Spotted barb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spotted barb |
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| Juvenile Barbodes binotatus from the Ciliwung River, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia | |
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Barbodes
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binotatus
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The Spotted barb, also known as the common barb, is a cool fish from the cyprinid family. Its scientific name is Barbodes binotatus. This fish lives in warm, tropical waters. It is special because it is found only on the island of Java in Indonesia.
Contents
What Does the Spotted Barb Look Like?
The Spotted barb has a pretty color that changes. It can be silvery-gray or greenish-gray. Its back is usually darker, and its belly is lighter, almost white.
- It has a special mark behind its gill cover, near its shoulder.
- Older, bigger fish might not have many spots on their bodies.
- But they almost always have a spot near their tail.
- This fish has a rounded snout, which is the front part of its head.
- The snout is about the same size as its eye, or a little bigger.
- Spotted barbs can grow up to about 7.75 inches (20 centimeters) long.
Where Does the Spotted Barb Live?
For a long time, people thought the Spotted barb lived all over Southeast Asia. But now we know that B. binotatus only lives on the island of Java, Indonesia. Other similar fish found elsewhere are actually different species.
This fish can live in many different places. It is found from sea level up to over 2,000 meters high.
- You can often find them below waterfalls in mountain streams.
- They also live on small islands where there are not many other freshwater fish.
- They like medium to large rivers.
- They can also be found in still water, like ponds or lakes.
Spotted barbs usually swim in the middle or bottom parts of shallow water. They eat tiny water creatures called zooplankton. They also enjoy eating insect larvae and some water plants. They prefer warm water, between 75 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit (24 to 26 degrees Celsius). The water should also be slightly acidic, with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Spotted barbs lay their eggs in open water. They do not build nests or protect their eggs. The adult fish usually spawn (lay eggs) around dawn, which is early in the morning. They scatter their eggs over the bottom of the water.
Why Is the Spotted Barb Important?
The Spotted barb is important to people in a couple of ways.
- It is often sold in the aquarium trade. Many people like to keep them as pets in their home fish tanks.
- It is also caught for food, but it is not a major fishing industry. It is only a small part of the fishing business.
See also
- List of freshwater aquarium fish species
