Shovelmouth barb

Chagunius chagunio

Also known as Chaguni

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 61–79°F (16–26°C)
pH: 6.5–7.8
Adult size: 19.7 in (50 cm)
Minimum tank: 317 gal (1,200 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Ganges and Brahmaputra drainages, India and Nepal
Family: Cyprinidae

Overview

The shovelmouth barb is a heavy, half-metre river fish that shoals in the wild, so it really wants numbers, but a group of fish this size means an aquarium closer to a tank-sized pond than a living-room setup. It patrols the middle and lower water and needs long, open, current-swept space. It is mostly peaceful for its bulk and will not hunt tankmates it cannot swallow, but it dwarfs ordinary community fish, so companions must be large, calm, and coolwater-tolerant. Feed meaty and vegetable foods on the bottom: large sinking pellets, prawn, mussel, earthworms, and blanched greens. Plan on at least 1,200 liters, and understand that a proper group needs far more.

In the wild

Chagunius chagunio lives in the Ganges and Brahmaputra drainages of India and Nepal, holding deeper, well-oxygenated runs of foothill rivers that stay cool for much of the year. Captive care is really pond or show-tank care: strong current, a bed of rock and gravel, and lots of open water. Keep it in the range of 16 to 26 degrees Celsius with pH 6.5 to 7.8, cooler in winter, and keep oxygen and turnover high.

Good to know

Chagunius chagunio is a large member of the carp family, Cyprinidae, reaching about 50 centimetres. Breeding males develop a striking mask of nuptial tubercles that densely cover the snout and cheeks. It was recorded by Francis Hamilton in his 1822 account of the fishes of the Ganges, and the genus name Chagunius comes straight from its Bengali name, chaguni. It is a river spawner and is not bred in home aquaria.

Did you know

Its scientific name is really a local name in a lab coat: Francis Hamilton wrote down the Bengali word chaguni in 1822, and both the species and its entire genus, Chagunius, still carry that borrowed name today.

Tank mates

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