All fish / Cyprinidae

Odessa Barb

Pethia padamya

Also known as odessa barb, scarlet barb, ruby barb, red odessa barb, puntius padamya, barbus padamya, オデッサバルブ, 红玫瑰鲫, 奥德萨鲃

A small, hardy barb whose males have a broad scarlet stripe along the body, dark spots near the gills and tail base, and black-flecked fins. It suits planted community tanks and is kept for its strong colour and lively shoaling behaviour.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

5 cm

Temperature

18 to 26 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Shoal of 8 or more

Diet

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

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

4 to 6 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Myanmar (central Irrawaddy and Chindwin basins)

Breeding

An egg scatterer that spawns readily among fine plants or over mesh in soft, slightly warm water. Adults eat the eggs, so remove them after spawning; the fry hatch in about a day and take infusoria and then baby brine shrimp.

Good to know

It can nip long fins, so avoid keeping it with bettas, angelfish or fancy guppies, and a larger group reduces this habit. For years it was sold under the invalid name Puntius ticto 'Odessa' until it was described in 2008.