TankBud

Fiery baril

Opsarius ardens

Also known as Barilius ardens, Malabar hill trout, Orange fin hill trout

FreshwaterFish
Fiery baril (Opsarius ardens)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
4.1 in (10.5 cm)
Minimum tank
42 gal (160 L)
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Origin
Sita and Swarna rivers, Karnataka, India
Family
Danionidae

Overview

A fast surface-oriented schooler for unheated or mildly heated river setups: keep six plus with hillstream loaches and mahseer-country company. It leaps, so tight lids matter, and it eats anything that moves or sinks slowly.

In the wild

The fiery baril lives in fast Western Ghats rivers of coastal Karnataka. Keep it in a river tank with current and oxygen at 20 to 26 degrees Celsius and pH 6.5 to 7.5, with open water to sprint.

Good to know

Opsarius ardens was described in 2015 from the Sita-Swarna system; ardens means burning, for the flame-orange fin edges and bar highlights of breeding fish. It reaches about 10.5 centimeters and was long lumped under Barilius.

Did you know

Barils fill the trout niche in Indian hill rivers, and this one earned a Latin name that means blazing for the fire in its fins.

Tank mates

Fiery baril is a mostly peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Fiery baril need?

A Fiery baril needs at least 42 gal (160 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH do Fiery baril need?

Fiery baril are comfortable at 68–79°F (20–26°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

How big do Fiery baril get?

An adult Fiery baril reaches about 4.1 in (10.5 cm).

Do Fiery baril need a group?

Yes. Fiery baril are a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

Where to buy

Some links may not be the exact species or variety.

…or ask your local fish store.

Appears in

Freshwater fish · Schooling fish

Keeping Fiery baril?

Track water tests, reminders and stocking fit.

Sign in or Track your tanks →

Planning tankmates

See how Fiery baril fits a stocking plan. Open the stocking calculator

Add to your site

Show this species on your own site: a shortcode for WordPress, or an HTML embed for anywhere else.

WordPress shortcodeAbout the plugin
HTML embedAbout the embed

Related species