Mascara Barb (Dawkinsia Assimilis)

Mascara Barbs are a relatively peaceful species that make excellent members of a community aquarium. However, although these species do not nip fins of other fish, they are reasonably boisterous, especially the males, when engaging in chases; therefore, smaller, more timid species are not ideal for keeping with these Barbs. In addition, this species is known to be somewhat predatory.

Mascara Barbs are fast-moving, aggressive feeders and do better with equally large and active tankmates in the aquarium. Ideal tankmates for these Barbs would be other schooling or shoaling Cyprinids such as medium to large-sized Barbs, larger Rainbowfish, Gouramis, Botiids, Cobitids, Nemacheilids, and Balitorid Loaches.

Mascara Barbs are a schooling species in nature and should be kept in groups of 8 or more individuals. Keeping these Barbs in suitable numbers will make your fish less nervous and result in a more natural and effective looking display. In addition, keeping this species in larger groups will usually restrict any aggression between them because the males will be focusing on maintaining their hierarchical position within the group.

Mascara Barbs have a pink blush colouration around their nose and a blue-black line under their eyes, where they got their name. These fish have silvery colour bodies and display a pear-shaped black spot on their caudal peduncle. You will also notice a curved reddish-pink line throughout the body that looks similar to a thin pearl necklace-type pattern. Most of their fins are translucent except for their tail fin that has red and black tips, and their dorsal fin is a bright red colour.

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Mascara Barbs - Dawkinsia Assimilis

Habitat

Mascara Barbs are endemic to Kerala and Karnataka in the Southwest Indian states, where they occur in the Chalakudy, Kallada and Netravati river basins.

Mascara Barbs have various habitat types depending on location and the time of year. For example, in the Netravati, they have been seen in limited zones with sluggish flowing waters and muddy substrate.

On the other hand, in Chalakudy, people collected the fish from rocky, clear, flowing stretches between waterfalls formed from the river descending from the Western Ghats mountains. And lastly in In the Kallada River, these barbs lived in areas where the water was clear, shallow and flowing slowly amongst granite boulders.

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Diet & Feeding

Mascara Barbs are foraging omnivores feeding on insects, crustaceans, worms, plant material, and other organic debris in the wild. In captivity, Mascara Barbs are not fussy and are easily fed.

However, it would be more beneficial if you provided your Barbs with a balanced diet comprising of regular meals of small frozen and live foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp, bloodworm, and such alongside high quality dried flakes and granules. This mix will promote the most satisfactory condition and colours.

Breeding

Mascara Barbs are egg-scatterers, and with the proper water conditions, should spawn often. Therefore, in an established aquarium, you may see small numbers of fry starting to appear without intervention.

If you would like to increase the yield of fry, it would be better if you had a separate dimly lit breeding tank with the bottom covered in a mesh that has large enough holes for the eggs to fall through but small enough that the parents cannot reach them. Alternatively, you can fill a majority of the tank with fine-leaved plants, or spawning mops can also return decent results.

The water's pH should be slightly acidic to neutral, and the temperature needs to be towards the upper range. It would be better to include an air-powered sponge filter or air stone to provide water movement and oxygenation.

Once the adults have been well-conditioned and the females appear gravid, you should introduce one or two pairs into the breeding tank, and spawning should occur the following morning.

Another method that is also successful is to spawn the fish in a group, with half a dozen individuals of each sex, although a larger aquarium may be necessary. Whichever option you choose, the adults will more than likely eat the eggs if given a chance; therefore, you should remove them as soon as you notice any.

The eggs will usually hatch within 24 to 48 hours, and around 24 hours after that, the fry will become free-swimming. The babies will require microscopic food for the first few days until they are large enough to accept things like baby brine shrimp, microworm or suchlike.

Frquently asked questions about the Mascara Barb

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