Ablabes barb

Enteromius ablabes

Also known as Barbus ablabes, West African silver barb

FreshwaterFish

Ablabes barb (Enteromius ablabes) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 3.1 in (8 cm)
Minimum tank: 24 gal (90 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: West Africa from Guinea to Ghana
Family: Cyprinidae

Overview

The Ablabes barb is a quick, undemanding, peaceful shoaler, best in a group of six or more so its constant foraging looks natural and the fish stay bold. It patrols the middle water of a planted tank and makes a good centrepiece for a West African community with other small, gentle species. It is easy to feed, accepting flake, micro pellets, and small frozen or live foods, and it grazes soft algae between meals. Give it open swimming room with planted cover to dart into. A tank of around 90 liters suits a lively group of this active little barb.

In the wild

Enteromius ablabes ranges widely through West Africa, from Guinea east and south through Ghana and beyond, living in forest streams and open savanna rivers. A planted tank with gentle to moderate flow, soft substrate, wood, and leaf litter reflects that varied home. Keep it warm at 22 to 27 degrees Celsius with pH 6.0 to 7.5. It adapts readily, but clean water and some current keep it in good form.

Good to know

Enteromius ablabes is a carp-family fish, Cyprinidae, reaching about 8 centimetres, gold-toned with a clean dark stripe running from eye to tail base. Described by Bleeker in 1863, it was one of the many African small barbs shifted out of Barbus into the genus Enteromius, a change genetic work firmed up around 2015. Aquarium breeding is not on record for it.

Did you know

For about a century and a half, Africa's little barbs were all filed under the giant catch-all genus Barbus, until genetic studies split them into Enteromius; import lists and old books are still catching up to the change.