Lined barb

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep lined barbs in a shoal of at least eight in a tank of 75 litres or more, with soft, acidic blackwater at 23 to 27 C and a pH of 5.0 to 6.5. Alder cones, leaf litter, and gentle filtration through peat help hold the low pH they need. Feed small flakes, micropellets, and frozen daphnia, cyclops, and bloodworm. This is a fish for a stable, mature blackwater tank rather than a brand new setup.

In the wild

The lined barb lives in soft, tea-colored blackwater across the Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sunda Islands. These are shaded, acidic waters stained by decaying leaves, with very little dissolved mineral content. The fish carries several thin dark stripes along a slender pale body. It is a peaceful shoaling barb that needs stable, soft water to do well.

Good to know

Once placed in Puntius as Puntius lineatus, the species was moved to the genus Striuntius in a 2013 reclassification of the old barb group. It is sometimes confused in shops with other striped barbs such as Desmopuntius johorensis. The thin continuous stripes, rather than blotches or bars, separate it from most look-alikes.

Did you know

The soft acidic water it needs makes it a poor choice for hard tap water, but in a proper blackwater tank it is a hardy and long-lived shoaling fish.

Related species

• 

  Cherry barb

  Puntius titteya

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Five-banded barb

  Desmopuntius pentazona

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Harlequin rasbora

  Trigonostigma heteromorpha

  2 in (5 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Stoliczka's barb

  Pethia stoliczkana

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–79°F (18–26°C)
• Cuming's barb

  Pethia cumingii

  2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
• Graceful rasbora

  Trigonopoma gracile

  2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)