Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Cyprinids > Rosy Barb

Rosy Barb

Red barb Family: Cyprinidae

• Puzzles
• Postcards

Puntius conchonius Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   One of the most beautiful of the freshwater fish, the lively Rosy Barb is continuously swimming!

   The Rosy Barb is a very desirable choice for a beginner fish. Fun to watch because they are constantly on the move. They are colorful, hardy and undemanding, and they are very prolific breeders. A peaceful barb, they will do well in a community aquarium with only an occasional nip on a tankmates fins. The Rosy Barb does prefers cooler water, 64-72° F (18-22° C), and you should select tankmates that will also thrive in cooler temperatures.

   Not only is the Rosy Barb very active, they are great jumpers! So be sure you have a cover on your aquarium. When kept in a school, the males display an interesting behavior. They will continually swim around each other with their fins spread out, showing off their best colors. When spawning, the males color intensifies to a deep rosy red or a purplish red, and the fins get pink and black.

   The Rosy Barb has been developed in several varieties or color morphs. Some of these include the Neon Rosy Barb, Long Fin Rosy Barb, Red Glass Rosy Barb, and Gold Neon Rosy Barb.

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

Distribution:
   The Rosy Barb was described by Hamilton in 1822. They are found in swift moving rivers and streams, as well as ponds and backwater in northern India, Bangal, and Assam.

Status:
   These fish are not endangered.

Description:
   The general coloration of the Rosy Barb is silvery or coppery pink with somewhat of a greenish cast to the back. Males are a more reddish color, especially on the underbelly and sides. There is a black spot just in front of caudal peduncle, and there may be some black along the top margins of the anal and dorsal fins.

   When spawning, the males color intensifies to a deep rosy red or a purplish red, and the fins get pink and black.
   The Rosy Barb seen here is a female (or a juvenile) as it lacks the 'rosy' red color on the underbelly.

Size - Weight:
   These fish can get up to 6 inches (15 cm) in the wild, though about 4 inches (10 cm) is more common in the aquarium. They are mature at 2.5 inches (6 cm).

Care and feeding:
   Since they are omnivorous, the Rosy Barb will generally eat all kinds of live fresh and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat. Supplement with color foods for best results in appearance.
   The Rosy Barb does prefers cooler water, 64-72° F (18-22° C), and you should select tankmates that will also thrive in cooler temperatures. An aquarium best suited to the Rosy Barb provides plenty of swimming room, a soft bottom, and plants around the edges. A minimum of 20 gallons is recommended for a school of these fish.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Temp: 64 - 73° F (18 - 23° C)
   Hardness: 2 - 10° dGH (soft water)
   Ph: 6.5 to 7.0

Social Behaviors:
   Lively and fun to watch. They are a very good community fish. A peaceful barb, they will do well in a community aquarium with only an occasional nip on a tankmates fins. They are a schooling fish, and will do well when kept in a group of 4 - 6 of their own kind. They do best with tankmates that like cooler water and that are also lively.

Sexual Differences:
   Difficult to tell when they are young, as they get older the male becomes redder and slender while the female remains smaller in general.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Rosy Barbs are egg layers. They will breed only in water that is a few inches deep.

Buy Rosy Barbs From LiveAquaria.com

See the description of how to breed these fish in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
   The Rosy Barb is readily available and will run about $1.00 to $6.00 each, with females generally being the least expensive.

Add your comment here!
Latest Comments
These fish are truly elegant and beautiful! I LOVE my rosybarb! They are a little aggressive at the beginning but they settle down. Anonymous 2006-01-22
I had 1 male and 1 female in a 55 gallon tank. Now I have 8 barbs. They will reproduce in more than a few inches of water. Anonymous 2005-05-05
Some of the coolest comments:
these fish are great maybe just a little aggressive.very hardy though Anonymous 2004-02-23

Back to Cyprinids

Author: David Brough. CFS.