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: Medium
Rarity: Common
Origin: Southwestern Sri Lanka (Kelani and Nilwala river basins)
Family: Cyprinidae

Overview

Keep them in a school of 8 to 10 with more females than males, in a tank of 75 liters or larger. They're mostly peaceful and sit in the middle of the water column, but a small or under-grouped group will nip fins, so keep the numbers up and skip slow, long-finned tankmates. Water should run from 22 to 26 C with a pH between 6 and 7.5. Feed a mix of small flakes, micro pellets, and frozen foods like daphnia or bloodworm, and pair them with other active, similarly sized fish.

In the wild

Black ruby barbs come from shaded forest streams in southwestern Sri Lanka, in the Kelani and Nilwala river basins, where they live over leaf litter and gravel in cool, soft, slightly acidic water. To match that, give them a heavily planted tank with dark substrate and subdued light, since that setting brings out the males' color. Keep the water on the cooler side, between 22 and 26 C, with a pH from 6 to 7.5.

Good to know

This is a barb in the family Cyprinidae, reaching about 6 cm as an adult. It's an egg scatterer with no parental care, and the adults will eat their own eggs the moment they're laid. Breeding is doable but takes some setup, and nearly every fish in the trade today is captive-bred.

Did you know

Males don't show their best color most of the time, sitting fairly plain until they're ready to spawn. When a male is in breeding mood he flushes a deep ruby-black across the front half of his body, and the effect is strongest over dark substrate under low light. Drop the lights and plant the tank heavily if you want to see it.