African butterfly barb

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a group of at least six, ideally more, in a tank around 40 liters or larger. They are shy and peaceful, sticking to the middle of the tank, and they color up best when they feel safe among plants. Skip boisterous tankmates, since they are easily outcompeted at feeding time. Offer small foods like micro pellets, fine flake, and live or frozen daphnia and mosquito larvae.

In the wild

The African butterfly barb comes from small, shaded forest streams in Central Africa. These are cool, soft, acidic waters running over leaf litter with not much light getting through the canopy. Aim for a dim, planted tank with leaf litter, soft acidic water, and a cooler temperature than most tropicals, roughly the high teens to low 20s C. Stable conditions matter more than warmth here.

Good to know

This is a small cyprinid that rarely passes 3.5 cm. The patterned fins are where the butterfly name comes from. Males and females differ in fin coloring, which helps with sexing. They are egg scatterers, and breeding is tricky, needing soft acidic water and careful attention to the cool temperature range.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  African banded barb

  Barbus fasciolatus

  2.4 in (6 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)

  2.4 in (6 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Spotscale barb

  Barbus holotaenia

  4.7 in (12 cm) · 32 gal (120 L)

  4.7 in (12 cm)32 gal (120 L)75–86°F (24–30°C)

• 

  Blackspot dwarf barb

  Enteromius stigmatopygus

  1.4 in (3.5 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Dwarf barb

  Pethia phutunio

  1.4 in (3.5 cm) · 12 gal (45 L)

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)12 gal (45 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Eyespot rasbora

  Brevibora dorsiocellata

  1.4 in (3.5 cm) · 9 gal (35 L)

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)9 gal (35 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)

• 

  Dwarf hi-fin barb

  Oreichthys parvus

  1.4 in (3.6 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)

  1.4 in (3.6 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)