TankBud

Black ruby barb

Pethia nigrofasciata

Also known as Ruby barb

FreshwaterFish

Black ruby barb (Pethia nigrofasciata)
Photo by and (c)2004 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) · CC BY-SA 2.5

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
2.4 in
6 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Egg scatterer · Medium
Rarity
Common
Family
Cyprinidae
Origin
Southwestern Sri Lanka (Kelani and Nilwala river basins)

Overview

Black ruby barbs are mostly peaceful schooling barbs for a heavily planted community tank. They are an easy choice for a newer keeper.

Did you know

Male black ruby barbs look fairly plain most of the time, saving their best color for when they are ready to spawn.

Caring for the black ruby barb

Keep black ruby barbs in a tank of 20 gal (75 L) or larger. A heavily planted tank with a dark substrate and subdued light suits them, and that setting brings out the males' color.

Keep the water on the cooler side, at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C), with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Feed a mix of small flakes, micro pellets and frozen foods such as daphnia or bloodworms.

Keep a school of 8 to 10, with more females than males. They are mostly peaceful, but a small or under-grouped school will nip fins. Keep the numbers up, skip slow, long-finned tank mates, and pair them with other active, similarly sized fish.

A male in breeding mood flushes a deep ruby-black across the front half of his body. Black ruby barbs are egg scatterers with no parental care, and the adults eat their own eggs as soon as they are laid. Breeding is doable but takes some setup.

Good to know

The black ruby barb, Pethia nigrofasciata, belongs to the family Cyprinidae. Nearly every black ruby barb in the trade today is captive-bred.

In the wild

Black ruby barbs come from shaded forest streams in southwestern Sri Lanka, in the Kelani and Nilwala river basins. There they live over leaf litter and gravel, in cool, soft, slightly acidic water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The black ruby barb is a mostly peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a black ruby barb need?

A black ruby barb needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a black ruby barb need?

A black ruby barb is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a black ruby barb eat?

A black ruby barb eats small flakes, micro pellets and frozen foods such as daphnia or bloodworms.

How big does a black ruby barb get?

An adult black ruby barb reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).

Does a black ruby barb need a group?

Yes. A black ruby barb is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How can you tell a male black ruby barb from a female?

Males flush a deep ruby-black across the front half of the body when they are in breeding mood.

How does a black ruby barb breed?

Black ruby barbs scatter their eggs and give no parental care. The adults eat their own eggs as soon as they are laid. Breeding them is doable but takes some setup.

Related species