Straightfin barb (Barbus paludinosus)

Scientific name: Barbus paludinosus Peters, 1852

The Straightfin barb (Barbus paludinosus) is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 19–28°C (66–82°F).

Straightfin barb care at a glance

Temperature
19–28°C (66–82°F)

Biology

Hardy, prefers quiet, well-vegetated waters in lakes, swamps, and marshes or marginal areas of larger rivers and slow-flowing streams. Feeds on a wide variety of small organisms including insects, small snails and crustaceans, algae, diatoms, and detritus. Is preyed upon by the sharptooth catfish, tigerfish, largemouth breams (Serranochromis species) and birds. Spawns amongst vegetation during summer.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Barbus paludinosus
Family
Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps)
Order
Cypriniformes (Carps)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
15.0
Environment
Freshwater;; pH range: 6.8 - 7.8; dH range: 5 - 25 benthopelagic
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Africa: ranges from Ethiopia in the north, through East and Central Africa, extending westwards into Angola and reaching the southern-most limits of its distribution in Natal.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=1.40; tm=1; Fec=255; assuming multiple spawning per year)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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