All fish / Cyprinidae

Gold Barb

Barbodes semifasciolatus

Also known as golden barb, chinese barb, green barb, half-banded barb, schuberti barb, schubert's barb, gold barb, puntius semifasciolatus, puntius sachsii, ปลาบาร์บทอง, ゴールデンバルブ, 条纹小鲃

A small, sturdy barb with a slightly deep body marked with thin dark bars and spots. The wild form is greenish gold, while the widely sold gold form is bright yellow with black flecks and reddish fins in males. It is kept because it is hardy, lively and happy in cooler water than most tropical barbs.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

18 to 25 °C

pH

6 to 8

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Shoal of 6 or more

Diet

Omnivore: flakes, small pellets, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, plus some vegetable matter

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 7 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Southern China (Red River and Pearl River basins), Hainan, northern Vietnam

Breeding

An egg scatterer that spawns readily among fine plants, often at dawn, and the parents will eat the eggs. Moving the adults out after spawning or using a mesh base lets the fry hatch in a day or two, and they are easy to raise on infusoria then baby brine shrimp.

Good to know

Generally peaceful but active and may nip very long fins if kept in too small a group. It is best kept in a subtropical tank rather than very warm water.