Freshwater
Redspot barb
Enteromius kerstenii
Cyprinidae, Smiliogastrinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 9 cm
- Body shape
- Elongated
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 28 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in Angola, Burundi, Congo - Kinshasa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and 5 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Quick, active fish found in shoals. Found in lakes and rivers, including fast flowing, sluggish and temporary streams; also in mountain streams and along vegetated fringes of large rivers and in rocky bottom environments. Feeds on insects, debris, molluscs, plant material, seeds and algae. Migrates upstream when rain comes. Breeds in flood plains during rains.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Barbus akeleyi
- Barbus eutaenia
- Barbus kerstenii
- Barbus kerstenii kerstenii
- Barbus loveridgii
- Barbus lumiensis
In other languages
- Punatäpläbarbi
- Kersten's barb, Redsport barb
Articles
All articles
Velvet and dropsy4 min read
Velvet is a fast-moving parasite. Dropsy is a sign that something is seriously wrong inside the fish. How to recognize them, and what you can do.
How to set up an African aquarium5 min read
Two completely different aquariums: forest rivers with soft, brown water, roots and leaves, and Rift Valley lake cichlids in hard, alkaline water with big rock piles.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.