Melon Barb

✅We ignore one particular Indian gem — the Melon barb, Haludaria fasciata — at such considerable loss. Let’s start with the merits. 

Right off the bat there’s this fish’s acceptance of a wide range of conditions. There’s nothing extreme about the Melon barbs, and they’ll be just as happy in a tank at 6.5pH as they are at 7.5pH. I’ve known them to be kept successfully at 7.8pH, and aquarium literature cites that they’ll happily go down to 6.0pH. Hardness is tolerated from a range as low as 2°H up to over 16°H. The sweet spot for temperature sits between 22°C and 26°C.

✅The best’ might be loosely translated as some approximation of their home habitat. Start with a decent sized tank, 120cm long. Next, you’re aiming to decorate it like it’s some Indian river or canal, with dark substrates (light sand like silver sand will rinse their colours out) and ideally a combo of sand (black quartz or JBL’s Sansibar dark will fit the bill) mixed in with river cobbles (I get mine by the sack from a garden centre, rinse them and keep them for when I need some). 

Filtration is important when keeping barb. The wild fish lives in streams and the barb will therefore prefer a well circulated aquarium with oxygen rich water.

This species is the ideal choice for any community aquarium containing mid-size species that appreciate the same environment. Melon barbs will not harm or harass fish that are too big to eat. They should however not be kept with timid species that might be spooked and/ or stressed by this fast moving species.

Melon barb is a shoaling species and it should always be kept in shoals of 8 or more fish. If they are kept in smaller groups they will not feel secure and will not show their true colors. They might harass other fish species if kept in too small groups.

The melon barb is very easy to feed and will ferociously devour any food that is given to it. In the wild they are omnivores feeding on both meaty foods and plants. In aquariums their diet can be based around flake food as long as the diet also includes frozen and live food as well as vegetables. They will survive on flake food only but will not show their true colours and their immune system can also become weakened.

✅ More information:

Size:3-4CM
pH: 6.0- 8.0
Temperature: 19-25° C (66-77°F)
Hardness: tolerates most conditions

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