DESCRIPTION OF THE FIVE-BANDED BARB:
Taxonomy:
Animalia Kingdom.
Edge: Chordata.
Class: Actinopterygii.
Subclass: Neopterygii.
Underclass: Teleostei.
Superorder: Ostariophysi.
Order: Cypriniformes.
Family: Cyprinidae.
Genre: Puntius.
Species: P. pentazona.
It is a fish native to Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam.
The Puntius Pentazona is an active, schooling fish.
The 5-banded Barbel is a small cyprinid.
It can measure up to 5 cm long.
This fish prefers jungle areas, the dense layer of branches allows very little light to penetrate the surface of the water.
Marginal vegetation also tends to grow densely.
The water is usually dark brown in color and the substrate is made up of fallen leaves, branches and roots of submerged trees.
It is a fish with an elongated body, flattened on each side, laterally compressed, with a high back and a pair of barbels.
His eyes are big.
The back of the fish's body comes in colors ranging from olive brown to dark orange while its sides are orange-brown.
The gill covers are reddish-orange and the belly and throat are white.
Five stripes cross its body widthwise.
The dorsal fin has a black edge product of one of the stripes described.
The fins may have a faint orange color although the ventral and anal fins are red.
Life expectancy: up to five years in captivity the 5-banded Barbel can live.
Adult male 5-banded Barbels tend to be smaller with less prominent bellies than females.
The males show a more intense coloring than the females.
AQUARIUM CARE FOR THE FIVE-BANDED BARB:
Aquarium water should be soft, slightly acidic to neutral.
Hardness: between 5 and 12 ºH.
pH: between 5.0 and 7.0.
Temperature: between 22 and 26 ºC.
The aquarium should have a combination of very low lighting and a dark substrate that encourages them to display their best colors.
It is advisable to put a densely planted arrangement with driftwood branches, twisted roots and areas with floating vegetation.
The lighting must be quite dim in this type of installation.
Asian species of plants that can survive in low light could be added, such as Java fern (Microsorum pteropus), Java moss (Taxiphyllum Barbieri) or Cryptocoryne.
THE BEST FOOD FOR THE FIVE-BANDED BARB:
It is a predatory micro fish, hunting small aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans and other zooplankton in nature.
In the aquarium, it is fed with good quality dry products as a regular diet supplemented with live or frozen food in small portions such as Daphnia or Artemia.
FOR BETTER CARE OF THE FIVE-BANDED BARBEL, YOU MUST KNOW ITS BEHAVIOR AND COMPATIBILITY:
It is lively, peaceful and its colors offer a pleasant contrast with those of the other species.
They live in groups of eight or more because it is a kind of school.
Any aggressive behavior will be within the group of males competing with each other for the attention of females and in this way they will show their best colors.
This fish is not aggressive towards its tankmates, being one of the best barbels for the community aquarium.
Many viviparous, rasboras, danionines, tetras, and smaller Loricariids or Corydoras are good choices for tankmates.
It can also be with most gouramis as well as other smaller barbels.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PUNTIUS PENTAZONA OR BARB OF FIVE BANDS:
- It is the most peaceful of all of its species, being able to coexist peacefully with companions of the same habitat and similar behavior.
- On rare occasions he will be seen to present some aggressive behavior and if he does so it will only be out of competition for the conquest of the opposite sex but it will be brief and temporary.
- They can measure up to 5 centimeters in length. Some cases have grown to 8 cm.
- It has an estimated life time of 5 years depending on the environment where it is developed and the care provided to it.
- The sexual difference is appreciated in view of the fact that the females are longer, with a swollen belly and duller than the males.
- Its reproduction is feasible in domestic breeding, it is feasible if a space is prepared to carry out this process, taking the provisions to separate the clutches from the procreators and treat them separately.
- The eggs hatch in a period of 24 to 48 hours and must be kept in a dark environment because they do not like light, until they are a suitable size to be placed with the adults.
- It is required to have a capacity of at least 100 liters for one copy.
- It has a gregarious behavior and practices the shoal, so it is suggested to keep it in groups of the same species so that it can feel safe and relaxed. It can be from 6 onwards depending on the space available.
