The Red Line Barb is an active mid size freshwater barb with an attractive black lateral line shadowed with red. Also known as the red sided barb they are one of the most attractive barbs especially in a school. An ideal aquarium fish for a community tank with other medium sized and peaceful fish, but do best when kept in a group of 6 or more of their own kind. They are a hardy species and enjoy broad water conditions but require water to be clean and moderate flowing.
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Features of Red Line Barb's:
- Silvery body with a red colored band from its eyes to the spot at the caudal fin
- Females barely have a line
- Torpedo shaped body
- Best kept in groups of 6 or more
- Lifespan up to 8 years
- Grows to 15cm
Red Line Barb : Care, Diet and Tank Mates
The Best Aquarium Size for Red Line Barbs:
Red Line barbs are very active and social fish that occupy the mid water column. They require a generous amount of swimming space and need at least 200L tank to keep a small group of them. If keeping a large group, consider a larger aquarium.
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Tank Mate Compatibility:
The best tank mates are species of similar peaceful and active nature. Avoid keeping Red Line barbs in the same aquarium with docile, slow-moving, or long or flowing-finned fish, such as the angelfish, guppies or bettas. They are best in a large group of their own species.
Here’s a list of some of the best tank mates for your Red Line Barb:
Red Line Barb Diet :
Red Line barbs are omnivores and are accepting of almost any food, Red Line barbs should be given a variety of foods. Feed a quality pelleted or flake food, in addition to live and frozen foods such as brine shrimp, bloodworms. They will also consume vegetable matter.
Red Line Barb Tank Set-up
Aquarium Filtration for Red Line Barbs
Red Line barbs prefer clean water and moderate flowing water. When selecting an aquarium filter consider the size of your aquarium and ensure adequate volume to maintain clean water. They are a hardy species and tolerate broad water parameters but do best in clean water that is highly oxygenated. Sponge filters and hang on filters are suitable, cannister filters are a great option for medium to large aquariums.
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Aquarium Plants for Red Line Barb:
They are active swimmers and look great darting in and around live aquarium plants. Silk and plastic plants are also a great option to add life to your aquarium. Ensure plenty of open swimming space.
Great aquarium plants to consider include:
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Aquarium Lighting for Red Line Barbs
Red Line barbs are not fussy when it comes to lighting and do not have specific requirements. Moderate lighting with some areas of shade to shelter in will keep the Red Line Barb happy. Aquarium lighting is necessary for the photosynthesis required for healthy aquarium plants.
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Aquarium Substrate for Red Line Barbs
Red Line barbs occupy to middle water column and do not have substrate preferences. Aquarium gravel, sand and pebbles are all options. If planting live aquarium plants, aquarium soils can be used under a layer of gravel or sand for optimum plant fertilization and growth.
A variety of Substrates are available at Coburg Aquarium.
