Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Cyprinids

Cyprinid Aquarium Fish Varieties

Family: CyprinidaeCherry BarbPuntius titteyaPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

     The largest fish in this family is the Barbus tor, which is native to India and reaches a length of more than 6 feet (2.5 meters)!

     This family contains many of the Carp-like fishes, including well-known groups such as barbs, danios, rasboras, various "sharks", minnows, bitterlings, and the Chinese Algae Eater. It also contains such fishes as the flying fox, daces, asps, log suckers, roachs, and chubs. Goldfish and Koi are also part of the Cyprinid family, but are included in their own section, see Goldfish.

     The Cyprinid family is one of the largest family of fishes consisting of over 1400 documented species with fish of all sizes. They can be found throughout Asia, most of Africa, Europe, and North America. The only place they are not to be found is South America and Australia.

For more Information on keeping freshwater fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Cyprinids: Click on the small images below
for more information about each one.

Barbs
Albino Tiger Barb	Cherry Barb
Puntius tetrazona	Puntius titteya
Clown Barb	Golden Tinfoil Barb
Puntius everetti	Barbonymus schwanenfeldii
Green Tiger Barb	Longfin Tiger Barb
Puntius tetrazona	Puntius tetrazona
Neon Rosy Barb	Red-tail Tinfoil Barb
Puntius conchonius	Barbonymus altus
Rosy Barb	Tiger Barb
Puntius conchonius	Puntius tetrazona
Tinfoil Barb
Barbonymus schwanenfeldii

Danios
Albino Zebra Danio	Giant Danio
Danio rerio	Devario aequipinnatus
Glowlight Danio	Golden Zebra Danio
Danio choprai	Danio rerio
Hikari Danio	Leopard Danio
Danio rerio	Danio rerio
Longfin Blue Danio	Zebra Danio
Danio rerio	Danio rerio

More Cyprinids
Chinese Algae Eater
Gyrinocheilus aymonieri

Rasboras
Dwarf Rasbora	Espe's Rasbora
Boraras maculatus	Trigonostigma espei
Glowlight Rasbora	Harlequin Rasbora
Trigonostigma hengeli	Trigonostigma heteromorpha
Rummy Nose Rasbora	Slender Rasbora
Sawbwa resplendens	Rasbora daniconius

Sharks
Bala Shark
Balantiocheilus melanopterus

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Description:      None of the Cyprinid fish have an adipose fin which is more characteristic of the Characins group of fish (Tetras, Hatchetfish, Silver Dollar, Headstander, Leporinus). A unique feature of this family is that rather than having teeth in their mouths, they have one to three rows of teeth in their throat area on what is called the pharyngeal bone. There is also a boney plate at the bottom of that bone to grind food.

Care and feeding:      The majority of the Cyprinid family are freshwater fish. Only a few ot this family are brackish water fish with only one fish, a far eastern Redfin, that can tolerate salt water. Most Cyprinids are omnivores although there are few herbivores that will eat algae and aquatic plants. Vegetable substitutes suggested for these fish in the aquarium are cooked lettuce, spinach, or oatmeal.

Breeding:      Most of the Cyprinid family are free spawners, just discharging eggs into the open water rather than building nests. Later the eggs will adhere to whatever they happen to land on. Very few of these fish stick around to protect their young. See Breeding Freshwater Fish for more information.

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