THE GREAT CHECKER MYSTERY
aka Puntius Oligolepis - Capoeta Oligolepis
by:WILMA DUNCAN
I searched the local fish store for the Puntius oligolepis - Capoeta oligolepis, also known as the Checker Barb.  This search went on for several years without ever seeing them in display tanks. Finally, three years later, I was given the opportunity to place a fish order with a wholesaler. I ordered 10 Checkers, but upon arrival, I was definitely disappointed. The aquarium books spoke of a beautiful fish, not a drab silver fish.

My Checker barbs were housed in a 10 gallon, bare bottom, quarantine tank with a few live aquarium plants. My pH was 7.2 and the temperature was set at 80 degrees. The only treatment given was 12 drops of Aquari Sol added to the tank to help ward off ick
.
I fed them live brine shrimp every other day and a great breeders flake food, changed the water weekly. During
their stay in the tank, I searched for more information on these barbs. Their home is in Sumatra. They are a
peaceful fish and highly recommended for community tanks. They would reach 2 inches in size and should be
housed in soft, slightly acid water. Not knowing if mine had been raised on a fish farm within the United States,
and acclimated to a higher pH and hard water, I hesitated to change their water chemistry.

After the quarantine period ended, I placed them in a 20 gallon tall tank with my cherry barbs, red glass barbs
and golden barbs. They continued to do well and their colors were unbelievable. Instead of being the dull silver,
now they were displaying reddish orange with black edging on their fins. As they journeyed throughout the tank,
I could see a silvery blue tint on their scales and definitely the checks were displayed. I now knew why they were
often called Checker Barbs.

I decided to let a couple of friends have all but three which I would keep for breeding. I did not know at this time,
but I was in for a big surprise! Months went by and one day
I decided to try for a spawn. Up went the breeding tank, a 10 gallon, with small polished river stones covering the
bottom. This method has worked well for me when spawning the egg layers, as the eggs fall among the stones,
little is eaten by the parents. Icovered 2/3 of the bottom with Java moss and in one corner, placed a group of
Cabomba caroliniana. For floating plants I used Anacharis and Ceratopteris thalictroides - water fern. I left the
water chemistry at 7.2 pH and the same hardness as my community tank.  An hour before dusk, I added my 3
checkers, leaving them to explore the tank for a couple of hours.  I had positioned the tank so the morning sun
would shine into the tank for at least a few early morning hours. I turned the tank light off and retired for the night
feeling confident the new day would bring me hundreds of eggs.

After breakfast, I entered the spawning room, only to discover all 3 barbs were huddled in one corner, no
spawning activity was taking place. As I peered into the tank, they stared back at me. I could swear they were
saying, "Surely you don't expect us to attempt this feat. Later, I would have a good laugh at my spawning
attempt. A week passed and nothing happened, the checks went about eating as if nothing was unusual. When
I peered into the tank, they paused swimming and retreated behind the moss, peeked to see if I was still there.
After a couple of weeks, I gave up on the spawn and returned them to the community tank. Something was
wrong, but what? I had spawned several barb species and had good results. What was I doing wrong? I had a
strange feeling about this trio. After more research in my aquarium books and on the internet, one article solved
the "great checker mystery"

While starring at the article, I laughed at my dilemma. Five years into this hobby, spawning and raising numerous
fish, I had forgotten the golden rule of spawning egg layers. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A MALE AND A FEMALE
SPECIE. No wonder my checks looked so puzzled in the spawning tank. I had 3 males and 0 females.

After calling my friends who had acquired the other checks, I paid a visit to their tanks. All the checks were males.
I would need to find a female somewhere, but where? Living in a rural area does not present one with a large
selection to choose from and I realized finding a female would be similar to finding a gold nugget in my backyard.
Six months later, and after many visits to the local fish store, I found my female check. She was not in the best of
shape, much older than my males, but my expectations were soaring. I made my purchase and returned home to
quaratine my check. Two weeks later, I knew I had better go for spawn, as she was never going to be the best.
Feedings of brine shrimp helped but she was old and could pass away any day. Once more, the spawning tank
was set and late evening I added her to the tank. An hour before retiring, I added the 2 males, just in case one
was not enough. I knew this was my last chance
for fry. It could take months or years to find another female. The local fish stores did not carry this barb,
believing they were not great sellers because of their drab colors. If only they knew the true beauty of these
barbs, more could be found.
THE CAUSE, INC
I thought the males were beautiful in the community tank, but the breeding colors were astonishing. The reddish
orange was glowing along with the blue sheen: the female appeared to be a little brighter than before. I watched
as the male and female entered the moss and tall Cabomba. I saw him butt the female's belly, then come up
parallel to the female. The other male stayed close to the pair. I did not witness the egg scattering as I had
previously seen with the cherry barbs. Once again, fear returned. Was she fertile, were the males, had eggs
been lain? I could only hope. I decided to leave the 3 in the spawning tank for a couple of days just in case the
female placed her eggs one at a time over a period of time. I did not feed them during this time. On the third
morning, I decided to remove them from the spawning tank. With sadness, I discovered the female had died
during the night. My fear had become reality. I removed her and gave her the customary burial for fish. I placed
the two males into the community tank. The next sixty hours would tell me if all had been in vain. patience is the
greatest virtue a hobbyist can disply, but this is one time mine was tested to the limit. My sixty hour reactions
spoke of near madness. I must have peered into the tank a thousand times, with each view rendering a heart
pounding fear. Finally, sixty hours were gone, but I saw no fry.

I refused to give up. There just had to be fry. Maybe tomorrow, it was not too late.

The plants were the answer for not seeing fry. They were there, hiding among the plants. Day five, I arrived at
the spawning tank, prepared for a detailed search. My left hand held a large magnifying glass; my right hand
held my fish flashlight. No hobbyist can be without these tools. I stared until double vision became a problem. I
refused to stop. Somewhere in this tank were fry. I peered into the tank from the front, then the sides. Suddenly, I
saw a small quick dart. Could it be? My breath quickened. In the blink of an eye, it was gone. Whatever this had
been was no longer visible. I left the room, knowing when I returned later, along with that one, would be more of
these near visible darts. Two more days passed before the invisible became visible to the naked eye. I counted
four fry. They were cruising the bottom of the tank in search for food. I opened a container of micro worms and
fed sparingly. If there were just four, I did not want to pollute the water from decaying worms. It wasn't long before
their small bellies bulged. I started to add a couple of Malaysian Trumpet Snails as my cleaning crew, but decided
to wait another week, just in case more eggs were hatching. As I fed the worms each morning and evening, I
continued to find a few fry. They did not remain visible for long. After eating, they hurried to the Java moss. I was
up to seven fry and hoping for more.

One morning after feeding I counted twelve fry. One dozen checks. I was one happy hobbyist. This would allow
me the choice of males and females for future spawning.

Today, my twelve checkers are three months old and growing. They started out as very tiny clear fry and now
show the beautiful colors they are well known for.