All fish / Cyprinidae

Arulius Barb

Dawkinsia arulius

Also known as arulius barb, longfin barb, longfin arulius barb, puntius arulius, barbus arulius, arulius, tricolor barb, アルリウス・バルブ, 阿鲁利斯无须鲃

A silvery barb with dark blotches along the flanks and a greenish to purple sheen, with mature males growing long, trailing filaments on the dorsal fin. It is kept for its active shoaling behaviour and the striking finnage of adult males in a spacious, well planted tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

19 to 25 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Group of 6 or more

Diet

Omnivore: quality flakes and pellets, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, plus vegetable matter

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Southern India (Kaveri basin, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala)

Breeding

An egg scatterer that spawns among fine plants or over mesh, with no parental care and a habit of eating its own eggs. It has been bred in home aquariums when conditioned well and given a separate spawning tank.

Good to know

Needs well oxygenated, flowing water and a tank with plenty of swimming room as it reaches around 10 to 12 cm. Assessed as Endangered in the wild, so captive bred stock is preferable; it is often confused with other Dawkinsia species such as D. tambraparniei.