odessa and checker barbs

[finfan]

i got 6 odessa barbs and 6 checker barbs, i am really loving them, i never get barbs because of their fin nipping reputation, but i saw these guys in a display not for sale tank and they looked much better than the one's at the store for sale, within an hour or so the odessa males started getting very nice red line in the middle with the green body background and speckled fins... honestly one of the best looking fish i have seen, the checker barbs are generally less intense compared to the odessa's but their fins also colored up (males red and females yellow), they have not nipped anyone yet and only chase each other around, i know i only had them today, but i really would recommend anyone giving them a try if you have a planted tank

i did not get a chance to take their pix but here are some profile pix from a website:'

odessa barbs

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.php?genus=Puntius&species=padamya&id=1250

checker barbs

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.php?genus=Puntius&species=oligolepis&id=155

[Mzungu]

Oh my gosh, that's really funny. I totally agree with you. I have about 15 Odessa barbs, and I was watching them today thinking, "Wow, these are some really under-rated fish!" They're absolutely gorgeous. Just wait until they really color up. You'll be amazed! :)

[Mzungu]

You know, I was thinking about taking some pictures of mine today, actually. I think I might do that and post them on here tomorrow, if that's okay? Don't want to hog your thread, but you're so right about them!

[finfan]

please do post... i am really digging them now and would love to see pix... i can't wait for them to really settle in and color up... looking forward to seeing your pix

[Mzungu]

Okay, great! I will take some tomorrow, then. Their tank's lights are out now, because of the timer. But I'll definitely take some tomorrow. I don't mean to brag, but I just looked at the pictures on the link you posted, and the ones I have seem so much bolder in color. Lol. You're going to love them. They're active, but don't bother the other fish they're with, at least in this tank. I have them with pentazona barbs, a betta, and some blue-eyed rainbows. And you're right, barbs do have a tendency to be fin-nippers, but the betta is not bothered one bit. They seem more interested in each other than anything else. I think I got a really good batch. I had them shipped, and brought them home in the evening after a long, stressful day being on a plane, and in a bag for hours, and in no more than 30 minutes in their new tank they were swimming around and spawning like crazy!

Great, great fish.

[TaTeR ToT]

here are some pix of my old Oddessa Barbs

[Navarro]

Barbs are awesome if you keep them with active fish; they are always on the move therefore less active fish stress when these are present.
You should try the Oreichthys spp. they may not have lots of color but they are really cool also the large Rasboras like kalochroma look nice together as well. Add Cryptocorines, Barclayas and moss and you will have a very nice looking planted tank.
Cheers,
Luis

[finfan]

thanks for the pix eartheater

navarro... i looked up those barbs... very nice looking, awesome suggestions, i have never seen them in lfs's, but i will have to keep an eye out for them... scoop them up when i see them (hopefully does not cost an arm and a leg)

[TaTeR ToT]

no problem man:)

Navarro, those oreicthys spp. are really cool!
i like those huge rasboras aswell, i didnt know there were any rasboras that grew that large.
very neat.

my old oddessa barbs were in my old 55g with my old pair of green terrors and i also had 6 tiger barbs, 3 rosy barbs, 3 filament barbs, and 5 penguin barbs.

i am thinking of doing barbs again in my 75g with a pair of green terrors in my, that setup worked well for me last time.

[Navarro]

There are quite a few of that large Rasbora spp. although not every one is nice they are very unique in their very own way and the best part is that they are plant friendly.
These fish are not that expensive you can get them at invertzfactory.com for a few bucks each and since there is always something cool to get there we can always group order.
There is also many new barbs that are coming from Africa and India as well also there are many for the nano tanks! J barbs, butterfly barbs to name a couple.
Best regards,
Luis Navarro

[finfan]

i'm getting obsessed with barbs now, wish i had room for more

mzungu, where are promised pictures :)

[Mzungu]

Heh...I took some, but they're terrible. I keep on intending to move these guys into a new tank I just set up, but keep on being lazy. Oops. I say to myself, "Okay, I'll move them, let them settle in, THEN take some better pictures..." But it never seems to happen. I'll post some of the terrible ones in a sec...

[Mzungu]

[finfan]

mzungu... those are some awesome specimens (despite hazy picture), i love the intense black and red contrast and the speckling of the fins, actually my one's are getting pretty intense coloration too, i will have to take pix this weekend and post, thanks for sharing

[amilcar]

Did you guys get all these at FRII or somewhere else??