Lined Barb Care Guide - Aquarium Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Lined Barb, Desmopuntius johorensis, is a slender, elegant barb with a warm golden-brown body marked by several dark longitudinal stripes. Its streamlined shape and constantly moving nature give it a graceful presence, while the contrast between the pale body and dark markings becomes especially attractive in a planted aquarium.

Lined Barbs are native to Southeast Asia, particularly the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. They inhabit slow-moving forest streams, peat swamps and blackwater environments associated with dense vegetation and leaf litter.

A group of Lined Barbs should have an aquarium of at least 100 litres, ideally measuring around 90 cm long by 30 cm wide or larger, because uninterrupted swimming length is more important than height. Use a dark sand or fine-gravel substrate with driftwood, roots, leaf litter and dense planting around the sides and rear, while leaving open water for shoaling. Floating plants, subdued lighting and gentle filtration help recreate their shaded forest-stream habitat; slightly tinted, tannin-rich water is particularly suitable, provided it remains clean and well oxygenated.

Lined Barbs reach a maximum adult length of about 12 cm (4.7 inches), with females typically growing slightly larger and deeper-bodied than males.

Lined Barbs are omnivores and should receive a varied diet of quality small pellets or flakes supplemented with frozen or live foods such as bloodworm, daphnia, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae. They also browse on small invertebrates, algae and plant matter in nature, so occasional spirulina-based foods or blanched vegetables can add useful variety. Feed small portions once or twice daily and ensure every fish gets access to food.

Lined Barbs are generally peaceful community fish and are best kept with other similarly sized, calm species that appreciate warm, soft water. Suitable companions can include peaceful rasboras, smaller danios, other gentle barbs, kuhli loaches and small peaceful catfish. Avoid combining them with large predatory fish, highly aggressive species or fin-nipping tankmates, and do not keep them with very slow, long-finned fish if persistent activity becomes stressful.

Lined Barbs are egg-scattering spawners that can be bred in a separate, mature breeding aquarium with soft, slightly acidic water, subdued lighting and fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. Condition a group with plentiful live or frozen foods, then introduce the adults when females are full of eggs. They usually scatter eggs among the vegetation, after which the adults should be removed because they may eat the spawn. The eggs hatch in roughly 24 to 48 hours, and the free-swimming fry need very small first foods such as infusoria before progressing to newly hatched brine shrimp.

Females are usually larger, broader through the abdomen and less intensely coloured than males. Males tend to be slimmer and may show stronger golden, reddish or dark contrast, especially when mature or displaying.