Sumatranus - Barbus tetrazona tetrazona
In aquaria it`s known as Sumatranus. It`s the most popular and loved fish of the entire family. This fact is due to its colors and active behavior, and if there are more sumatranuses in the aquarium, they`ll form a shoal. It`s not an aggressive fish, but by playing it can pinch the scalar antennas or goldfish tail, that`s why you better avoid associating these species in the same aquarium.
The body is stumpy, with high back, with a strong tail base, it doesn`t have mustaches and it can reach 7 cm length. It`s native from Sumatra, Kalimantan and Thailand. The back is olive-brown, flanks are carroty-brown. On the body tetrazona has 4 transversal lines. The first one crosses the eye, the second one is at half of the distance between the eye and the start point of the dorsal fin, the 3rd one starts from the point where the dorsal fin ends and the 4th one is right at the tail base where the rays start.
For the youngsters, the sexual difference isn`t obvious, but for the mature fish it is. For mails, the superior part of the mouth is red; same are the ventral fins and the first rays of the tail lobes. For females, the mouth zone isn`t red and the fins are transparent.
For reproduction, tetrazona need at least a 12-14 liters aquarium, with a prepared water. Half of the water should be fresh and the other half should be distillated water, or even better, rain water. Keep the rain water in darkness as much as possible. We put the s halves of water in the aquarium, after filtrating them, and then we continue aerating for 24 hours. We also have to mount a nylon netting in order to protect the eggs. In the evening we add the female and the next morning introduce the male. First, the female will be active because she is used with the new aquarium, but after a short period the male will start to chase the female. They chase each other for a period of time, and then they go near a plant with delicate leaves. The female releases 15-20 eggs which are immediately fecundated by the male. After the first egg release they take a short break for resting, and then they repeat it. The entire reproduction act may last few hours while they spawn about 400-500 eggs. After they mate the pair must be taken out of the reproduction aquarium. The spawning temperature should be around 25° C, and the breeding one near 22-24° C. After 24-30 hours, the fry hatch and they stick on the aquarium windows. It`s better to avoid direct sun expose. After 5-6 days from hatching, the fry swims free and we`ll have to start feeding them. We can directly feed with artemia salina or micro worms.
It`s recommended to make a reproduction cycle for the parents, so after they spawn we let them in the common aquarium for 28-30 days and after that we move them back in the reproduction aquarium. After doing this for 2-3 times, the fish get used to it and spawn in the same day as we put them in the reproduction aquarium. Sometimes if we don`t let them spawn for 2-3 months, the eggs (which are produced continuous by the female) can agglomerate and form a cork. The female will lose the ability of reproduction. The preparation for the reproduction aquarium water is the same for all Barbus species. They need 4-6° dGH, pH = 6.5-7 and a specific temperature for each specie.