Arulius barb (Puntius arulius)

Scientific name: Puntius arulius Jerdon, 1849

The Arulius barb (Puntius arulius) is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae that grows to about 12 cm (4.7 in). It is easy to keep and peaceful, suits community aquariums and needs a tank of at least 210 L (55 US gal), water at 19–25°C (66–77°F) and a pH of 6.0–8.0. Native range: Mainland South Asia, Rivers in southern India.

Arulius barb care at a glance

Care level
Easy
Temperament
Peaceful
Community tank
Good
Adult size
12 cm (4.7 in)
Minimum tank
210 L (55 US gal)
Temperature
19–25°C (66–77°F)
pH
6.0–8.0
Hardness
2–10 dGH (36–178 ppm)
Diet
Omnivore. Accepts flakes, sinking pellets, frozen foods and live foods.

Biology

Adults differ from Puntius filamentosus, P. singhala and P. assimilis by possessing prominent black markings on body anterior to anal-fin origin. Distinguished from P. exclamatio by lacking an elongate, tear-shaped black blotch above anal fin. Differs from P. srilankensis by having mouth subterminal and lower lip entire (vs. mouth inferior and lower lip medially absent). Distinguished from P. tambraparniei by lacking branched dorsal-fin rays elongated into filaments in adult males (vs. present) and by having a pair of maxillary barbels 55036).

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Puntius arulius
Family
Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps)
Order
Cypriniformes (Carps)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
12.0
Environment
Freshwater;; pH range: 6.0 - 6.5; dH range: ? - 10 benthopelagic
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Asia: Cauvery basin in India. Formerly classified as critically endangered in the 2000 IUCN red list of threatened species.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Aquarium: commercial
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

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Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Aquarium care parameters compiled, checked and converted to metric and imperial units by Guppies.za.net.

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