Java spotted barb

Puntius bimaculatus

Also known as Two-spot Ceylon barb

FreshwaterFish

Java spotted barb (Puntius bimaculatus) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.8 in (7 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Sri Lanka and southern India
Family: Cyprinidae

Overview

This is an easy, peaceful island barb that shoals, so keep it in a group of six or more, where males show their best red side-stripe. It swims through the middle of a planted community and gets along with other small, gentle fish such as cherry barbs, rasboras, and peaceful catfish. It eats almost anything offered, from flake and micro pellets to frozen daphnia, bloodworm, and brine shrimp, and it grazes soft algae too. Give it planted cover with clear swimming space. A tank of around 75 liters holds a lively group, and the same setup will do for spawning them.

In the wild

Puntius bimaculatus lives in streams across Sri Lanka and southern India, ranging from warm lowland brooks well up into cooler hill country. A planted tank with a soft, dark substrate, some wood, and gentle flow reflects that home. Hold it at 22 to 27 degrees Celsius and pH 6.0 to 7.5. It is adaptable, but soft, clean water and subdued light suit both the fish and any breeding attempt.

Good to know

Puntius bimaculatus is a small carp-family fish, Cyprinidae, reaching about 7 centimetres, silver with a shoulder spot and a tail spot and, on courting males, a bright red lengthwise stripe. Breeding is moderately achievable: pairs are egg scatterers that lay a couple of hundred adhesive eggs among fine plants or spawning mops, and the adults eat the eggs if not removed. The eggs hatch in around a day and a half.

Did you know

In Sri Lanka this little barb climbs high into the hills, living in streams well above a thousand metres near the island's tea country, an unusually broad spread of altitude for such a small fish.