Photo Courtesy of: andras.net Cyprinids > Quick Stats Food:  Varies, but almost all cyprinids will accept flake food, and many relish small live foods. Breeding:  All egg-layers, most by scatter method, a breeding tank is often a must. Tank Conditions: Varies: pH normally between 6.5-7.5, depending on species. Softer wateris almost always preferred, though most of this group are very hardy and adaptable. This is the largest family of fish consisting of over 1400 species. Many cyprinids hail from the South East portion of Asia, most common among them the Goldfish. The Goldfish is one of the most diverse types of fish within this family. They also exist in most of Africa, Europe, and North America. The only place they are not to be found is South America and Australia. Most minnows are also part of this group. Most can tolerate varying water conditions and are quite hardy with few exceptions. Many of them are also quite temperamental, so ou should be careful when choosing tank mates.

Barbs  Goldfish  Sharks  Danios  Rasbora  Botia  Loaches The Essentials Related Web Links Photo Gallery of Cyprinids Cyprinids Forum Discussion External Web Resources  Article on Oral Grasping Behavior  Cyprinids @ Aquabid.com  List of Nominal Species of Cyprinidae

Only a few are brackish water fish while only one can tolerate salt water. None of these fish have an adipose fin. The family consists of fish of all sizes. The largest is Barbus tor, which is native to India and reaches a length of more than 6 feet (2.5 meters). Most Cyprinidsare omnivores although a few are herbivores eating algae and aquatic plants. Cyprinids have one unique feature: they have no teeth in their jaws, instead they grind up their food using teeth in their necks. (Cool huh!) Substitutes in the aquarium are cooked lettuce, spinach, peas or oatmeal. Most are free spawners just discharging eggs into the open water; later the eggs will adhere to anything they happen to land on. See Breeding Fish for more information. Cyprinids rank as one of the most commercially important groups of freshwater fishes and are exploited for many purposes; as a human food source, especially in Europe and Asia; as sport fish; and as ornamental fish for ponds and aquaria. Certain species are also cultured as bait fish and several of the small cyprinids such as the zebra fish have become internationally accepted laboratory models for toxicology testing and molecular research. A thorough understanding of cyprinid health and diseases is fundamental to the successful management and exploitation of these fishes for freshwater fisheries, pisciculture and ornamental productions. Barbs and Danios are popular schooling fish for the community aquarium. Most come from Southern and Eastern Asia, with a few from Africa. They inhabit all types of water systems. To view some statistics on many more individual Cyprinids, just click on any picture. Cyprinids > Navigate Popular Types Goldfish Species (Photo Gallery) Barbs (Photo Gallery) Danios (Photo Gallery) Loaches Species (Photo Gallery) Rasbora Species (Photo Gallery) Sharks Species (Photo Gallery) Botia Species (Photo Gallery) Foxes Species (Photo Gallery)   Temperament:  Varies a lot. Tiger Barbs are considered terrors with their fin-nipping tendencies, (Never combine Tiger Barbs and Angel Fish) while cherry barbs ignore even a Betta's trailing fins. Also beware of Botias, they can be tricky. Definition: cyprinid [si'prainid, 'siprinid] - any teleost fish of the mainly freshwater family Cyprinidae, typically having toothless jaws and cycloid scales and including such food and game fishes as the carp, tench, roach, rudd, and dace. [ETYMOLOGY: 19th Century: from New Latin Cyprinidae, from Latin cyprinus carp, from Greek kuprinos]

CYPRINIDS - Most Commonly Kept in Aquariums View Common Name Scientific Name Similar Names Bala Shark Balantiocheilus melanopterus Silver Shark Cherry Barb Capoeta titteya Little Cherry Chinese Algae Eater Gyrinocheilus aymonieri CAE, Gold Algae Eater, Killer, Sucking Loach Clown Loach Botia macracanthus N/A False Siamese Algae Eater Epalzeorhynchus sp. or Garra taeniata Siamese Algae Eater Giant Danio Danio aequipinnatus N/A Gold Barb Barbus sachsi Golden Barb Goldfish Carassius auratus Fantail, Moor, Ryukin, Oranda, Shubunkin, Sarasa, Comet Red-Tailed Black Shark Epalzeorhynchus bicolor N/A Rosy Barb Puntius conchonius N/A Tinfoil Barb Barbus schwanenfeldi N/A Tiger Barb Capoeta tetrazona Green Tiger Barb, Albino Tiger Barb, Sumatran Barb Zebra Danio Brachydanio rerio Zebra Fish, Lepord Danio

