Albino Golden Barb

Overview

A form with complete absence of dark pigment: body creamy-white or pale pink with red eyes. Less common in the trade than the golden form but consistently bred.

Appearance

Shared with the species: Green Barb

Wild form: body moderately elongated, olive-green with a silvery sheen, with several incomplete dark vertical bars along the sides. Aquarium golden form: intense golden-orange coloration without dark bars, with a metallic sheen. Fins of the golden form are orange with a reddish tinge. Adults reach 6–7.5 cm in length.

Care

Shared with the species: Green Barb

An undemanding species; an aquarium of 80–100 liters suits a school of 8–10 fish. Optimal water parameters: temperature 16–24°C (tolerates cool water well), pH 6.0–8.0, hardness 2–20 dGH. Plant the tank along the back and sides with an open swimming area in the center. Weekly water changes of 20–25% maintain optimal water quality.

Feeding

Shared with the species: Green Barb

Omnivorous fish with a good appetite that accept a wide variety of foods. The staple diet consists of quality flakes and fine pellets. Live and frozen foods — bloodworms, artemia, daphnia — are eagerly consumed. Plant-based foods are necessary as the fish graze on soft aquarium plants; include spirulina-based foods and blanched vegetables in the diet.

Compatibility

Shared with the species: Green Barb

A peaceful schooling species excellent for community aquariums. Mixes well with danios, other small cyprinids, tetras, corydoras, and many other similarly-sized fish. Individual specimens or small groups may nip fins of neighbors. A school of 8–10 individuals significantly reduces this behavior.

Breeding

Shared with the species: Green Barb

One of the easiest barbs to breed at home. Spawning occurs in the early morning at first light. Condition breeders with live foods for 1–2 weeks, then move to a breeding tank with fine-leaved plants or a spawning mop. The female scatters 100–400 adhesive eggs among plants. Remove parents after spawning. Eggs incubate for 24–48 hours; fry become free-swimming within 24 hours and feed on infusoria, later transitioning to artemia nauplii.

Fun facts

Shared with the species: Green Barb

The golden aquarium form was developed in the 1960s in the USA and has since become one of the most mass-produced aquarium fish in the world. The natural green form has been so thoroughly displaced by the golden form in the trade that many beginners are unaware it even exists. The species tolerates water temperatures down to 16°C, making it suitable for unheated aquariums in temperate climates during summer.