All fish / Cyprinidae

Redside barb

Puntius bimaculatus

Also known as two-spotted barb, two spot barb, red sided barb, red-side barb, redside barb, 双斑鲃

This is a small, slim silvery barb with a reddish band along the flank and dark spots at the base of the dorsal fin and the tail. It comes from hill streams and the middle reaches of rivers, and keepers like it as a calm, hardy shoaling fish for cooler, well-oxygenated community tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

5 cm

Temperature

18 to 24 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

60 litres

Keep as

Shoal of 8 or more

Diet

Omnivore: small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm and daphnia, plus good flake and micro pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Sri Lanka and southern India

Breeding

It scatters its eggs among plants or fine-leaved mops and gives no parental care, so adults will eat the eggs. Spawning is fairly easy in a separate tank with a mesh or mops, and the fry take infusoria and then baby brine shrimp.

Good to know

It prefers cooler water than most tropical barbs and needs good flow and oxygen. Do not confuse it with other small spotted Puntius species.