All fish / Cyprinidae

Clown barb

Barbodes dunckeri

Also known as big spot barb, bigspot barb, duncker's barb, clown barb, puntius dunckeri, barbus dunckeri, systomus dunckeri, kerai, バルブス・ダンケリー, 大斑点鲃, 小丑鲃

A large, active barb with a silvery body marked by a few big black blotches along the flank and reddish or orange fins. It is kept for its bold pattern, hardiness and lively shoaling behaviour in big community tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

15 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Group of 6 or more

Diet

Omnivore: quality pellets and flakes, vegetable matter, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

6 to 10 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore; possibly Sumatra

Breeding

It scatters eggs over plants or substrate and gives no parental care, so the adults will eat the eggs. Captive spawning is occasional and mostly done on fish farms, as the adults need a lot of space.

Good to know

Juveniles sold at a few centimetres grow to around 15 cm or more, so a long, spacious tank is needed. Lively feeding can stress very timid or slow, long-finned tankmates, and it may eat soft plants.