Sumatran barb veil - Barbus tetrazona

Sumatran Barb Veil - Barbus tetrazona

Veil Sumatran barbs are a beautiful breeding form of the striped Sumatran barb or Bornean barb, and are scientifically named Barbus tetrazona "Veil". Sometimes these pretty striped long-finned carp fish can still be found in the trade under their synonym Puntius tetrazona "Veil". The robust and adaptable Sumatran barb originates from stagnant and slow flowing waters in Borneo and Sumatra. In the wild, the barbs are found primarily in the weedy riparian zones. Veil Sumatran barbs are therefore very suitable (not only) for beginners.

The Veil Sumatran barbs are high-backed fully scaled aquarium fish with a narrow cross-section and a final size of 6-7 cm. The scaleless head is red in color, as are the ventral fins and pectoral fins. The body has a bright, sometimes iridescent base color and four black horizontal stripes. Veil Sumatran barbs have a black dorsal fin with a red fringe and a transparent caudal fin, some specimens with red stripes along the upper and lower edges. In the veil form, the dorsal fin and caudal fin are elongated to form an attractive veil.
You can easily distinguish the males and females of the Veil Sumatran Barb by appearance: The dorsal fin of the males is more intensely colored, while the females are somewhat paler in color. Their physique is rounder than that of the slimmer males.

Barbus tetrazona "veils" are free spawners that spread their spawn throughout the aquarium when mating. Because the Veils Sumatran Barbs are strong spawn predators, they then also eat most of their eggs right away. If you want to breed Barbus tetrazona, you should put them in pairs in a rearing aquarium, which is equipped with a lot of Java moss. As an alternative to java moss, you can also line the rearing aqu arium with large pebbles into which the spawning grains fall. There they are safe from their predatory parents.

The breeding pairs of Sumatran Barb Veil are well conditioned with live food and returned directly to their actual aquarium after spawning. Predominantly, Sumatran Barbs spawn early in the morning. The larvae hatch after about 48 hours. Once they have consumed their yolk sac, the rather small Sumatran Barb larvae will eat slipper lizards and Artemia nauplii, which you can use to raise them.

Veil Sumatran barbs are schooling fish and need a school size of at least 6 conspecifics. You can mix different fin shapes and also color shapes. Sumatra barbs have a very lively social behavior and constantly clarify their hierarchy even in the aquarium. In the shoal a female surplus should prevail.

Sumatran barbs show themselves also as veil form in the aquarium as lively and dominant and should be socialized therefore only with rather assertive fish of similar size in the aquarium. The aquarium for Veil Sumatran Barbs should have an edge length of at least 80 cm. A good structure of roots and stones, as well as dense planting of aquarium plants along the edges of the aquarium, is important for these fidgety ornamental fish because they serve as privacy screens for outnumbered barbs and as territorial markers. Some shading from floating plants also benefits the barbs. Particularly fine aquarium plants may be nibbled by the barbs.

The water in the aquarium should have a total hardness (GH) of 2 to 20 °dGH, a water temperature of 20 to 27 °C and a pH value of 6.5-7.5 for the Schleier Sumatra Barbs. A good water quality can be achieved by regular water changes and by cleaning the substrate with a mulmglock from time to time. Adding humic substance to the water will ensure that the rough fish will quickly recover even after minor fights.

Veil Sumatran barbs are quite voracious aquarium fish that like to fight with their fellow aquarium inhabitants over food. As voracious omnivores, Sumatran barbs are not particularly picky. It's best to feed the barbs separately in a corner so their aquarium mates can eat in peace. A good granular food or flake food for omnivorous fish like our NatureHolic main feed is well suited for these beautiful aquarium fish. Veil Sumatra Barbs will also readily accept live and frozen foods such as Artemia, Daphnia, Enchytraea, Shiny Worms, Black, White and Red Mosquito Larvae, Tubifex and Grindal Worms.

Our food recommendation: NatureHolic professional main feed is a professional main feed for all aquarium fish. We supply Hauptfeed in the form of a soft granulate, which thanks to its grain size of half a millimeter can be easily ingested 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 of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish 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.