Odessa Barb

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep them in a school of six or more in a tank of at least 75 liters, since smaller groups tend to get nippy. They're active swimmers that work the middle of the tank and are generally peaceful in a proper group. Aim for cool to moderate temperatures and a pH from 6 to 7. Feed quality flake and small pellets with regular frozen or live foods like bloodworm and daphnia to keep the males' red strong.

In the wild

The Odessa barb comes from Myanmar, living in streams, pools, and ponds with cooler, moving water. Conditions there run soft to slightly hard and acidic to neutral. A planted tank with open swimming space works well, and they don't need it warm. They're comfortable from the high teens up into the mid 20s C. That cooler tolerance makes them a good unheated or lightly heated option.

Good to know

This is a small barb in the family Cyprinidae, reaching about 4 to 5 cm. It wasn't formally described until 2008, fairly recent for a fish that had been in the hobby for decades. Males show a broad red band along the body, while females stay plainer. They're egg scatterers with no parental care.

Did you know

The name is a bit of a mystery. The fish first reached the hobby through the city of Odessa, in what is now Ukraine, and the name stuck even though the species is native to Myanmar. For years nobody was even sure exactly which wild population the aquarium strain came from.

Related species

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  Stoliczka's barb

  Pethia stoliczkana

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• Cuming's barb

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• 

  Golden dwarf barb

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• Dwarf barb

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• 

  Black ruby barb

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• 

  Ticto barb

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