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How to keep Barilius

The Hill trout of the Barilius genus aren't trout at all, they're actually members of the carp family, says Peter Cottle.

Until quite recently, fish of the Barilius genus were almost unknown to the UK aquatic hobby. Very occasionally one saw B. christyi (now correctly known as Opsaridium christyi). This barb-like fish, commonly known as the Copper-nosed barb, was always eagerly snapped up when it put in an appearance.

Finally, recognition by fish exporters that the genus had strong interest has meant regular imports. However, the identification of these species is fraught with problems. This is made all the more tricky as often one can only rely on the number of black bars along the flanks and judge whether the fish is deep bodied or slim.

There are currently about 30 species. The majority, described by eminent ichthyologists such as Hamilton, Day, Jerdon and Valenciennes, were given their scientific names in the 1820s to 1860s, so you can appreciate that they have been around many years before we had the chance to keep them. On the other hand, B. ngawa was only described by Vishwanath and Monojkumar as recently as 2002.

Barilius are found across Asia. They are most common in India, but also occur in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Curiously, some species have common names that contain the word ‘trout’. Yet they are not remotely related to trout – but their behaviour is very similar. Most are found in hillstreams that are reasonably fast-flowing, though some are found in the big rivers. All are found in locations with a gravel or sandy substrate.

Care at home

These are nearly all fish that grow to between 10cm and 15cm/4-6". They are potentially fast-swimming and need lots of room, so a minimum tank size should be 120 x 38 x 38cm/48" x 15"� x 15"�.

Make sure that the lid or cover glass is well-fitting as these guys can jump. An internal power filter that shoots water straight down the tank is also essential. These fish seem to enjoy hanging about in the current, only to suddenly dash around the tank before returning to their original position.

I keep four B. bakeri in a 120cm/48" tank filtered by an Interpet IPF4 internal filter, rated at 900 lph. They do not eat plants, so I have successfully kept a number of large Amazon sword plants.

They adapt well to all water conditions, but do like water that is clean, clear and moving. They benefit from a water change of approximately 25% each week. The hardwater area I live in has presented no problems.

Temperature also does not appear to be too critical. The fact that they are found in hillstreams implies that the water is somewhat cooler. Mine are in a tank in a conservatory where recent air temperature has exceeded 30°C/86°F. During the colder months, they will be somewhere around 22°C/71.5°F. Indeed, they will probably be quite happy with garden pond temperatures in the summer.

Breeding reports in captivity are few and far between, but from the little that is available, it would seem that they are egg scatterers. I suspect that they lay their eggs and these then fall into the gravel and develop there.

One method of breeding is most interesting. Adult males and females are kept separately and conditioned at a temperature of 13°C/55°F. After a few days, this is raised to 18°C/65°F and then gradually to 25°C/77°F. At this stage, males and females are introduced and spawning takes place almost immediately - a spawning mat catches the eggs, which can easily number several hundred.

Now in the wild, many fall prey to other fish at the fry stage. In the aquarium, however, you can expect large numbers of fry to survive, so you'll need plenty of tank space to grow the fish on. In some species, males show nuptial tubercles when in breeding condition.

These fish will eat pretty much anything they can get into their mouths! To say they are greedy is an understatement. My fish will happily chomp on earthworms 5-8cm/ 2-3"� long, and then look around for more! They eat all manner of flake foods (pick out large flakes as they ignore the small ones), frozen bloodworm, etc. They also like live Daphnia, probably enjoying the chase around the tank more than the actual food. Growth, as you would expect, is rapid. When I bought mine, they were 5cm/2"� long. Three months later they hit over 10cm/4"� and are still growing!
Never, ever house them with smaller tankmates. These are carnivores and so should only be housed with species of at least equal size.

When I first introduced the Barilius, it had three runt Danio roseus about 4cm/1"� long. I mistakenly thought that they would be fine. After all, they were only a bit smaller than the Barilius. Within a couple of minutes, they were gone! Barilius are serious eaters.

Factfiles

Common name: Blue dotted hill trout.
Scientific name: Barilius bakeri (Day, 1865).
Size: Up to 15cm/6"
Origin: Western Ghats, Kerala, India.
Notes: The male has a bright orange edge to the caudal and anal fins. In the female, they are white. Both have a beautiful blue sheen to the body. Series of 10 to 12 black dots or very small bars. No barbels.
Price: Around £8.

Common name: Banded hill trout.
Scientific name: B. barna (Hamilton, 1822).
Size: Up to 15cm/6"
Origin: Eastern India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Notes: Nine bars along its flanks. Quite slim. No barbels.
Price: Around £6.

Common name: None known.
Scientific name: B. bendelisis (Hamilton, 1807).
Origin: Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Size: One of the largest species - grows to 23cm/9".
Notes: Ravenous feeders. Best kept in a species tank. Short anal fin with 9-11 rays. Bars seen on juveniles disappear in adulthood and scales develop tiny black spots.
Price: Not currently available.

Common name: Jerdon's baril.
Scientific name: B. canarensis (Jerdon, 1849).
Size: Up to 15cm/6".
Origin: Rivers of the Western Ghats, India.
Notes: It has 9-11 black bars along its gold coloured flanks. The belly has a distinct orange tinge and there is orange in the dorsal fin. A very colourful fish.
Price: Around £13.

Common name: Metallic hill trout.
Scientific name: B. gatensis (Valenciennes, 1844).
Size: Up to 15cm/6"
Origin: India.
Notes: Has at least 12 black bars along its sides. A fairly slim fish. 39-41 lateral line scales. No barbels.
Price: Around £6.

Common name: None.
Scientific name: B. dogarsinghi (Hora, 1921).
Size: 9cm/3.5"
Origin: Manipur, India.
Notes: Has seven black bars along its flanks and a black dot in the caudal peduncle. Short barbels.

Don't get confused

There are two other genera that are closely related to Barilius. At one time, they were actually included in the genus. The 18 species of Anabarilius are all native to China. Raiamas has 17 species, and all but two are native to Africa. The two exceptions are R. bola and R. guttatus.
R. bola is native to India, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Thailand, and R. guttatus to India and Nepal. It is doubtful whether any of the Anabarilius or Raiamas species have ever been imported.

More info

• Others can be found in Ornamental Aquarium Fish of India by Kishori Lal Tekriwal and Andrew Arunava Rao.
• Barilius are (or have been) available at Wildwoods Ltd, Theobalds Park Road, Crews Hill, Enfield, Middlesex (0208 366 0243). They are imported by Tom Halvorsen Ltd (07977 098127).
• The excellent petfrd.com...

This article was first published in the October 2005 issue of Practical Fishkeeping magazine.