All fish / Cyprinidae

Dharna barb

Puntius fraseri

Also known as fraser's barb, dharna, dharna barb, puntius fraseri

A small silvery barb from peninsular India with dark spots near the gill cover and the tail base. Males show warmer orange or reddish tones on the fins when in breeding condition. It is kept as a hardy, active shoaling fish for cooler, well-oxygenated community tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

20 to 26 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Shoal of 8 or more

Diet

Omnivore: small pellets, flake, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, some plant matter

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

4 to 6 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

India (Western Ghats, Maharashtra and Karnataka)

Breeding

An egg scatterer that spawns among fine-leaved plants and gives no parental care. Breeding is fairly easy in a separate tank with plants or mesh, removing the adults after spawning as they eat the eggs.

Good to know

Its taxonomy is uncertain and some authors treat it as closely related to, or confused with, Pethia ticto, so traded fish may be mislabelled. It can nip long fins when kept in small groups.