TankBud

Shacra baril

Opsarius shacra

Also known as Barilius shacra, Thousand spotted barilius

FreshwaterFish

Shacra baril (Opsarius shacra)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–79°F
18–26°C
pH
6.5–7.8
Adult size
5.5 in
14 cm
Minimum tank
53 gal
200 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Egg scatterer
Rarity
Rare
Family
Danionidae
Origin
Himalayan foothill rivers of India, Nepal and Bangladesh

Overview

The Shacra baril is a fast, cool-water schooling fish built for big river tanks. It is best with a little experience.

Did you know

The Shacra baril carries a local Gangetic name, which Francis Hamilton kept when he described it in 1822. The epithet shacra preserves the everyday name that river people were already using.

Caring for the Shacra baril

Give a group of Shacra barils a long tank of 53 gal (200 L) or more, with length to swim and open water. Add strong flow, a gravel or sand bed and rounded stones. Fit a tight lid, since they can jump.

An unheated or lightly heated tank is fine, at 64 to 79°F (18 to 26°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.8. Barils burn energy quickly, so feed generously and often. Offer flake and pellets with plenty of frozen or live foods, or they thin out fast.

Keep at least six. They are mostly peaceful but energetic, so match them with equally lively fish such as larger barbs and hillstream loaches. Small or slow tank mates can be harried. Aquarium breeding is not recorded, but in the wild they scatter eggs in open water when the seasonal rains come.

Good to know

The Shacra baril, Opsarius shacra, is a member of the family Danionidae. It is slim and silvery, with a row of short bluish bars along the side. Its name is also written as Barilius shacra.

In the wild

The Shacra baril ranges along Himalayan foothill rivers in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, in the Ganges and Brahmaputra drainages. Its rivers run clear, cool and fast over gravel beds, and they swing with the seasons.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Shacra baril 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 Shacra baril need?

A Shacra baril needs at least 53 gal (200 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Shacra baril need?

A Shacra baril is comfortable at 64–79°F (18–26°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.8.

What does a Shacra baril eat?

A Shacra baril burns energy quickly, so feed it generously and often. Give it flake and pellets with plenty of frozen or live foods.

How big does a Shacra baril get?

An adult Shacra baril reaches about 5.5 in (14 cm).

Does a Shacra baril need a group?

Yes. A Shacra baril is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a Shacra baril breed?

A Shacra baril scatters its eggs in open water in the wild, spawning with the seasonal rains. Its breeding in aquariums is not recorded.

Related species