Bandula barb

Pethia bandula

Also known as Puntius bandula

FreshwaterFish

Bandula barb (Pethia bandula) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.2
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: A single stream near Galapitamada, Sri Lanka
Family: Cyprinidae

Overview

Keep this rare barb as a group of at least six to eight in a planted tank; it is peaceful and a little shy, and a school gives it confidence. It occupies the middle water and mixes well with other small, calm community fish. Feed small everyday foods, quality flake and micro-pellet, with regular frozen or live bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp for condition and color. Around 75 liters suits a group. Given how precarious the species is in the wild, keepers who spawn it help maintain the captive insurance stock that its survival now depends on.

In the wild

The Bandula barb survives in one short stretch of a single stream near Galapitamada in southwestern Sri Lanka, shaded lowland water running through paddy and rubber country. Give it soft, gently flowing, well-planted conditions with a dark substrate and some shade. Hold it at 23 to 27 degrees Celsius and slightly acidic to neutral, pH 6.0 to 7.2.

Good to know

Pethia bandula is a small barb of the family Cyprinidae reaching about 5 centimeters, the males barred in black over rosy flanks. It is one of the most range-restricted freshwater fish known and is listed as critically endangered. It scatters its eggs and is a moderate breeding challenge, and managed spawning underpins conservation efforts for the species.

Did you know

The whole wild population of the Bandula barb lives in roughly three kilometers of one Sri Lankan stream. Discovered in 1991 at around 2,000 fish, it crashed within a decade, prompting protected habitat and captive insurance populations.