity
3 years
Living zone
Top and middle
Individuals
12
Food
Food
How to feed the Dawkinsia?
Omnivorous: all forms of food are accepted with plant supplements.
Behavior
Behavior
What kind of behavior does the Dawkinsia have?
The Blackspot Barb is very active and always on the move, but it remains peaceful. It is gregarious and must imperatively be kept with a shoal (make up your group with 1 male for 2 females).
Cohabitation
Cohabitation
Who can live with the Dawkinsia?
Community aquarium accepted but with species not too shy and big enough. In fact, smaller fish will serve as a meal.
Also note that its restless temperament could hinder the calm fish.
Also beware of fish like Guppy or fighters whose it could attack the long fins. However, this last behavior fades if the barbs are kept in sufficient numbers (the males will then concentrate more on the defense of their position in the hierarchy).
Breeding
Breeding
How to breed the Dawkinsia?
Its breeding is easy and sometimes occurs spontaneously. However, if you want more fry, you must dedicate a specially designed tank for this purpose.
As spawning occurs in groups, the size of the breeding aquarium will depend on the size of the group (100 to 200 L or 26 to 52 gal). Place a protective grid at the bottom of the tank and enough thin-leafed plants (Taxiphyllum for example). The temperature will be 26°C or 79°F and the pH is 7. You can also dim the lights. Compose your breeding group with a few more females than males. After spawning, remove the parents and the protective grill, then renew 50% of the water. Although this is not mandatory, you can treat eggs with methylene blue.
The incubation lasts 48 hours. Fry food should be available at all times and water should be changed regularly.
Fry food: nauplies of Artemia and Cyclops.
Its aquarium
Its aquarium
Which aquarium for the Dawkinsia?
To resemble its original habitat, compose the substrate of sand, fine gravel and worn rocks of different sizes.
Add some driftwood branches. Beware of possible damage to plants (prefer strong plants such as Anubias and well-secure them to their supports). Provide a large swimming area.
Powerful filtration and frequent water changes (polluter fish). Note that it supports badly sudden changes in temperature and dirty water.
Good To know
Good To know
Find all additional information!
Sexual maturity is reached at 1.5 years. Young fish are not very colorful, and their colour appears only around 3 months.
A distinct hierarchy will be visible in the shoal: the more they will be numerous and the more the group will be calm and stable.
Yours photos!
Comments
Sort by:
Please login to post comments