Animal-World > Aquarium Tropical Fish > Cyprinids > Rosy Barb

Rosy Barb

Red barb

Family: CyprinidaePuntius conchonius

   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

Geographic Distribution Puntius conchonius Data provided by FishBase.org Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Cypriniformes Family: Cyprinidae

Habitat: Distribution / Background

   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.

• Scientific Name: Puntius conchonius
• Social Grouping: Groups
• IUCN Red List: NE - Not Evaluated or not listed

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.

• Maximum Size: 6.0 inches (15.24 cm) - 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).

Fish Keeping Difficulty

• Aquarium Hardiness: Very Hardy
• Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner

Foods 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.

• Diet Type: Omnivore
• Flake Food: Yes
• Tablet Pellet: Yes
• Live foods (fishes, shrimps, worms): Some of Diet
• Vegetable Food: Some of Diet
• Meaty Food: Some of Diet
• Feeding Frequency: Several feedings per day

Aquarium Care

• Water Changes: Monthly

Aquarium Setup

• Minimum Tank Size: 20 gal (76 L)
• Substrate Type: Any
• Lighting Needs: Moderate - normal lighting
• Temperature: 64.0 - 73.0° F (17.8 - 22.8° C)
• Range ph: 6.5-7.0
• Hardness Range: 2 - 10 dGH
• Brackish: No
• Water Movement: Moderate
• Water Region: All

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.

• Temperament: Peaceful - This fish is fairly peaceful although some may be a bit more dominant than others, and fin nipping is not unheard of.
• Compatible with:
  • Same species - conspecifics: Yes
  • Peaceful fish (): Safe
  • Semi-Aggressive: (): Monitor
  • Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: Safe - not aggressive

Sex: Sexual differences

Rosy Barb - female

   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 readily breed in water that is a few inches deep, but will also breed in deeper water.

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

• Ease of Propagation: Easy

Availability

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

References

Animal-World References
Freshwater Fish and Plants Tropical Fish ~ Freshwater Fish ~ Aquatic Plants

Author: David Brough. CFS.

• Puntius conchonius : $1.99
• Puntius conchonius : $1.99

Puntius Conchonius Rosy Barb Offered By: That Pet Place Price: $1.99

Puntius Conchonius Red Glass Rosy Barb Offered By: That Pet Place Price: $1.99

Lastest Comments on Rosy Barb View all 7 comments on Rosy Barb Add Your Comment

Anonymous - 2005-05-05 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. Click For Replies (1) cn - 2011-12-11 i too had 2 to start with though they were longfins. that was over 4 years and 3 smaller tanks ago. now, several generations later, gramps just passed away right after the emergence of the 25th of his lineage! Reply

MollieS - 2010-01-06 I keep my two rosy barbs with a tinfoil barb and a sucker fish in a 30 gallon tank. Do you think that I might be able to add two more rosys to my little fish family? Click For Replies (1) nm123 - 2011-12-09 yes Reply

Anonymous - 2011-01-01 My Barbs are all look like females all the fish in the shop looked the same :( Click For Replies (1) nm123 - 2011-11-28 This is normal for this type of fish for you to think they are all (feamales/males) beacause the rosy barb is an egg layer meaning they are not as easy to tell if they are male or female. What I do if I only want a male or a female is look at one of the fish and see if it's fatter than most of the other fish. That is most likely a female and if you want a male try to find a smaller well fed rosy barb in the tank. Reply

Nate - 2010-06-19 Hi I'm keeping 6x Neon RosyBarb(F),2x Fancy Guppys(M),3x Molly(F)+20ish fry (not sure if there crossed with guppy or she came preg), 5x NeonTetra(M/F) a butterfly pleco and 2x Siamese algae eaters in a 60L Biorb. They all seem to get along but the guppys do get abit of abuse off other tankmates. What fish would it be wise to add to my collection? I do not wish to home Platys or Swordtails but I would like some very colourful fish, also I am willing to re home my guppy if needed. Click For Replies (1) Anonymous - 2011-01-14 This tank is well overcrowded already!!! Reply

Heather - 2010-03-06 I have a rosy barb and a neon rosy barb. Beautiful fish and fascinating! I am going to get more but I keep them with an oscar and two plecostamuses and I was wondering if I could keep tetras and/or cichlids with them also? Reply

Anonymous - 2006-01-22 These fish are truly elegant and beautiful! I LOVE my rosybarb! They are a little aggressive at the beginning but they settle down. Reply

Add your comment!

View all 7 comments on Rosy Barb

Back to Cyprinids