Eight Banded False Barb (Eirmotus octozona)
In the Nano or planted aquarium, the Eight Banded False Barb, Eirmotus octozona makes an excellent schooling fish. Their attractive striping and small size make them popular with fish keepers. However, in contrast to many other widespread Barb species, these fish are rarely available. In addition to occupying the top and middle levels of the water column, you can also see these Barbs swimming and feeding in the middle and bottom layers.
In order to avoid dominance bullying, keep Eight Banded False Barbs in groups of 8 or more individuals. In addition, when you maintain these fish in larger groups, they will be less nervous, and the males will display their best colours while competing for females. However, it would be best if you did not keep these Barbs with larger, aggressive fish that will out-compete them for food, as they will not fight for it and may starve.
There are many small South American Characins, Pygmy Corydoras Catfish, and Otocinclus species that you can keep with Barbs, such as Boraras or Trigonostigma species. However, there is a possibility that they will prey on smaller Dwarf Shrimp shrimplets.
The Eight Banded False Barb has a yellowish red body with eight dark bars running along its snout and caudal peduncle. On the last dorsal-fin ray of these fish, there are diffused chromatophores. They have translucent dorsal-fin rays with some black sometimes extending onto the first branched ray.
Eight Banded False Barb (Eirmotus octozona) Video
Eight Banded False Barb (Eirmotus octozona) Species Profile & Care Guide
Photos
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eirmotus octozona |
| Year Described | 1959 |
| Other Names | Octozona Barb, False Eight-Banded Barb |
| Classification | Actinopterygii |
| Order | Cypriniformes |
| Family | Cyprinidae |
| Genus | Eirmotus |
| Origins | Thailand |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Aquarium Level | Middle - Top |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Shoaling | Yes |
| Best kept as | Groups 8+ |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Reproduction | Egg-Scatterer |
| Lifespan | 3 - 5 years |
| Water Parameters | |
|---|---|
| Water Type | Freshwater |
| PH | 5.0 - 7.0 |
| GH | 2 - 12 |
| TDS | 18 -143 |
| Temperature | |
|---|---|
| 75 - 79℉ 23.9 - 26.1℃ | |
Feeding
In the home aquarium, the Eight Banded False Barb will readily accept most good quality dried foods such as granules, flakes and sinking pellets. These modern food products have been developed to provide all adequate nutrition to maintain your fish's health and dietary requirements.
Providing additional foodstuffs such as live, frozen, and freeze-dried meals such as bloodworm, daphnia, and tubifex once or twice a week will provide additional benefits to your fish's health and well-being but is not a must for this fish.
It should be noted that bloodworms should only be given as an occasional treat and should not be used as the staple diet as they are difficult for fish to digest and can potentially cause blockages.
This fish is an omnivore in the wild, meaning it will consume some vegetable matter. Although most modern fish foods take this into account and include them in their products, you can still supplement your fish's diet with blanched vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and zucchini. Ensure you do not overfeed your fish and remove any leftovers the following day.
Tank Mates
2 interesting tank mate ideas for the Eight Banded False Barb could include:
Sexual Dimorphism
Identifying male Eight Banded False Barbs from females is relatively straightforward. In good condition, males' unpaired fins display pale red colouration and are noticeably thinner than females. In contrast, mature females have a larger body size than males.