Eiland barb - Oliotius (Puntius) oligolepis

The distribution area of the Eilandbarbe or Perlmutterbarbe, formerly called Puntius oligolepis, now Oliotius oligolepis, is in Indonesia. This pretty, quite peaceful barb lives in larger rivers in the wild. The Eiland barb is elegantly silver-gray, bluish or brownish and has a beautiful pearly luster. It has small black markings on its scales. The fins of this very beautiful barb are orange-red to red with black edges. In well set up aquariums, the Eiland barbs tend to be more beautifully colored. Males show much more intense colors than females, especially during courtship, and they remain more slender in body shape.

This lively, swimming barb is a very social schooling fish. It grows to only about 4-4.5 cm in size, making it suitable for smaller aquariums with an edge length of 80 cm or more. We recommend a group of at least 6-10 fish. With several conspecifics in the group Puntius oligolepis shows a less shy behavior.

The Eiland barb likes well planted aquariums with swimming space and is also receptive to aquarium decoration in the form of roots and stones as territorial boundaries.

The Eiland Barb tolerates soft to medium hard water with a pH of 5.5-7.5 and a water temperature of 18-25 °C. A heater is not absolutely necessary Humic substances in the aquarium water can significantly improve the well-being of the Eilandbarbe  

The Eiland barb can be kept very well in a community aqu arium with other peaceful, rather small fish. It is clearly less rough than other species from the genus Puntius. Socialization with larger shrimp is possible, but small shrimp offspring will be eaten. Socialization of Puntius oligolepis with dwarf crayfish or crayfish is also possible, although it may happen that the crayfish go hunting.

In addition to animal food such as insect larvae and small crustaceans, the egg barb also prefers vegetable food. With flake food or granulated food for omnivores in the aquarium, one does not go wrong here in any case, one should supplement the menu of the beautiful barbs, however, regularly with frozen food and live food. The Eiland barb is a little fussy eater and usually does not cause any problems when feeding.

Hatchet barbs are bred for aquaristics in large quantities in farms. Puntius oligolepis are free spawners and do not breed. Breeding in the aquarium is also quite easy. In an appropriately furnished community aquarium with many plants it is even possible that single young animals get through. For a specific breeding you put a breeding pair or a small group of several pairs in a separate aquarium with soft water, a temperature around 25 °C and dimmed light and feed them with high-quality Live food food. Thick glass marbles or pebbles or a spawning grid prevent the parents from eating their spawn directly. Thick moss cushions also serve this purpose. After spawning, return all adult fish to their community tank and allow the fry to hatch. After about 48-72 hours, the fry swim free. Then they are fed with slipperfish and other infusoria, and when they have grown a bit, also with artemia euplii and microworms.

Our feed recommendation: This NatureHolic Main Feed is a professional staple feed for all aquarium fish. We supply Hauptfeed in the form of soft granules, which, thanks to its grain size of half a millimeter, can be easily absorbed by small to medium-sized fish. The soft consistency resembles the texture of insect larvae in nature and protects the fish mouth from micro-injuries.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free from algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.