CYPRINIDS - Aquarium Full Listing - Missing One? Contribute! View Common Name Scientific Name Similar Names Arulius Barb Barbus arulius Longfin Barb Bala Shark Balantiocheilus melanopterus Silver Shark Beaufort's Loach Botia beauforti N/A Bengal Danio Danio devario N/A Black Kuhli Loach Pangio javanicus N/A Black Line Loach Botia nigrolineata Black Line Loach, Botia Nigro Black Ruby Barb Puntius nigrofasciatus N/A Blue Botia Botia modesta Red-Finned Loach, Orange-Finned Loach Chequed Barb Capoeta oligolepis Chequered Barb, Checker Barb Cherry Barb Capoeta titteya Little Cherry Chinese Algae Eater Gyrinocheilus aymonieri CAE, Gold Algae Eater, Killer, Sucking Loach Chinese Hillstream Loach Beaufortia kweichowensis Hong Kong Pleco, Butterfly Loach Chinese Hillstream Loach Pseudogastromyzon cheni N/A Clown Loach Botia macracanthus N/A Clown Rasbora Rasbora kalochroma Big-Spot Rasbora Dwarf Kuhli Acanthophthalmus robiginosus N/A Dwarf Loach Botia sidthimunki Chained Loach, Chain Loach, Mouse Loach Dwarf Rasbora Rasbora maculata Spotted Rasbora, Pygmy Rasbora Elegant Rasbora Rasbora elegans Two-Spot Rasbora Espes Rasbora Rasbora espei N/A Eye-Spot Rasbora Rasbora dorsiocellata Eye-Spot Rasbora False Siamese Algae Eater Epalzeorhynchus sp. or Garra taeniata Siamese Algae Eater Flying Fox Epalzeorhynchus kalopterus N/A Giant Danio Danio aequipinnatus N/A Gold Barb Barbus sachsi Golden Barb Gold Kuhli Loach Pangio muraeniformis N/A Gold Zebra Loach Botia histrionica N/A Goldfish Carassius auratus Fantail, Moor, Ryukin, Oranda, Shubunkin, Sarasa, Comet Green-Eye Rasbora Rasbora dorsiocellata Eye-Spot Rasbora Green Tiger Barb Capoeta tetrazona Green Tiger Barb, Albino Tiger Barb, Sumatran Barb Green Tiger Botia Botia hymenophysa N/A Half-Banded Kuhli Loach Acanthophthalmus semicinctus N/A Half-Banded Loach Shistura savona N/A Harlequin Rasbora Rasbora heteromorpha Red Rasbora Hengel's Rasbora Rasbora hengelii N/A Hillstream Loach Liniparhomaloptera disparis N/A Homaloptera smithi Homaloptera smithi N/A Homaloptera Loach var. Homaloptera spec. Lizard Loach Horsehead Loach Acatopsis choirorhynchus Horse Face Loach Kuhli Loach Acanthophthalmus kuhlii Coolie Loach, Coolio Ladder Loach Botia rostrata N/A Leptobotia Spec. Leptobotia guellensis N/A Magnificent Rasbora Rasbora borapetensis N/A Myersi Loach Acanthophthalmus myersi N/A Nemacheilus masyae Nemacheilus masyae N/A Pearl Danio Brachydanio albolineatus N/A Pearly Rasbora Rasbora vaterifloris N/A Peppered Loach Lepidocephalichthys guntea N/A Queen Loach Botia dario Bengal Loach, Scarf Botia Rainbow Shark Epalzeorhynchus frenatus N/A Red-lined Rasbora Rasbora pauciperforata N/A Red-Finned Shark Epalzeorhynchus frenatus N/A Red-Tailed Black Shark Epalzeorhynchus bicolor N/A Red-Tailed Rasbora Rasbora borapetensis N/A Rosy Barb Puntius conchonius N/A Scissor-Tail Rasbora Rasbora trilineata N/A Shelford's Thorneye Acanthophthalmus shelfordii N/A Shistura Loach Shistura spec. N/A Siamese Algae Eater Crossochelius siamensis Siamese Flying Fox, SAE Sinogastromyzon Spec. Sinogastromyzon sp. N/A Skunk Loach Botia morleti N/A Spanner Barb Capoeta lateristriga T Barb Spiney Headed Hillstream Loach Gastromyzon ctenocephalus N/A Spotted Danio Brachydanio nigrofasciatus N/A Spotted Hillstream Loach Gastromyzon punctulatus N/A Striped Barb Capoeta fasciatus N/A Sucker Belly Loach Pseudogastromyzon myersi N/A Three Lined Rasbora Rasbora trilineata N/A Tinfoil Barb Barbus schwanenfeldi N/A Tiger Barb Capoeta tetrazona Green Tiger Barb, Albino Tiger Barb, Sumatran Barb Tiger Loach Botia helodes N/A Unnamed Hillstream Loach Gastromyzon ridens N/A Victory Loach Shistura scaturigina N/A White Cloud Tanichthys albonubes Mountain Minnow, Meteor Minnow, long-finned var. Yo-Yo Loach Botia almorhae N/A Zebra Hillstream Loach Pseudogastromyzon fasciatus Zebra Borneo Sucker Zebra Loach Botia striata N/A Zebra Danio Brachydanio rerio Zebra Fish, Lepord Danio Missing? Post a CYPRINID Here/a>!

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