Exclamation barb

Dawkinsia exclamatio

Also known as Exclamation point barb

FreshwaterFish

Exclamation barb (Dawkinsia exclamatio) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 70–79°F (21–26°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 3.5 in (9 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Kallada River basin, Kerala, India
Family: Cyprinidae

Overview

Keep this filament barb in a shoal of six or more; a group settles their nerves and encourages the males to grow and show their trailing fins. They hold the open midwater and prefer some current from the filter. Being peaceful, they mix well with other lively, similarly sized fish that can handle steady flow. Offer small pellets and flake as staples, topped up several times a week with frozen or live bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp. Give them a long tank of at least 160 liters where they can cover ground.

In the wild

The exclamation barb lives in the Kallada River basin of Kerala in the Western Ghats of India, clear stretches over pebble and rock. Recreate that with open swimming space, a current from a filter or powerhead, a bed of sand and rounded stone, and some scattered rock. It does best in cool, clear, moving water, held around 21 to 26 degrees Celsius and pH 6.0 to 7.5.

Good to know

Dawkinsia exclamatio is a filament barb of the family Cyprinidae reaching about 9 centimeters, described in 2005 by Pethiyagoda and Kottelat. Mature males grow the trailing dorsal-fin rays typical of the genus. It carries a dark bar over a spot near the tail base, a mark the describers read as an exclamation point, which is where the name comes from. It is assessed as endangered, and its aquarium breeding is not on record.

Did you know

The name exclamatio comes straight from punctuation: a dark vertical bar sitting above a round spot near the tail reads like an exclamation mark, and the scientists who described the fish in 2005 wrote that into its name.