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Fishmonger Newsletter

Gold Roseline Barbs, & Construction Updates

December, 2021

Fish Store Construction Progress

Construction keeps moving…more slowly than we would like for sure, but it is moving along. The roof, siding, trim, windows and doors are all installed…we are officially dried in! Spray foam has been applied to the walls and ceiling to keep our fish nice and toasty during the cold Wyoming winters. The paint crew is currently applying the interior paint. Construction crews are working during the day and there are no lights in the building yet for filming at night, so we haven’t been able to make a video for this month. But, we have lots of pics below!

Windows going in.

Wainscoting has begun.

Siding going up.

Doors!

Getting ready for electrical service to be run from the street.

Spray foam has been applied.

Exterior is done!

Featured Article

Gold Roseline Barbs: A Surprisingly Diverse Morph

Article by Dan Hodnett

The first time I encountered the Roseline Barb was years ago on a trip to Sacramento's Capital Aquarium in Northern California. They were in a bowfront aquarium on an aisle endcap, and they stopped me in my tracks. The bright red stripe, the scissor tail with yellow blotches...this was a beautiful addition to the hobby and I took several minutes to observe and appreciate them.

-A beautiful example of an adult Gold Roseline

In June of 2020, the Roseline Barb once again stopped me in my tracks when I first laid eyes on the Gold form of this fish. If you replace the brown base color of a wild-type Roseline with bright gold and expand the thickness of the red stripe, you have yourself a Gold Roseline. They are some of the most brightly colored of all freshwater fish and they are magnificent. For about a year, they have been featured in the 125 gallon tank on the Dans Fish Youtube channel’s livestream every Wednesday evening at 9pm EST…everyone is welcome!

-This adult developed a piebald pattern as it grew.

This fish is not a hybrid or a separate species. Rather, it is a xanthic variation (often called "lutino", especially in the bird world) of the wild-colored population. The difference is similar to seeing a lutino colored cockatiel sitting next to a wild-type cockatiel. The Golden variant was developed in Indonesia when one popped up in a batch of aquarium bred fish being raised on a fish farm. The gold "sport" was removed and became the ancestor of all the Gold Roseline Barbs in existence today.

-As they age, an unknown percentage of Gold Roselines will develop brown coloring.

The first Gold Roselines I ever heard about were obtained by Maidenhead Aquatics in England during the final months of 2012. Despite being in the trade for almost a decade, they are still a very rare fish. Only a few are produced each year, and supply cannot keep up with demand. So, it took almost 8 years before I was able to find the breeder in Indonesia, import a group, and see them in person. That first glimpse of them in the bag made the wait worth it...bucket list fish acquired!

-All 3 of these fish were yellow and gold when they were obtained a little over a year ago. Since then they have developed different amounts of brown.

Although their behavior, size, and care requirements are the same as those of the well loved wild-type Roseline Barbs, the Gold variants have a few peculiarities which are worth considering before purchasing these fish. The first is that not all of them are a pristine gold color. A few are ghostly white. Some of these white individuals retain their red lips and red dorsal fin. In an online July 25, 2013 Amazonas article, these red-lipped-white fish were described as a "Lipstick" variant, indicating that they are a line-bred form. However, we question if the form is in fact something that can be line bred. From what we've observed, it seems to be a random occurrence in the Gold line rather than a separate morph which can be genetically fixed.

-An example of the “lipstick” coloration. This does not appear to be a separate morph, but rather a different expression of the Gold morph. This fish is a juvenile.

-This pic is a good example of the different color forms expressed in a single batch of juvenile Gold Roselines.

-A few individuals are almost pure white. This is a juvenile fish.

-A golden colored juvenile next to a white individual.

The larger color issue is "late onset" browning. As youngsters, the majority of the Gold Roselines are in fact gold, but as they grow, an unknown percentage of them begin to develop blotches of brown coloration. In some cases, this blotching stays minor and looks amazing as it contrasts with the bright gold body and red markings. In others, it grows until the fish looks very similar to the standard wild-type populations - still a very pretty fish, but not much in the way of gold coloration. Of the six fish that I have kept for over a year, two have become mostly brown, one is distinctly blotched (I think he looks super cool!), and three retained almost all of their gold. This color change looks very similar to, and may indeed be, some sort of piebald phenomenon. It is erratic, unpredictable, and probably quite frustrating to the uninformed purchaser...consider yourself informed :).

-This adult has developed significant brown coloration. It is still a very pretty fish!

-A juvenile beginning to develop brown coloration.

The last thing to consider before purchasing the Gold Roseline Barb is its eyes. Some of them seem to go blind, or at least to have a very limited visual range. Like the development of the brown color, the percentage which will develop eye issues is unknown. It seems to be erratic and unpredictable. In some batches we've had, almost all of them developed some kind of eye issue. In our current batch, only about 3% seem to have it. It is unknown if the fish are born with impaired vision or develop it as they mature. Luckily for these fish, they have sensory barbels on the corners of their mouths which help them locate food even in the dark, so Roselines with eye issues can still eat well and they seem to be healthy and happy. However, they will be a lot slower to locate food and are more likely to be outcompeted by fast feeders...something to keep in mind when considering tankmates for any Gold Roselines which happen to become visually impaired.

-Fish lacking dark pigment in the eyes seem to be visually impaired. This is a juvenile.

-The eye is present in this blind fish, but it is so clear that one can see into the eye socket. This fish is a juvenile.

-A blind fish next to a seeing fish. Note the dark pigment in the eye of the seeing fish. These are juveniles.

Even though some of them will unpredictably change colors and some can develop eye problems, I still enjoy this fish very much. It has all the characteristics which make the standard wild-type Roselines so popular as well as some amazing coloration. I even enjoy the unpredictability of their possible color changes...something to keep me on my toes!

-Two stunning adults.

-A bright gold and red adult.